Bright Halloween colors and creepy candy eyes make these Hocus Pocus Cookies so fun! Underneath the colorful decorations are soft, fluffy, vanilla-flavored sugar cookies that everyone will go nuts for.
Have you watched the new movie yet? Everyone is talking about Hocus Pocus 2, and I was inspired to make these Halloween cookies that are perfectly themed to go with the movie.
The candy eyes remind me of the spell book, and the purple, green, and orange colored cookie dough matches the sister’s outfits!
Hocus Pocus Cookies will be perfect for Halloween Parties or movie marathons. When you’re ready for more Halloween cookie ideas, check out our Dracula Cookies made with pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough, and try marshmallow squares with candy corn!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Over-the-top colorful – Halloween is the only holiday that allows us to be as wild and fun as we want to be, and these brightly colored cookies are probably the wildest I’ve made!
- Versatile Recipe – These cookies are orange, green, and purple because we’re summoning the essence of Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson. You can use other colors to make this recipe suit any occasion. Try pastels for a birthday party, or red, white, and green to make Christmas cookies.
- Traditional Sugar Cookie Flavor – Even though these cookies look anything but plain, their flavor of them is very simple. These cookies are soft, cake-like, and flavored with real butter, sugar, and vanilla.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter, Sugar, Eggs – The basic building blocks of most cookie recipes. Let the butter and eggs come to room temperature before mixing up the cookie dough.
- Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, and Cornstarch – The dry ingredients for these cookies include cornstarch, which is the secret ingredient for making soft, fluffy sugar cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – Use good pure vanilla extract to make the cookies taste delicious!
- Gel Food Coloring – I like the Wilton brand gel food colors for getting deep, bright colors. Look for neon colors to make these cookies really pop!
- Halloween Sprinkles – I found these at my local grocery store, but you can use any purple, green, and orange sprinkles that you find. I also used coarse sugar sprinkles to give a shimmery effect.
- Candy Eyes – because they’re super fun!
How To Make Halloween Cookies – Hocus Pocus Themed
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar on high until it is fluffy and there are no more lumps. Break apart any chunks of butter or sugar with a fork and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add Eggs: Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix them in on a low setting. Then mix in the eggs, just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Mix in the Dry Ingredients: Add in the baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and just 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Mix on low until combined. Slowly add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until there are no more streaks of flour.
- Color: Separate the dough into three equal portions and place each into a bowl. The dough may be sticky at this point, but it will be easier to work with after it chills. Use gel food coloring to tint one section green, one orange, and one purple. Start with a few drops, and add more if needed until you get deep and bright colors. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Roll Balls: Scoop about half a tablespoon of each color of the dough and roll them into individual balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Then grab one of each color ball and push them together and carefully roll them into one larger ball.
- Flatten: Place each ball on the trays about 4 inches apart and lightly flatten them into a small cookie shape with your fingers. They will continue to spread and rise as they bake so make sure they have enough space between them.
- Decorate: Decorate each cookie with candy eyes and plenty of sprinkles.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Check for doneness after 8 minutes. They should still be a little soft when they come out. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them onto a plate.
Top Tips
- Try a Different Flavor – Replace the vanilla extract with other extracts such as lemon, almond, or coconut to get new and exciting flavors.
- Don’t Skip Chilling the Dough – The cookies will spread too much if the dough is warm.
- Give the cookies space on the baking sheet. A good rule of thumb is to space them two to three inches apart so that they have room to spread.
FAQs
In most images, these are the colors of the dresses the sisters are wearing. Typically you’ll see Winnie in green, Mary in orange, and Sarah in a purple and red get-up. These colors are also connected to Halloween. Orange has always been the color of fall festivals, but green is the color of monsters, zombies, and wicked witches, and purple symbolizes mysticism and witchiness.
Sure! You can swap the colors to make these cookies match any occasion. You can also use only one or two colors if you want a less colorful cookie.
More Halloween Cookie Ideas For You
- Caramel Apple Decorated Cookies
- Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies
- Halloween Cookie Cake
- Dracula Cookies
- Cookie Monster Cookies
- Fruity Pebbles Cookies
If you’re a Hocus Pocus Fan, I know you’re going to love making these bright and colorful themed cookies! You’ll like them even if you aren’t a fan because they’re amazingly tasty and fun to make. Don’t forget to Pin the recipe!
Hocus Pocus Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup,113g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs at room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- Wilton gel food coloring in purple orange, and green
- 2 cups sprinkles
- ¾ cup candy eyes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar on high until it is fluffy and there are no more lumps. Break apart any chunks of butter or sugar with a fork and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and the sour cream and mix on a low setting. Then add in the eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Add in the baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and just one cup of the all purpose flour then mix on low. Slowly add in the rest of the flour one cup at a time and mix until there are no more streaks of flour in the dough.
- Divide the dough evenly into three separate bowls and add a few drops of the gel food coloring at a time. Mix it all in with a spatula or spoon. Add more food coloring as needed until the desired color is achieved. Keep in mind that the cookies will lighten a bit as they bake. Then cover the bowls in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. The dough will be very sticky but will be firmer and easier to work with after chilling.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Scoop about half a tablespoon of each color of the dough and roll them into individual balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Then grab one of each color ball and push them together and carefully roll them into one larger ball.
- Place each ball about 4 inches apart and lightly flatten them into a small cookie shape with your fingers. They will continue to spread and rise as they bake so make sure they have enough space between them.
- Decorate each cookie with candy eyes and sprinkles. Then place them in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes. Check for doneness after 8 minutes. They should still be a little soft when they come out. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them onto a plate.
Notes
- Instead of candy eyes, try white chocolate chips instead!
- You can use any festive Halloween sprinkles that you like. I used a combination of clear sparkling sanding sugar and other colorful sprinkles that matched the theme.
- To Store: Baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to three days.
- To Make Ahead: The dough can be made and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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