Halloween Monster Cookies are easy to make with cake mix and neon food coloring. They’re topped with candy eyeballs for a spooky-cute halloween treat that tastes like a sugar cookie. Perfect Halloween party food!

Bright colored Halloween cookies on a plate with powdered sugar cracks and candy eyeballs.

Halloween Cookies

Looking for a festive treat for your Halloween party? These bright colored crinkle cookies are super easy and fun to make!

Spooky, yet cute, these monster eye cookies start with a cake mix that’s divided and colored with neon food coloring.

They’re baked to perfection and then topped with candy eyeballs for an “eye”-catching halloween party food. (See what I did there?)

Those candy eyeballs are so fun! You can use them in my Spider Cookies and Ghost Pretzels as well.

Halloween Monster Cookies with neon colors topped with big and small candy eyes.

Ingredients

You will need just a handful of ingredients to make these easy Halloween cookies:

  • White Cake Mix – just the dry mix (do not use ingredients/instructions listed on box)
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Large Eggs
  • Oil – Canola or Vegetable (or softened Butter)
  • Neon Food Coloring
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Candy Eyeballs – two sizes for variety
Ingredients for Halloween Monster Cookies: white cake mix, flour, eggs, oil, food coloring, powdered sugar, and candy eyeballs.

How to Make Halloween Monster Cookies

  • In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, flour, eggs, and oil until smooth. (Easiest to use an electric hand mixer for this.)
  • Divide dough into separate bowls for different colors. Add food coloring to each bowl and mix until the dough is one uniform color.
Cookie dough colored neon green, purple, and orange.

Scoop and Coat with Powdered Sugar

  • Use a #50 scoop (about the size of a heaping Tablespoon) to spoon dough into a ball.
  • Drop dough into a bowl of powdered sugar. Flip the dough over to coat it completely.
Collage image. Orange cookie dough scooped into a bowl of powdered sugar, then coated completely in the sugar.

Bake and Top with Candy Eyeballs

  • Place coated cookie dough balls on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. (NOTE: These cookies spread a lot and will flatten some before they even go in the oven.)
  • Bake at 350˚F for 10-11 minutes until edges are just starting to brown and the tops are matte, not shiny.
  • IMMEDIATELY press candy eyeballs into cookies while still warm. (NOTE: Cookies will be thin.) Allow cookies to rest on the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

The whole family will love making these cookies! Such a fun and festive Halloween recipe!

Collage image. Neon green, purple, and orange cookie dough coated in powdered sugar on a baking sheet. Then baked cookies that have been topped with candy eyeballs.

Q&A

CAN I USE BUTTER INSTEAD OF OIL? Yes. You can use butter instead of oil in these cake mix cookies. I would use softened butter instead of melted butter though.

WHAT TYPE OF FOOD COLORING DO I USE? I used Betty Crocker Neon Gel Food Coloring for these cookies. I generally prefer gel over liquid drops, but use what you have. Use about a pea size amount of gel or 3-5 drops of liquid food coloring. NOTE: If the dough gets really soft from mixing in the color, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to firm it up.

CAN I MAKE THESE HALLOWEEN COOKIES AHEAD OF TIME? You can make these monster eye cookies ahead of time, just note that if/depending on how you stack them, the eyeballs may fall off. I would keep them flat on a tray and place parchment paper between any layers. Then wrap the pan well with plastic wrap to keep them fresh.

Side view of plate with colorful cookies topped with candy eyeballs.

Baking Tips

HOW TO MAKE COOKIES THICKER – While you can bake these Halloween monster cookies immediately after mixing, the dough is quite soft, which also produces a thinner cookie. You can chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before scooping and baking. Or you can add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the dough (1/2 cup total). The additional flour will help with handling as well, if you find the dough to be too sticky.

CANDY EYEBALLS – Make sure you wait to add the candy eyeballs until AFTER baking, or they may melt and burn. I also like to buy two sizes of candy eyeballs. Large and regular (not mini) to give variety to the cookies. You can put them close together or far apart. Have fun with them!

Top view of bright colored Halloween cookies with eyes on a dark surface.

More Halloween Food Ideas

If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!

Bright colored Halloween cookies on a plate with powdered sugar cracks and candy eyeballs.

Halloween Monster Cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies

Halloween Monster Cookies are easy to make with cake mix and neon food coloring. They’re topped with candy eyeballs for a spooky-cute halloween treat that tastes like a sugar cookie. Perfect Halloween party food!

Ingredients

  • 1 (15.25oz) box white cake mix
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • candy eyeballs (two sizes)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, flour, eggs, and oil until smooth. (Easiest to use an electric hand mixer for this.)
  3. Divide dough into separate bowls for different colors. Add food coloring to each bowl and mix until the dough is one uniform color.
  4. Use a #50 scoop (about the size of a heaping Tablespoon) to spoon dough into a ball.
  5. Drop dough into a bowl of powdered sugar. Flip the dough over to coat it completely.
  6. Place coated cookie dough balls on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. (NOTE: These cookies spread a lot and will flatten some before they even go in the oven.)
  7. Bake at 350˚F for 10-11 minutes until edges are just starting to brown and the tops are matte, not shiny.
  8. IMMEDIATELY press candy eyeballs into cookies while still warm. (NOTE: Cookies will be thin.) Allow cookies to rest on the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

    • CAN I USE BUTTER INSTEAD OF OIL? Yes. You can use butter instead of oil in these cake mix cookies. I would use softened butter instead of melted butter though.
    • WHAT TYPE OF FOOD COLORING DO I USE? I used Betty Crocker Neon Gel Food Coloring for these cookies. I generally prefer gel over liquid drops, but use what you have. Use about a pea size amount of gel or 3-5 drops of liquid food coloring. NOTE: If the dough gets really soft from mixing in the color, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to firm it up.
    • HOW TO MAKE COOKIES THICKER – While you can bake these Halloween monster cookies immediately after mixing, the dough is quite soft, which also produces a thinner cookie. You can chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before scooping and baking. Or you can add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the dough (1/2 cup total). The additional flour will help with handling as well, if you find the dough to be too sticky.
    • CAN I MAKE THESE HALLOWEEN COOKIES AHEAD OF TIME? You can make these monster eye cookies ahead of time, just note that if/depending on how you stack them, the eyeballs may fall off. I would keep them flat on a tray and place parchment paper between any layers. Then wrap the pan well with plastic wrap to keep them fresh.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 70Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix, and is an estimation only.