These chocolate Halloween cookies are filled with a colorful cream cheese center and topped with colorful melted chocolate and sprinkles, making every cookie as tasty as it is festive.
Prepare the cream cheese filling by mixing together the cream cheese, powderd sugar, flour, and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl until smooth. This should take about 3 minutes.
Mix in a few drops of food coloring until you get your desired hue, adding in more if needed.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Place baking sheet in freezer for about 2 hours or until the small cream cheese mounds are harder but still tacky to the touch.
Leave the cream cheese balls in the freezer until ready to use.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, cocoa powfer, flour, eggs, and oil until well mixed. The dough should be thick and have the consistency of cookie dough.
Scoop the dough by the rounded two tablespoonsfuls rol into a ball and make a well in the center with your thumb.
Place a frozen colored piece of cream cheese into the well and then manouver the dough around the filling so that it is wel hidden. Place onto prepare baking sheet.
Repeat until your baking sheet is full of cookies all evenly spaced about 2 inches apart.
Bake in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a ire rack to cool completely.
Once all of the cookies have been baked and cooled, melt your green colored candy melts until smooth.
Drizzle the green chocolate over the top of the cookies and then sprinkle on some festive Halloween sprinkles.
Let set and then enjoy.
Notes
Omit black cocoa powder and use black food coloring for the same color effect.
Divide the filling, add different colors, and scoop for randomized fillings.
To color white chocolate, use non-waterbased GEL food coloring; avoid water-based food coloring to prevent chocolate from seizing.
Adding ¼ cup of flour is necessary for 15-ounce cake mix boxes but not for 18-ounce boxes.
Limit cream cheese filling to 1-2 teaspoons per cookie to avoid leakage.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Freeze cookies after the chocolate sets or for longer storage, up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.