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Tips and tricks for Halloween treats

Whether you're throwing a fall festival, a spooky soiree, or a trick-or-treating after party, these treats will satisfy guests of any age.

Monster cookies

Eat. Run. Read.
The outsides of these cookies are a bit crispy, while the insides are chewy, gooey, and chocolately.

By Mollie Zapata, Eat. Run. Read.
This recipe makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies. It can easily be halved if you’re feeling like controlling your inner monster, and it’s a one-bowl recipe.

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bag (about 2-1/2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini M&Ms (I used four packages of little tubes)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix butter and sugars for about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

3. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt to bowl, and stir until combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Mix three or four times, then add chocolate chips, mixing until just combined.

4. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour, preferably a couple hours or overnight.

5. Scoop out 2-tablespoon-sized chunks of dough and use your hands to shape them into balls. Pour out M&Ms into a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in the M&Ms (I did M&Ms just on the top and sides of each ball, so not quite all the way around). 

6. (Optional) Freeze cookies overnight.

7. Place cookies on sheet, 1 to 2 inches apart (they spread a lot). 

8. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until nice and golden brown but still semi-soft in center. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

9. Serve and enjoy! (They are best fresh out of the oven, obviously. You should eat these or freeze them in the first day or two, after that they’re still good but they dry out a bit.)

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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