Description
These Black Cat Silhouette Sugar Cookies are chocolatey, charming, and perfect for Halloween. Made with dark cocoa, decorated with edible ‘eyes,’ and rolled in black sanding sugar, they’re fun to make with kids and deliver spooky elegance in every bite. Crisp edges, fudgy centers, and loads of charm.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder (like Hershey’s Special Dark)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (for melting)
- 1 cup black sanding sugar
- 24 candy-coated sunflower seeds (green/yellow for eyes)
Instructions
- Beat softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet just until no streaks remain.
- Form dough into a disc between parchment, wrap and chill for 1 hour. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness, cut cat shapes, and chill cutouts for 30 minutes to help retain their shape during baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for 12–15 minutes. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
- Melt chocolate in 30-second microwave bursts. Spread onto cookies, then press into black sanding sugar. Use melted chocolate to attach sunflower seed “eyes” with pointed ends facing in.
Notes
Chill dough for defined shapes and flavor. Cocoa powder adds starch to help hold structure. Avoid over-softened butter—cool but pliable is ideal. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Halloween
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 35mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg