Eeek? More like SQUEE!
Happy Thursday, all! These cutie patooties are here for your Halloween baking adventures, in the nick of time for the festive weekend upcoming. I tell you what, they were immensely fun to create and I’m so happy to share them today.
Mummy Cookie Bars are here for those of us who shun scary and instead err on the side of whimsical Halloween. The endearing candy-eyed confections are almost too adorable to eat, if you’re an anthropomorphizing freak like I am. If you’re not, well, more power to you.
We’ve got here a double chocolate cookie base lined with white chocolate “bandages” and finished with a couple googly eyes. Make them as goofy or as traditional as you’d like: no one said a mummy cookie can’t have a cyclops eye or peepers in the very center of the bodice. Let your imagination go apeshit.
Mum(my)’s The Word
The cookie base is a soft double chocolate blend that bakes up into a rich but not overly sweet bar. Because of the white chocolate atop, we’re omitting many of the frills I often enjoy adding to my typical cookie recipes, and keeping it simple in the dough.
Cream butter with dark brown and regular sugar (light brown sugar is fine, too, by the way), then whip in two eggs and some vanilla. Mix in your flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Tip: No black cocoa powder? Regular is fine, the color just won’t be quite as deep.
Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment. Dump and pat the dough evenly from edge to edge in the pan. I find the process less irritating by oiling my fingertips or the spatula lightly as I work the dough. This prevents excess stickage that gets real fucking annoying after awhile. A little bowl with water that you can rinse your fingers quickly in is also useful.
Bake the dough at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then move to the fridge and continue chilling for at least an hour. We want our bars to have a solid structure so they’re easier to slice and handle when decorating.
Tip: I like to bake the cookies the day before decorating and give them a lengthy overnight chill.
When you’re ready to decorate, heat the white chocolate. I pour my bag into a microwave-safe bowl and melt for 1 minute at high power. Stir, then continue melting 20-30 seconds if needed. Chopped white chocolate from a bar will melt much faster, so keep this in mind.
Prep your workstation. I placed a paper towel underneath my wire rack to catch inevitable mess from the white chocolate. Then, slice your cookie slab into 16 bars.
Creating the bandage stripes can be achieved with a few methods. I attached a small round piping tip, scooped the white chocolate into the bag, and created relatively even lines atop my cookies. You can also raw dog it with a spoon or knife if you lack decorating equipment. Nothing wrong with a rustic embalming job!
When you’ve successfully wrapped your cookies in white chocolate, attach your candy eyes. Does not matter where you stick them or how many you use. When you’ve finished all your cookies, let the white chocolate set for about 10 minutes. Refrigerating the bars expedites this process.
Tip: Candy eyes can be a choking hazard for small children (or adults with a terrible propensity to swallow through their windpipe.) You can definitely make eyes with chocolate frosting or chocolate chips. Different effect, but still fun enough.
Leftovers? I like to store my cookies in a single layer in the fridge for up to a week, to preserve the integrity of the decorations. They will last in the freezer up to 3 months.
Get your boogy on and ENJOY!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Making eyes at you:
Lil Monster Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
mummy cookie bars
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp black cocoa powder (or more regular cocoa)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- candy eyes, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with parchment, leaving some to overhang the sides.
- In a bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa (if using), baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Press the cookie dough evenly into the cake pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the edges darken and the center is set. A toothpick should emerge with just a few moist crumbs when poked into the center. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour.
- When the cookies are chilled, heat the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on high power for 1 minute. Stir, and heat 20-30 seconds longer to completely melt.
- Place a piece of parchment or a paper towel beneath a wire rack. Slice the chilled cookie slab into 16 bars. Drizzle white chocolate over each cookie in a criss cross or diagonal line pattern. I attached a small round piping tip to a piping back to achieve a relatively even finish, but you can drizzle with a spoon or knife if that's easier. Attach two (or more! Get goofy!) candy eyes to the cookie. Repeat with the remaining bars.
- Let the white chocolate set for about 10 minutes, then ENJOY!
