Easy Halloween Cookies

• butter↗150g g

  softened

• granulated sugar↗50g g
• soft brown sugar↗100g g
• vanilla extract↗1 tsp tsp
• large egg↗1 large
• all-purpose flour↗250g g
• baking powder↗¼ tsp tsp
• chocolate chips↗100g milk or dark g

  milk or dark

• dark chocolate↗60g g

  melted

• sugar for royal icing60g g

  mixed with 2 tsp water

• Maltesers20
• cream chocolate sandwich cookies5
• caramel chocolate candies10

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C with convection / gas 4 and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugars with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat again to combine. Fold in the flour and baking powder with a wooden spoon until you have a thick dough, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.

2. 2

   Divide the dough into 20 pieces and shape balls. Place them on the prepared trays, leaving enough space for spreading (you may need to bake them in batches). Lightly press the tops of the cookies with your palm or the bottom of a glass. Bake the cookies for 10‑12 minutes until the edges are golden, then let them cool on the trays for another 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let them cool completely.

3. 3

   To make spider cookies, arrange 10 cooled cookies in front of you. Pipe the melted chocolate into a pastry bag and the royal icing into another, then cut off the tips with scissors. On the back of two Maltesers place a drop of royal icing and position them on a cookie to form the spider’s head and body. Repeat with the remaining nine cookies and the rest of the Maltesers. Use chocolate to draw eight legs around the spider bodies. Add two small drops of royal icing on the heads for eyes, then use tiny chocolate dots to create pupils. If desired, decorate the bodies with royal icing.

4. 4

   To make bat cookies, arrange the remaining 10 cookies in front of you. Separate the cream chocolate sandwich cookies, carefully remove the cream filling from the chocolate cookies. Cut the chocolate cookie pieces into semicircles with a small serrated knife. Using royal icing, attach a piece of caramel chocolate in the centre of each cooled cookie, and use a little more icing to attach the semicircle chocolate pieces on each side, creating bat wings. Add eyes on the chocolate using royal icing and melted chocolate.