Confession: I am not a Halloween person. The last time I was super into Halloween was maybbbeee my senior year of college, in which I was small enough to fit into a kiddie cow costume (hahahah, the days in which I am small enough to fit into kids’ clothing are long gone) and my British best friend dressed up as a bloodied butcher as part of a dark joke. We may or may not have gone to a bar named “The Pub at the End of the Universe” after a charmingly awkward Masquerade Ball at the Student Union — I genuinely don’t remember. All I know is that Halloween has been a disappointment since then; a messy whirlwind of expensive costumes that are neither sexy nor funny (because I’ve never been successful at being either), failed nights out when bouncers refused to let me into the door at Bootie SF (another long story for later), and trick-or-treaters failing to show up at my door despite me going hogwild at Costco and buying several bags of Haribo gummies, resulting in us still eating the leftovers months later.
Although I’ve sworn off handing out candy this year (and maybe all future years) after last year’s fiasco, I am finding myself sucked into the Halloween spirit here and there. I may or may not have tried to purchase all the limited edition Halloween-themed candies on this list (I mean, Sour Patch candy corn??? Dope.) and most definitely purchased a bag of Halloween-themed Oreos to binge on while I re-watch Love, Simon for the third time while crying hysterically in sweatpants. And then of course, there are these cookies: my brownie cookie (brookies, get it?!) recipe from yesteryear, studded with my favorite non-gummy Halloween candy, Reese’s Pieces, and monster googly eyes because they were on sale at my local supermarket. Enjoy!
- Candy googly eyes are available online; I used the Betty Crocker variety found at my local Safeway, but there are a bunch of fun ones available on Amazon (like these Wilton ones). For best results, it’s best to stick the eyes immediately after you pull the cookies out of the oven and place them (still on their trays) on a wire rack to cool, when the cookies are still soft and malleable. Placing them on the cookie dough balls before baking will cause them to melt.
Get the Recipe: Monster Brookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Monster Brookies
- 10 ounces (283 grams) dark chocolate (between 60 to 65% cacao), roughly chopped
- ½ cup (4.25 ounces or 120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (8.75 ounces or 248 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 (15-ounce) bag Reese's Pieces candy
Assembly
- candy googly eyes (see baker's notes for sources)
Instructions
For the Monster Brookies
- Melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Cook over medium heat to melt the chocolate, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, about 10 minutes. Set the double boiler or bowl on a wire rack and let the chocolate cool slightly while you prep the other ingredients.
- Prep your oven and pans. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one is fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the melted chocolate and beat until just combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. Increase the mixer to medium-low, add the Reese's Pieces all at once, and beat until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout, about 1 minute.
- Rest the dough. Let the dough rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before you start scooping out the cookies. The batter will be very soft at first, but will firm up quickly as it sits.
- Assemble the cookies. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the dough out into cookie dough balls. At this point, you should have around 22 cookie dough balls. Take two of the balls and squish them together, creating a giant cookie dough ball. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough balls. You should end up with 12 giant cookie dough balls. Place the cookies at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
- Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the edges have set but the cookies are cracked all over their tops.
- Finish assembling the cookies. Place the sheet pan with the cookies on a wire rack and, working quickly, gently press 2 to 3 candy eyes on each cookie. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
This post was last updated 10/12/2020.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Could I make the cookies any smaller, or would that change the texture?
You can! I suggest adjusting Bake Time though; check for doneness a few minutes earlier.