Mint Chocolate Chip Monster (Print-Friendly Version)

Rich black cocoa and mint combine with chocolate chips in playful, festive cookies for Halloween.

# Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup black cocoa powder or dark cocoa powder
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
09 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - 1/4 teaspoon mint extract (optional)

→ Mix-ins

12 - 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
13 - 1/2 cup mint chocolate chunks, crème de menthe baking chips, or chopped Andes mints

→ Decorations

14 - Candy eyes
15 - Green candy pearls

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
02 - Whisk together all-purpose flour, black or dark cocoa powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
03 - In a stand mixer bowl, mix melted and cooled butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
04 - Add eggs, vanilla extract, and mint extract (if using) to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until smooth.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated to avoid overmixing.
06 - Fold dark chocolate chips and mint chocolate chunks gently into the dough.
07 - Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes; overnight chilling is acceptable and improves control over spreading.
08 - Shape dough into rough balls using 3 tablespoons for extra-large cookies (60g) or 2 tablespoons for large cookies (50g). Using a digital kitchen scale ensures uniformity.
09 - Gently place candy eyes and green candy pearls onto the top of each dough ball.
10 - Freeze the prepared dough balls for 10 minutes to reduce spreading during baking.
11 - Bake the cookies at 325°F for 12–14 minutes. After removing from the oven, press additional decorations gently on top if desired.
12 - Allow cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Notes & Tips:

01 - Chilling dough helps prevent excessive spreading and improves cookie shape.
02 - Form dough into rough, shaggy balls rather than smooth ones to yield better texture and shape.
03 - Never place new cookie dough on a hot baking sheet to avoid premature melting.
04 - Substitute regular cocoa powder for black cocoa powder if unavailable, noting that color and flavor will be slightly different.
05 - Mint chocolate chunks can be replaced with chopped Andes mints if preferred.

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