Description
These Pumpkin Patch Cookies are a festive, fun Halloween treat featuring a soft peanut butter cookie base topped with colorful, chocolate-coated Oreos decorated with sprinkles to mimic a whimsical pumpkin patch. Perfect for seasonal gatherings and kid-friendly parties, these cookies combine simple ingredients with eye-catching decoration.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- â…› tsp fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration
- Purple gel food coloring (or any color of choice)
- Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar
- 33 Hershey’s Hugs or Kisses, unwrapped
- 2-3 Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
- Orange gel food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare dry ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Set this mixture aside for later.
- Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the large egg, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to form a soft dough.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Form cookie base: Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly for 33 cookies. Flatten each slightly with your fingers or a spoon to create a base for the decorations. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and set. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Crush Oreos: While the cookies cool, crush 2 to 3 Oreo cookies into fine crumbs and set aside for decoration.
- Melt and color the chocolate: Melt the unwrapped Hershey’s Hugs or Kisses in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between each until smooth. Mix in orange gel food coloring a little at a time until you achieve a bright orange color resembling a pumpkin.
- Coat the Oreos: Dip each Oreo into the melted orange chocolate, ensuring they are fully coated. Place the coated Oreos on parchment paper to set slightly.
- Add Oreo crumbs and sprinkles: While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the crushed Oreo crumbs on top of the coated Oreos to mimic soil. Also, decorate with Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar on the cookies around the Oreos for added festive effect.
- Attach Oreos to cookies: Using any leftover melted chocolate as glue, place a coated Oreo centered on top of each cooled peanut butter cookie. Press gently to adhere.
- Chill to set: Place the assembled cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to fully harden and the decorations to set.
- Serve and enjoy: Once chilled and set, your festive Pumpkin Patch Cookies are ready to serve at Halloween parties or as seasonal treats.
Notes
- You can substitute creamy peanut butter with almond butter for a different flavor.
- If you prefer, use colored melting chocolate wafers instead of gel food coloring to avoid texture changes in the chocolate.
- For extra crunch, toast the cookie crumbs slightly before using to decorate.
- Ensure the cookies are fully cooled before decorating to prevent melting the chocolate coating prematurely.
