Hoot Owl Cookies Recipes

Cute and easy homemade Halloween cookies that can be made with the family and without cookie cutters.

Hoot Owl Cookies are what I served for my kids' Halloween party some time ago. I wanted to re-try making them, in fact, I will still redo them! They are super addictive and I love playing with the dough.

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Contents:

• Halloween and me
• So how do you make these delicious cookies?
• Ingredients for Hoot Owl Cookies
• Steps to make Hoot Owl Cookies
• Some other Cookies that we love
• Recipe Card
• Pin for later

Halloween and me:

I miss my kids every Halloween. They would always be harassing me with a demand for some cake or cookies to celebrate. 

One of these recipes was these hoot owl cookies. It is a quick and simple recipe with 2 different coloured doughs and some nuts. They look great with almost no effort on your part. There is no need to buy cookie cutters or shapers, and there is no need to struggle with fondant. These cookies are quick and a great option for first-time bakers! (Pssst! It has chocolate!)

The original cookies were baked at a Pillsbury Bake-Off by Natalie R. Riggin and these cookies certainly look awesome. 

So how do you make these delicious cookies?

I use two 2 methods. I love them both. 

1. You can melt chocolate and add it to the dough.
2. You can add unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough.

The Madscientist Twist

My method, as usual, is tweaked to suit my style and needs. I struggled to work the dough initially, so here is what I do now.

These are my older pictures where I used whole-wheat in place of all-purpose flour.

Ingredients for Hoot Owl Cookies:

• Maida or all purpose flour
• Sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Milk
• Chocolate/Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• Baking powder
• Vanilla
• Salt

Substitutes and alternatives:

• Use whole wheat flour in place of maida or APF only the amount of milk you need will be more. Add a tablespoon at a time as this will vary with the flour.
• Swap the colours I have made dark dough my eyes make the white the eyes. The chocolate chips will stand out.
• If I know my other daughter we will have blue owls with dark eyes. 😀
• You can use cashew nuts or almonds for beaks.

Steps to make Hoot Owl Cookies:

• Melt the chocolate and set it aside if you plan to use chocolate.
• Mix flour and baking powder together. In a separate bowl, mix the milk and vanilla. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar with a hand blender (you can do it manually too) until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat for 30 secs.
• Add the flour and milk alternatively and blend.
• In ⅓ of the dough and add the melted chocolate and beat well till there are no white streaks of the dough anymore. (Even with cocoa, you can blend it in. You may need to add a tablespoon or 2 of milk to blend the dough).
• Chill the dough and make a strip of the light coloured dough. Make a log of the chocolate one.
• Wrap the chocolate dough with the light strip. Cover with cling film and set in the fridge to chill for atleast 3-4 hours and then reshape them. Refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to bake remove the uneven edges and make slices of the roll about 3 cms wide.
• On the greased baking tray or a Silpat place 2 cookie slices next to one another and press to make stick them together.
• To make the ears of the owl pinch the corners or use the uneven edges that you removed and make some small rolls and attached them. The ears may seem weird and exaggerated when you make them but once baked they will be normal. Smoothen the edges a bit with your fingertips.
• In the centre of the chocolate roll place the chocolate chip. Attach the almond or cashew nut as a beak.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180C or 350F till done. Allow cool before you remove from baking sheets. Cool on wire rack and store in air-tight containers.

Pro-tips:

• Chill your dough before you proceed. In fact, the moment the dough gets sticky pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes during any of the steps.
• Use a serrated knife to make the slices.
• Make 2 small rolls of the dough will be easier to handle.

Storage tips:

• The cookie logs can be frozen for about a month. Thaw them in the fridge overnight. Then slice and shape the cookies.
• Storing the baked cookies needs care. In a Tupperware container arrange the cookies in a single layer with parchment paper between the cookies.
• Stacking them causes the chocolate eyes to stick to the other cookies.

Some other Cookies that we love:

Recipe Card:

Hoot Owl Cookies

A hoot treat for Halloween!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe!

Course: Baked, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked, Cookies, Festive Cooking, Halloween Recipes, Kid Friendly Food

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 12 hours hours

Total Time: 12 hours hours 32 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 98kcal

Author: ArchanaPotdar

1x2x3x

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Equipment

• Bowls
• Hand-Held Beater
• Cling Film
• Knife
• Spoons and Ladles
• Oven
• Parchment paper or Silpats
• Baking tray

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 283 grams butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• ¼ cup milk at room temperature
• 45 g chocolate chopped
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 60 Chocolate chips
• 30 Whole almonds

Instructions

• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl and set aside.
• In another bowl mix flour and baking powder together. In a separate bowl, mix the milk and vanilla.
• Cream butter and sugar with a hand blender until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat for 30 secs.
• Add ⅓ of the flour and blend on low until the flour is well mixed.
• Add flour and milk alternatively and blend.
• Weigh the dough and remove ⅓ of the dough

If using Melted Chocolate :

• Add the melted chocolate to the ⅓ dough. Beat on low speed till fluffy and there are no white streaks of the dough anymore.

If using Unsweetened Cocoa Powder:

• Add the unsweetened cocoa powder to the ⅓ dough. Now, beat on low speed. You may have to add milk, add one tablespoon at a time and beat well till fluffy and there are no white streaks of the dough anymore.
• Chill both the dough in the fridge before you go further.

Shaping the Hoot Owl Cookies:

• On a cling film, place the light coloured dough. Cover with another piece of cling film and roll it out in a strip 6-inch wide. Actually makes sense to make 2 strips and transfer them to the fridge but I am always out of fridge space so I make 1.
• Make a nice long log of the chocolate dough the same length as the strip.
• Place the log on the light coloured strip and cover the log with the light strip.
• Here I cut the log into 2 pieces and make smaller rolls.
• Cover with cling film and set in the fridge to cool. In my climate it is difficult so I let it sit in the fridge for another 3-4 hours. It is easier to make a smooth roll after 3-4 hours.
• You can bake immediately but let them stay overningt in the fridge.

Shaping the Hoot Owl Cookies:

• Preheat the oven at 180C or 350F.
• Get the rolls out and remove the uneven edges with a serrated knife and make slices of the roll about 3cms wide.
• On the greased baking tray or a Silpat place 2 cookie slices next to one another and press to make stick them together.
• To make the ears of the owl you can pinch the corners of the lighter dough. What used the ends I had cut off from the roll. Make some small rolls and attached them.
• The ears may seem weird and exaggerated when you make them but once baked they will be normal. Smoothen the edges a bit with your fingertips.
• In the centre of the dark roll place the chocolate chip. Attach the almond or cashew nut as a beak.
• Bake for 8 – 12 minutes or the edges become golden brown.
• Remove from baking sheets after they cool in an air-tight container with parchment between the cookies.

Notes

• You can use cashew nuts in place of almonds as eyes.
• Keep space between 2 owls while baking these cookies spread.
• While storing the baked cookies in a single layer with parchment paper between the cookies.
• Stacking them causes the chocolate eyes to stick to the other cookies.
• The cookies logs can be frozen in the freezer for a month. Thaw them in the fridge overnight. Then slice and shape the cookies.

Nutritional Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Please check with your nutritionist for your dietary needs and restrictions. Ultimately you are responsible for your decisions.

This is an old post that I am updating with newer pictures and a write-up as a part of the group Foodies_RedoingOld Post.

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