Description
Delightfully spooky and colorful vegan Halloween cookies featuring tri-colored dough infused with ube, matcha, and cocoa powders. These soft, festive treats are decorated with vegan edible googly eyes and piped with icing to create a playful stitch effect, perfect for Halloween celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 130 g vegan butter block, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 50 g soft silken tofu or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g plain white flour (all-purpose flour) or gluten-free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoon ube powder or blueberry powder
- 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha
- 2 teaspoon Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar for rolling the dough
For Decorating
- Edible vegan googly eye decorations
- 100 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon unflavored, unsweetened plant milk
Instructions
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together vegan butter, granulated sugar, silken tofu, and vanilla extract on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, use a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together plain white flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and fine sea salt in a separate bowl.
- Combine Dough: Add sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture in the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until just combined, forming a loose dough.
- Divide and Color Dough: Remove dough, weigh it, and divide into three equal portions. In separate bowls, mix ube powder into one portion, matcha into the second, and cocoa powder into the third until evenly colored.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each colored dough portion in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F, fan) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form Tri-color Cookie Dough Balls: Use a cookie scoop to make 10 equal scoops of cocoa dough, placing them on the baking sheets. Place ube and matcha scoops next to cocoa dough scoops, forming tri-color lumps. Chill the trays again for 10 minutes.
- Roll and Sugar Coat: Place 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll each chilled tri-color dough lump gently into a ball, then roll in sugar. Return to cookie sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Optionally, freeze dough balls for later baking by freezing 30 minutes and storing in airtight containers for up to 3-4 months; thaw before baking.
- Add Edible Eyes: Remove cookies from oven and, while warm but not too hot, quickly press 7-8 vegan edible googly eye decorations randomly on each cookie, avoiding seams.
- Cool Cookies: Transfer cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely to room temperature.
- Prepare Icing: In a small bowl, whisk icing sugar with plant milk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag with a small hole.
- Decorate Stitches: Pipe stitch marks across the dough seams on the cooled cookies and let the icing set completely before serving.
- Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; best enjoyed fresh the day of baking.
Notes
- Use a stand mixer for ease, but a hand mixer and large bowl works well too.
- Substitute silken tofu with unsweetened applesauce if preferred.
- To freeze dough, freeze shaped dough balls for 30 minutes, then store in freezer bags or containers for up to 3-4 months. Defrost before baking.
- Mix the dough powders thoroughly to ensure even colors.
- Applying eyes while the cookies are warm helps them stick better.
- Stitch icing adds a fun Halloween aesthetic but can be omitted if desired.
- For gluten-free option, substitute flour with a gluten-free blend.
- Ensure edible googly eyes are vegan-friendly when purchasing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 35 g)
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
