Spooktacularly Delicious: Allergy-Friendly Vegan Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats for Halloween

Get ready for a truly spooktacular chocolaty treat that’s perfect for Halloween! These delightful Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats are not only incredibly fun to make and eat, but they are also wonderfully inclusive. Kids will adore the process of rolling out the dough and cutting out these festive shapes, just like traditional sugar cookies, but with the added magic of rich chocolate flavor. Best of all, this recipe is designed to be free of common allergens: wheat, dairy, egg, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts, making them a fantastic top-8-free and vegan option for everyone to enjoy.

Embracing the Halloween Spirit with Allergy-Friendly Baking

It’s funny how things change! I honestly used to be completely indifferent to Halloween. The decorations, the costumes, the spooky themes – none of it really captured my imagination. But then, kids came into the picture, and suddenly, everything transformed! Now, here I am, practically in September, already diving headfirst into Halloween preparations and sharing my latest spooky-themed recipe. It just goes to show how much joy and new traditions children can bring into our lives.

A huge part of this newfound enthusiasm stems from seeing my children’s faces light up. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of doing something extra special just to make them smile. They are utterly captivated by anything that looks cool, especially if it’s edible and themed. This constant desire to create exciting new variations and experiences for them is truly addictive. Those happy smiles are my ultimate reward, making every effort worthwhile.

The Allure of Chocolate Sugar Cookies: A Delicious Twist

For a while now, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of making chocolate sugar cookies. Don’t get me wrong, classic sugar cookies, like my beloved allergy-friendly sugar cookie bars, are absolutely amazing in their own right. They hold a special place in our hearts for their simple elegance and versatility. But let’s be honest, adding chocolate to anything instantly elevates it to a whole new level of deliciousness. The rich, deep cocoa flavor transforms the humble sugar cookie into something truly extraordinary – a chewy, intensely chocolatey delight that’s hard to resist. This recipe perfectly marries the familiar texture and fun of a classic sugar cookie with an irresistible chocolatey twist.

While these chocolate cookies would certainly be delightful with a generous dollop of frosting (and extra delicious, I might add!), it felt incredibly fitting to leverage the naturally dark color of the dough for a Halloween theme. After all, what are the quintessential colors of Halloween? Black and orange! The dark chocolate dough provides the perfect “black canvas” for our spooky creations, making them instantly recognizable as a festive Halloween treat without needing any extra food coloring.

Crafting Spooky Bats: A Family Affair

The idea of creating chocolate sugar cookie bats immediately clicked with me, especially since my boys have been huge fans of Batman for quite some time. This baking project truly became a wonderful convergence of all our favorite things: the irresistible appeal of chocolate, the joy of baking cookies, the excitement of Halloween, and, of course, their current fascination with bats. You name it, and this recipe managed to incorporate it into one delightful activity. It’s a perfect example of how cooking can be a creative outlet and a bonding experience for the whole family.

To amplify the Halloween spirit even further, my son decided to lend a hand with rolling out the cookie dough while proudly sporting his previous Halloween costume – Bumblebee! It added an extra layer of fun and silliness to our baking session. And yes, he did manage to sneak a few bites of the raw dough, which I must confess was incredibly delicious, almost tasting like a rich brownie batter. You could certainly encourage your little ones to join in the fun in their favorite costumes too! I’ve always loved when my kids wear their costumes all year round, embracing the spirit of imaginative play far beyond just one night of trick-or-treating.

Decorating Your Bat Cookies: Googly Eyes vs. Spooky Red Dots

When it comes to decorating your chocolate sugar cookie bats, you have a couple of fantastic options to make them truly stand out. I chose to use fun googly eyes, which instantly give them a playful, kid-friendly charm. These whimsical eyes bring an undeniable cuteness factor that young children adore. However, if you’re aiming for a slightly more menacing or traditional Halloween aesthetic, you could opt for small dots of red frosting to create more of a scary, beady-eyed look. This simple change can completely alter the character of your bats, allowing for creative expression.

It’s worth noting, especially for those managing food allergies, that finding store-bought candy eyeballs that are completely soy-free can be a challenge. While soy isn’t an issue for my son, it’s a common top-8 allergen for many. If you need a soy-free option, there are specialty brands (like the vegan eyeballs linked in the notes section of the recipe card) that cater to these needs. Alternatively, to create those striking red dots for eyes, you can easily whip up a batch of my allergy-friendly buttercream recipe and simply dye it red with a food-safe coloring. This ensures both safety and customizability for your Halloween treats.

Regardless of how you choose to adorn them, these Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats are guaranteed to be a hit. I sincerely hope this recipe helps you establish a new, fun, and inclusive Halloween tradition with your loved ones. Happy (early!) Halloween to everyone preparing for a season of delightful frights and delicious treats! 🙂

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Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Yield:
18 cookies

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
8 minutes

Total Time:
38 minutes

A chocolaty treat that’s spooktacular. Kids can enjoy rolling and cutting out the shapes, just like regular sugar cookie dough, but with a fun chocolate twist. These Chocolate Sugar Cookies Bats are free of: wheat, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free & vegan.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (one and a half sticks) vegan butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 2.5 Tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
Pinch of salt
fine mesh strainer
Rolling pin
Bat cookie cutters
Candy eye balls (check for allergens)

Instructions

In a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, place all of your dry ingredients, except for the flour and cocoa. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift the flour and cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. This extra step helps prevent lumps, which is important for a smooth cookie dough since there’s no frosting to cover imperfections.
Give all the dry ingredients a minute of mixing on low speed to ensure they are thoroughly combined.
Gradually add all of the wet ingredients: vegan butter, sugar, flax egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is fully incorporated and a cohesive dough forms.
The dough will be somewhat sticky. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. Chilling is essential for firming the dough, making it much easier to roll and cut without sticking.
Uncover the dough, and sprinkle a clean work surface generously with cocoa powder. (Using traditional flour will leave white residue on your dark cookies.) If needed, dust your rolling pin with cocoa powder as well to prevent sticking.
Roll out the dough to a uniform thickness, aiming for about 1/4 inch thick. This consistency helps ensure even baking.
Cut out your bat shapes using cookie cutters and gently transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for just 7-8 minutes. Baking time may vary slightly based on cookie size and thickness. The cookies will still appear soft when you take them out. A good indicator that they are done is when you start to smell them. Be careful not to overbake, as they will become too hard. Allow them to cool on the baking pan for 1-2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are thoroughly cool, apply your chosen decorations. Use candy eyeballs for a fun look or create red dots with allergy-friendly frosting for a spookier appearance. You can adhere the eyes with a tiny dab of coloring gel, honey (if not strictly vegan), or maple syrup.
Store the finished Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats in an airtight container to keep them fresh.

Notes

The candy eyeballs linked in the recipe card typically contain: Dextrose, cornstarch, dextrin, sugar, magnesium stearate, red 40, shellac, yellow 5, gum Arabic, glycerin, artificial flavor, carnauba wax, blue 1, gelatin. Please note these are *not* vegan due to the gelatin.

For a truly vegan and more allergy-friendly option, you can often find vegan candy eyeballs online. Alternatively, use a small piping bag with red-dyed allergy-friendly buttercream to create spooky red eyes.

This recipe is adapted from a classic chocolate sugar cookie recipe found on Sally’s Baking Addiction, modified to be completely allergen-free.

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