Halloween Chocolate Cookie Mice
Submitted by Airini
Halloween chocolate cookie mice with pinched noses, chocolate chip eyes, and licorice tails. A spooky-cute kids’ baking project that turns one chocolate shortbread dough into a tray of edible critters.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minCookie mice are the Halloween baking project that gets kids genuinely excited to help in the kitchen. The dough itself is a chocolate shortbread, rich with cocoa and built on butter plus shortening for a tender bite that holds its shape through all the pinching and shaping.
The sculpting is the fun part. A 1-inch ball gets pinched at one end for the nose, two flattened mini-balls get pressed on top for ears, mini chocolate chips become beady eyes, and a length of licorice tucked into the back end finishes the mouse with a tail. Push the licorice in immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, while they’re still warm and pliable. Wait too long and the cookies set and the tail won’t stick.
Use a light hand on the flour. Spoon it into the cup and level off, never scoop, or your mice end up dense and dry.
Kitchen Tips
- Chill the dough for 20 minutes before shaping if it feels too soft to pinch cleanly.
- Use mini chocolate chips, not regular. Full-size chips overwhelm the mouse face.
- Pull the cookies at 8 minutes for soft mice, closer to 13 for firmer shortbread.
- Press the licorice tails in firmly while warm. They cement in place as the cookies cool.
Variations
- Use red licorice for a more festive look or vary colors for a multi-mouse family.
- Roll plain dough balls in sugar and flatten with a glass for chocolaty shortbread cookies (the variation noted in the original).
- Skip the cocoa for a vanilla mouse, or add a teaspoon of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃).
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and egg; blend well.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.
Stir in the flour, cocoa and baking powder; mix well.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.
To form a mouse, pinch one end of the ball to form the nose.
For the ears, make 2 tiny balls of dough and flatten slightly; gently press into the dough on the upper front of each mouse body.
For the eyes, press 2 miniature chocolate chips into the dough below the ears.
Place the shaped cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 13 minutes, or until set.
For the tails, immediately place a piece of licorice into the rounded end of each cookie.
Remove from the cookie sheets.
Variation.
Chocolaty Shortbread Cookies: Prepare the dough as directed above.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Flatten slightly with a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake for 8 to 13 minutes, or until set.
Cool for 1 minute; remove from the cookie sheets.
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