These cookies are the cookie I remember growing up with on Halloween.   It was in our family cookbook and for some reason these cookies always stood out to me as the go-to Halloween cookie.

Maybe I am so partial to these cookies because of our  late cat Cricket,  a stray long-haired black cat,  whom we had taken in and quickly found a place in all of our hearts.  These cookies became even more important to our holiday traditions after owning a black cat.  We often thought Cricket was an alien because he tried to act like our dogs and could sort of talk to us.  I swear he would say “hellllwwoooo”  when we walked into a room or “whaaaaaaaat” when you called his name (maybe not pronouncing the “t,”  but you get my point.)     A few years ago Cricket died from a bad heart and my mom made these cookies in honor of him.  Every year since, we have made these cookies at Halloween time to honor Cricket (possibly our dog too because he once ate a whole tray of these cookies off the cupboard).  These are some black cat cookies that you won’t mind crossing paths with (no bad luck here!)

Black Cat Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups  all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

candy corn and red hots

Preheat oven to 350 F.   Place butter in mixer and cream together with sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

Add eggs and vanilla, until all ingredients are incorporated. 

 

 

 

 

 

In a medium bowl on the side,  mix together  flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. 

 

 

 

 

 

Gradually stir in dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

With the dough, form 2 inch balls, and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  

 

 

 

 

 

Take a glass, a small bowl of water, and a small bowl of granulated sugar, dip the glasses bottom in water and then dip in sugar. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the sugar covered glass and flatten the cookie balls, keeping  the bottom of the glass well sugared, repeat for all the cookies. 

 

 

 

 

 

Next pinch 2 “ears” at the top of the cookies, so they look like cat ears.

 

 

 

 

 

Then with a fork, press into the sides of the cookies to form whiskers on either sides of where the nose will be.  

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 10-12 minutes.   Remove from the oven and immediately add the candy corn for eyes (whites of the candy corn facing in) and a red hot for the nose.  Let cool.

Makes about 3 dozen cats

Enjoy!

-Sister K