Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies w/ Zombie Blood (AKA Caramel)

Get your Halloween on with these spooktacular zombified double chocolate crinkle cookies. They are soft and chewy, chocolatey, and OOZING with zombie blood (aka caramel).

Jessica Halverstadt is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I’ve had Halloween on my mind for the past month and now that it’s officially October I figure I can go ahead and start sharing some recipes with you that are inspired by this most awesomest holiday.

As you know, this year is going to look a bit different for many of us as we try to navigate the implications of trick-or-treating during a global pandemic.

As for my family, we have opted to skip even the socially distanced trick-or-treating options in favor of a better than ever Halloween party at home (with just us).

If an effort to make the celebration extra special, I’ve been working on assembling a spooktacular menu full of snacks and treats.

In come these zombie-inspired cookies. They begin with a double chocolate crinkle cookie. You heard me right; double chocolate!!!! Chocolatey cookie dough with chocolate chips. WHAM!!!

Next, comes the caramel filling which oozes out of the cracks atop the cookies. And with a few drops of food coloring, it’s transformed into zombie blood. GRAAAGH!!!!!

Throw on some fun edible eyeballs and you’ve got the perfect zombified cookies for your Halloween bash. Your children will no doubt get a kick out of ’em.

Aside from the entertainment factor, these cookies are just so darn good. With caramel and chocolate, how could they not be??? I mean, the two just go together; like peas in a pod.

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Ingredients (+ notes & substitutions)

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• All-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder: Unsweetened.
• Baking powder
• Baking soda: The baking soda helps give the cookies the crinkles.
• Kosher salt
• Unsalted butter: The butter should be melted and slightly cooled. If the butter is too hot the dough will be too soft and it may even cook the eggs. 😬
• Brown sugar: Because of the high molasses content in brown sugar it retains more moisture which equals a moister cookie. Yay!
• Large eggs: One full egg and one egg yolk. The yolk also aids the moisture content as well.
• Vanilla extract
• Milk chocolate chips
• Werther’s Original Soft Caramels: I tried several different types of caramels, but had the best result with these. The caramel stays softer than other varieties as the cookies cool the caramel sets. I have found that some grocery stores do not carry them, so I have included a link below if you wish to purchase them through Amazon.
• Red and/or green food coloring: For the “zombie blood” caramel. I like to use both colors so that I have variety, but you could choose one or the other or even experiment with different color(s).
• Wilton Edible Candy Eyeballs: I found these candy eyeballs at my local grocery store and picked some up on Amazon too. I have included a product link below.

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How to make double chocolate crinkle cookies with zombie blood

( + tips)

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Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. You will need either two large baking sheets or to reuse one, as it is not advised to bake more than one sheet of cookies at a time. Lightly grease your baking sheet(s) or cover with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and sugar until smooth, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until well combined.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Since you actually want crinkle cookies to spread as they cook, the dough does not require refrigeration. In fact, it should be at room temperature prior to baking. That means you can nibble on them even sooner. WIN!!!

Scoop out one tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the cookie dough has been rolled into balls. You should aim to end up with 36 total which will produce 18 cookies.

Melt the caramels in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the food coloring one drop at a time, stirring, until the depth of color you desire is produced and uniform. If you are using more than one color, you may split the caramels between two saucepans or melt half the caramels and assemble half the cookies then melt the second half and assemble the remaining cookies.

To assemble the cookies: flatten out a dough ball slightly with the palm of your hands, use your thumb or the backside of a teaspoon to create a small divot in the center, and add one teaspoon of caramel. Repeat, then sandwich the two pieces together, caramel sides facing inwards, pinch the edges shut, then form into a ball. Do your best to keep the caramel intact within the center, but if some seeps out that’s ok. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

*** I find that it’s easiest to work with the caramel when it is melted, but if it is simpler for you once it sets a bit feel free to remove it from the heat at any point. Be careful because it will be very hot and will burn if it comes in contact with your flesh.

Next, lightly roll the balls in granulated white sugar, place them on a cookie sheet, and gently press 3-4 edible eyeballs into the top of the cookies. Place up to 12 cookies on each baking sheet approximately an inch or two apart.

Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes or until spread out and puffy. Remove from the oven and rest on the baking sheet for five minutes. Serve warm for gooey caramel or transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

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Storage

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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

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Recommended Products

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If you make these double chocolate crinkle cookies w/ zombie blood I’d love your feedback. Please leave a comment and/or a rating below as I greatly value your opinion. Or snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @taoofspiceblog. Love, light, and happy cooking ya’ll ♥