These cookies are the perfect type Halloween project for me, I find great delight in unsettling, weird, and wonderfully strange things, All of which these cookies are.

Placing a plate full of them on the countertop without warning, can get you some very amusing double takes; and in the end, looks aside, it is a damn good cookie.

Supplies

For the Cookies:

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
Red food dye (I used Wilton gel)

Makes 12

(feel free to measure the spices with your heart, or omit a bit if you don't want them as strong I'm not judging)

Black Coating:

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp activated charcoal

mix together

For the Eyes:

1 egg white
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
activated charcoal or black food dye
(You could also use a food colouring marker)

Tools

Mixer
Baking tray
parchment paper
Oven
toothpick
measuring cups and spoons
plastic bag, piping bag, or squeeze bottle
1 1/2'' inch ice cream scoop

Note: I use activated charcoal in this recipe as it is very black, and I do not like the taste that too much black food colouring gives too food, however, activated charcoal can be harmful when mixed with certain medications. so if your worried about the effect it will have, don't hesitate to use black food colouring instead.

Step 1: Making the Icing

I decided to start with the eyes, since it is best if they have time to dry. I used royal icing, to make it is quite simple; first add one egg white and the vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer, then add in the icing sugar, i added it slowly a bit at a time since we don't want it to thick, or to thin, it should make points that slowly collapse, once you have the right texture scrap it into a piping bag or squeeze bottle. (If you accidently make it too hard you can a a couple drops of water.)

Put about a tablespoon aside in a small bowl and add activated charcoal or black food dye.

Step 2: Making the Eyes

To make the eyes, pipe a small round circle, then use the end of the toothpick to add drop of black into the middle of the white.

I added the black immediately after the white since you don't want there to be a shell forming when you do,

Repeat this till you have 5 or 6 eyes for every cookie. I made them in 3 sizes, you can do the same or you can make them all the same size it will look cool regardless.

Once you have all of the eyes made you can place the to the side to harden.

Place the rest of the icing to the side, you will need it to attach the eyes, make sure its well sealed away you don't want it hard.

Note: you can also just make the white dots, and when they're dry, you can draw a black circle on with a food safe marker.

Step 3: Making the Cookie Dough

As with all cookies first add the butter to the mixer, and whip till nice and fluffy then add the sugar, and do the same to it.

Now comes the egg, and the molasses mix it in completely.

Next add the all the spices, along with the flour, salt and baking powder.

Mix till you can't see the flour anymore, the dough will be quite thick, your mixer may struggle, that's ok.

Now you add in the food coloring, I added a 1/2 tsp of red, to a lump of dough since adding it directly to the bowl seems to waist a lot of the colour by painting the bowl instead of what's in it.

(you can add any colour you want, green, blue (cookie monster!), purple, or even just black, whatever fits the vibe your going for)

Step 4: Making the Cookies

I used an ice cream scoop to make semi circles, I got 12 large cookies.

I don't roll them since the crannies hold onto the coating better then a smooth surface.

I used a fork to stab the underside of the dough ball, then roll it all over in the sugar, charcoal mixture

Placed it on the baking tray, then flattened it down a bit with the bottom of a drinking glass.

Repeat with all the dough balls.

Bake in a 350* oven for 10-12 minutes, don't panic when checking on them, they are probably not as burnt as the look.

Step 5: Adding the Eyes

This is absolutely the fun part, use a small drop of fresh icing on the back of the eyes and add them to the cookies, Placing them randomly all over the cookies. Watch as your admittedly already cool cookies become unsettling edrich horrors.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Now you can display your monsters! While just one of them looks cool, a plate full of them is delightfully creepy, I enjoyed having a plate full just sitting in my kitchen and seeing people reactions as they noticed them.