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Witch hat cookies make a great Halloween treat. These Halloween thumbprint cookies are easy to prepare, and you can decorate them however you like. Looking like little witch hats, these cookies are made with pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, black sanding sugar, and more. They look both spooky and cute and taste wonderful. Whip up a batch of these easy treats for your Halloween party, Harry Potter party, or for the family.
Witch hat cookies have soft, chewy centers and a perfectly crisp outer edge from the sanding sugar. Think chocolate with hints of pumpkin and warm pumpkin pie spice.
You might also like to make glow in the dark rum shots, this creepy black charcoal crust Halloween pizza, or panna cotta eyeballs.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: There’s nothing complicated about making Halloween witch hat cookies. You don’t need any baking expertise under your belt.
Versatile: You can tweak the decorating to match your party decor or even try Harry Potter themed colors.
So cute: The little hats are adorable. Everyone will be impressed with these!
They’re delicious too: The combination of vanilla, chocolate and pumpkin is really special.
Halloween Witch Hat Cookie Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pumpkin puree: Make sure you get 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which is sweetened and spiced.
Black cocoa powder: You can use regular cocoa powder instead. Just add some black food coloring.
Vanilla extract: Adds another layer to the flavor of the witch hat cookies.
Hershey’s kisses: These are the point of the witch’s hat and the special dark chocolate ones (here) look great.
Red rose candy sprinkles: To add a contrasting color and decorate the witch hats.
Pumpkin pie spice: For those fantastic fall flavors.
Brown sugar: For sweetness.
How to Make Witch Hat Thumbprint Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the dough: Beat the granulated sugar with the butter, then add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract. Now add the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder, and make a dough.
Make the cookies: Divide the dough into cookie dough balls and roll each one in black sanding sugar. Refrigerate briefly and preheat the oven.
Bake them: Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Decorate them: Press a Hershey’s kiss into each one and let the cookies cool completely in the fridge or freezer. Pipe little florets along the bottom of each witch hat and add red rose sprinkles.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use 1:1 gluten free flour and check the other ingredients are free from gluten.
Black cocoa powder: Either use regular cocoa powder and add black food coloring or use regular and make brown instead of black witch hat cookies. You can omit the liquid food coloring or gel food coloring if you prefer not to use it.
Different decorations: Feel free to change the ribbon decoration for something else or the edible roses. You could add anything, such as candy frogs or spiders!
Fudge stripe cookies: Drizzle over some fudge syrup.
Peanut butter flavor: Add a little creamy peanut butter to the dough.
Serving Suggestions
More sweet treats: Serve up these witch hat cookies with chocolate frogs and mummy hand pies.
Spooky savory bites: Savory snacks you could also make include a skull veggie tray and Halloween bruschetta.
Ghoulish sips: Witch hat cookies pair very nicely with cursed immortal rum cocktails!
How to Store Witches Hat Cookies
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: I wouldn’t freeze these because the decorations wouldn’t stay as pretty and they would probably soften too much.
Top Tips
Chilling is important: Chill the cookies before baking, otherwise they’ll spread out too much during the cooking time, and you want witch hat cookies not witch sombreros!
Remember the parchment paper: This is important, so the witch hat cookies don’t stick and break.
Get creative: You don’t have to add black frosting for a ribbon or red rose decorations. Add anything you want.
When to decorate: Add the chocolate kisses as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, so the heat from the cookies melts the base of the dark chocolate kisses and helps them stick in place. But let them cool completely before adding frosting and other decorations, for a tidier finish.
Witches Hat Cookies FAQs
In some grocery stores and specialty food markets. It’s maybe easiest to order it online (I love this one!)
Candy frogs, candy spiders, mini gummy worms or even star-shaped sprinkles. Anything goes with these!
Yes you can, although the dark chocolate kisses are darker in color so might look better on the cookies.
Halloween Witch Hat Cookie Recipe
Witch Hat Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup salted butter
- 1½ Cups dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ Cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¼ Cups all purpose flour
- ¼ Cup cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons black cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ Teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ Cup sanding sugar, black
- 30 Hershey Kisses, dark chocolate
- ⅓ Cup black frosting
- 30 edible candy sprinkles, red rose shaped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar and butter until combined.
- Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat again until combined
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Mix until a dough forms.
- Scoop the dough into balls about 2 Tablespoons in size. Roll each ball in black sanding sugar
- Place the rolled cookie dough onto a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Once the cookies have finished chilling, place them about 2 inches apart on a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven after 10 minutes and immediately add one of the dark chocolate Hershey kisses to the center of each cookie pressing down just slightly.
- Carefully remove each cookie from the tray and put them on a plate. Put the cookies in the fridge or freezer to chill.
- Once completely cooled down and the Hershey kiss is no longer melting, remove from the refrigerator. Use black icing with a small open star piping tip, such as a Wilton 16 tip, to pipe little florets all along the bottom edge of the Hershey’s kiss to be the witch's hat ribbon. Now press one red rose sprinkle onto the side of the hat against the ribbon. Repeat for all the cookies.
- Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Remember the parchment paper: This is important, so the witch hat cookies don’t stick and break.
Get creative: You don’t have to add black frosting for a ribbon or red rose decorations. Add anything you want.
When to decorate: Add the chocolate kisses as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, so the heat from the cookies melts the base of the dark chocolate kisses and helps them stick in place. But let them cool completely before adding frosting and other decorations, for a tidier finish.
Nutrition
A batch of witch hat cookies is ideal for any Halloween party. They’re so easy to make and the chocolate kiss looks like the point on the hat which the cookies form the brims. You can have fun adding decorations and personalizing them.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
These are going on my Halloween party list!