Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp dark (cooking) molasses
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies Ghoul’s Mix Store-bought Halloween-colored icing tubes, such as white, black, green, orange, purple and red

Directions:

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes (+ 1 hour 5 minutes standing time)

1. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, cloves and salt.
2. In large bowl, using handheld electric mixer, beat together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat until combined. Beat in molasses and vanilla until smooth.
3. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Dust work surface with flour. One piece at a time, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
6. Using 3-inch house-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 18 cookies, rerolling scraps as needed. Using spatula, transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheets and space cookies at least 2 inches apart.
7. One baking sheet at a time, bake cookies, rotating pan halfway through, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 2minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Decorate haunted Halloween house cookies as desired with M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies Ghoul’s Mix and icing.

Tip:

• To make a variety of haunted house shapes, substitute house-shaped cookie cutter with gingerbread house cookie cutter or by cutting freehand 3- to 4-inch house-front shapes as desired.
• Alternatively, use your favorite Halloween-themed cookie cutter to cutout different Halloween shapes.
• You can also use mini gingerbread house cookie cutters to assemble 3-D haunted houses if preferred.
  
  

Nutrition Facts

Per 1 cookie

• Calories 170
• Fat 6g
• Saturated Fat 4g
• Cholesterol 20mg
• Sodium 80mg
• Carbohydrate 27g
• Fiber 1g
• Sugars 18g
• Protein 2g