Description
Black Cat Cookies are a festive and fun treat perfect for Halloween or any spooky-themed event. Made from Devil’s Food cake mix, these soft and chocolatey cookies are decorated with black cocoa frosting, M&M eyes, licorice whiskers, heart-shaped sprinkles for noses, and Hershey chocolate ears to create adorable black cat faces.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box of Devil’s Food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil (reduce to 1/3 cup if using a 13.25 ounce cake mix)
- Black food coloring (optional)
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 40 green or yellow M&Ms
- Black edible marker
- 20 large heart-shaped sprinkles
- Black licorice
- Hershey chocolate bars
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Dough: In a large bowl, combine the Devil’s Food cake mix, eggs, and oil until the mixture is well blended. Add black food coloring if you want a deeper black color for the cookies.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each about 2 inches apart. Do not flatten the dough balls to maintain a soft, puffy texture.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set. The centers may be soft but will firm as the cookies cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Frosting: While the cookies cool, beat the softened butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk, beating until smooth and spreadable. Adjust milk quantity to achieve desired consistency.
- Frost Cookies: Once cookies are fully cooled, spread a generous layer of the black cocoa frosting on top of each cookie.
- Decorate Eyes: Use the black edible marker to draw pupils on the green or yellow M&Ms. Press two M&Ms onto each frosted cookie to form the cat’s eyes.
- Add Nose: Place one large heart-shaped sprinkle upside down under the eyes on each cookie to serve as the cat’s nose.
- Attach Whiskers: Using kitchen shears, cut small pieces of black licorice and press them into the frosting around the nose to create whiskers.
- Create Ears: Break Hershey chocolate bars into pieces along the molded cuts, cut each piece into two squares, then diagonally cut each square into two triangles. Press two chocolate triangles into the top of each cookie to form the cat ears.
- Set Frosting: Allow the frosting to set for a few minutes before serving to ensure all decorations stay in place.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-4 days to maintain freshness.
- These cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze them on a baking sheet until solid before transferring to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag to prevent sticking.
- If the frosting is too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time to reach the desired spreadable consistency.
- Black food coloring is optional; the black cocoa powder in the frosting adds most of the dark color.
- You can substitute Hershey chocolate bars with any plain chocolate bars shaped into triangles for ears.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
