Halloween Monster Cookies

Directions

1. Pour the melted slightly cooled butter into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer or mixing by hand).
2. Add both sugars and the salt. Mix on medium speed just until combined; the mixture may look separated. Do not overmix or the cookies will turn out cakey.
3. Add the vanilla extract and eggs, then mix until just incorporated. The batter should be smooth and emulsified at this point.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, both cocoa powders, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients in two additions with the mixer on the lowest speed to avoid flour clouds and overmixing. The flour doesn’t need to be fully incorporated before adding more.
5. When most of the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and mix on low until distributed. For best results, finish mixing the chocolate in by hand with a spatula.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir the dough a few times by hand to ensure everything from the bottom is well combined. Cover and let the dough rest for at least 20–30 minutes.
7. Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Press about 6–8 M&M ghoul mix candies into each mound so they will spread out during baking.
8. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and chill the dough overnight (or at least 1 hour). At this point you can also freeze the dough balls.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and place 4–6 dough portions on the pan, spacing them evenly apart.
10. Bake for 12–15 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake 14 minutes; for a softer result, bake 12–13 minutes. Add 1–2 minutes if baking from frozen. Rotate the pan halfway through.
11. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press candy monster eyes into the warm cookies, gently securing them so they stick.
12. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 6–10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
13. These cookies are delicious served warm or at room temperature.