Description
Crisp black cocoa bat cut-out cookies sandwiching an orange-tinted vanilla cream for a clean Halloween “bite reveal.”
Ingredients
Scale
- Black cocoa bat cookie dough:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (113 g)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 g)
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder (25 g)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190 g)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (2 g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (2 g)
- 1 large egg yolk (about 18 g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 1–2 tbsp milk (15–30 ml), as needed for dough texture
- Orange vanilla cream:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (113 g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (57 g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g)
- 2 tsp finely grated orange zest (about 4 g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10 ml)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk (30 ml), plus more as needed for piping
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, black cocoa, salt, and baking powder to distribute everything evenly.
- Cream butter + sugar: In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and lighter in color (about 1–2 minutes).
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape the bowl, then add the dry ingredients. Mix until a thick dough forms.
- Adjust texture: If the dough feels too crumbly to come together, mix in milk 1 teaspoon at a time (up to 2 tbsp / 30 ml total) just until it holds together.
- Roll + chill: Flatten dough into a disk. Roll between two sheets of parchment to about 1/8–1/4 inch (3–6 mm). Place the rolled sheet on a tray and chill until firm, 30–60 minutes.
- Cut bat shapes: Cut out bat silhouettes. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Second chill: Chill the cut cookies on the tray for 15–25 minutes. This helps the edges stay crisp.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake 8–10 minutes, until the tops look matte (not glossy) and the edges feel set. Do not overbake.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the tray 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely before filling.
- Make orange vanilla cream: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and salt. Beat until thick and creamy. Add heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time until it pipes with soft ridges.
- Assemble sandwich cookies: Pair up bats by size. Pipe or spread orange vanilla cream onto the flat side of one cookie, staying just inside the bat outline. Top with the matching cookie and gently press to seal.
- Set: Let assembled cookies sit at cool room temperature 10–20 minutes so the filling settles, then store in an airtight container.
Notes
For the cleanest silhouettes, keep everything cold: chill the rolled dough before cutting and chill the cut cookies before baking. If you’re in a warm kitchen, work in smaller batches and return leftover dough to the fridge while you cut the tray. If the filling smears, chill the bowl of cream for 10–15 minutes, then continue piping.