Happy Halloween!
What are you up to this fine day? Me, I went for a long walk with Ollie this morning after a week stretch of pouring rain and gray, and we took joy in the Halloween decorations around the neighborhood that weren’t completely ruined by the torrential downpours.
Inside, I’m watching the BBC’s Ghosts, which I found by accident while looking for something to make me jump out of my skin. I’m howling with laughter instead.
I’m also baking cookies. With Peeps. Again. Because I’m demented.
My macabre Peep cookie tradition continues
My macabre tradition of desecrating famous cookie recipes with Peeps continues with these Halloween Candy Cookies. This time, I took on Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies, substituting the chocolate chunks for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and adding Frankenstein (or, as he would like for you to know, his name is Bernard) Peeps.
A bit more “inspired by” than actual salted chocolate chunk shortbread
I wound up changing things so much that I’m not sure that it’s really the same cookie. Because the Reese’s (of which I added more) have quite a bit of salt, I didn’t use salted butter, but instead put a small pinch of salt in the dough. If you used a different candy, I would use the salted butter. I did, however, add the flaky sea salt to the top of the cookies, along with a bit of Peep. Also, because of the Peeps, I didn’t roll these in the sugar. That’s enough changes to warrant writing out the recipe, but the basics are not mine. The apologies are.
Frankenstein’s Delicious Monster: Halloween Candy Cookies
Sacrilege, yes, and sacrificial cut-up shocking green Frankenstein Peeps, but a really tasty cookie. A bit surprising, too. Some of the Reese’s melted into the cookie, flavoring it, and the Peeps in the dough caramelized some, lending texture. The flaky salt and the salt in the Reese’s balanced the sweetness. Still, remember that it’s all-butter shortbread as you shove them into your face.
Recipe and video below. Warning: The video contains graphic, if bloodless, footage of Peep sacrifice.
Halloween Candy Cookies
Equipment
- A stand mixer really helps here. If you don't have one, make sure that the butter is room temperature.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/255 grams total butter 2¼ sticks, cold, cut into pieces
- ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tiny pinch kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups/325 grams all-purpose flour
- 190 grams Resse's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped (I cut them into 9 pieces per peanut butter cup, and chopped up a few pieces into smaller ones
- 2 Peeps, cut up into 1/4 inch chunks
For the topping
- 2-3 Peeps, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugars, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt. Cream together on high for 3-5 minutes until nice and fluffy
- Add the flour and mix on low, just until combined (the dough might be a little pilly. That's OK, you'll get it to come together when you roll it
- Add the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peeps. Try to make sure that the Peeps are evenly distributed. A cookie with too many Peep pieces will spread. See note
- Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a log on a sheet of plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for at least two hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment
- Slice cookie dough about 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Place cookies about an inch apart on the baking sheet
- Top each cookie with a piece of Peep and sprinkle with flaky sea salt
- Bake at 350 for about 12-14 minutes. Check after 10 and then again every minute or two until they're done
- Cool on a cooling rack
