These Chocolate Mummy Cookies are soft, rich chocolate cookies topped with creamy vanilla buttercream, black sanding sugar, candy eyeballs, and thick white frosting bandages. They’re the perfect combination of chocolate and vanilla, and such a fun Halloween treat that looks impressive without requiring any complicated decorating.
For this recipe, I used the chocolate cookie dough from my Cookies & Cream Cookies, but left out the Oreos and candy bars to let the rich chocolate flavor shine. The cookies are delicious on their own, but once you add the vanilla buttercream and adorable mummy decorations, they’re even better. I especially love the contrast between the dark sanding sugar and the white frosting bandages!
And the best part? You don’t need to be an expert cookie decorator to make these. The mummy bandages are supposed to look a little messy, so there’s really no way to mess them up!
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Mummy Cookies
These cookies have everything I love in a Halloween dessert. They’re rich and chocolatey, soft in the center, and topped with plenty of vanilla buttercream.
The black sanding sugar adds a little crunch and creates the perfect dark background for the white mummy bandages. And, of course, the candy eyeballs make each cookie look like its own little mummy!
I also love that you only need one batch of vanilla buttercream for the entire decorating process. There’s no need to make multiple colors of frosting or use royal icing.
They’re perfect for Halloween parties, school celebrations, or adding to a Halloween cookie platter.
The Best Chocolate Cookie Base
For these mummy cookies, I used the same chocolate cookie dough from my Cookies & Cream Cookies, just without the mix-ins.
It’s one of my favorite chocolate cookie bases because the cookies are rich, chewy, and soft in the center. The combination of cocoa powder, melted butter, and both granulated and brown sugar creates such a delicious chocolate flavor.
Cornstarch is another important ingredient in this recipe. It helps give the cookies that soft, chewy texture that I love.
And while it’s tempting to skip chilling the dough, don’t! Refrigerating the scooped cookie dough for at least 30 minutes helps control spreading and gives the cookies a better texture.
How to Decorate Chocolate Mummy Cookies
The decorating is what makes these cookies so much fun, and it’s actually easier than it looks. Start by making a batch of vanilla buttercream. You’ll use this same frosting for the base layer and the mummy bandages.
Once the chocolate cookies have cooled completely, spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream over the top of each cookie. You don’t need a ton of frosting here, just enough to give the sanding sugar something to stick to.
Next, pour black sanding sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Carefully flip each cookie frosting-side down into the sanding sugar and gently press until the frosting is coated. Add two candy eyeballs toward the upper center of each cookie, then transfer the remaining buttercream to a piping bag.
Pipe thick strips of white buttercream across the cookies, overlapping the frosting in different directions to create mummy bandages. Leave some of the black sanding sugar showing between the strips so you get that classic mummy look.
The bandages don’t need to be perfect. I actually think they’re cuter when they’re a little uneven!
Why I Use Black Sanding Sugar
Instead of using black frosting, I decided to use black sanding sugar to create the dark background underneath the mummy bandages. I love this method because it gives the cookies a really fun contrast without needing to color an entire batch of buttercream black.
Black sanding sugar also adds a little texture and crunch, which is delicious with the soft chocolate cookie and creamy frosting. Honestly you can use sanding sugar rather or nonpareils. Sanding sugar has a finer texture that adds sweetness whereas nonpareils aren’t really adding any sweetness or flavor but still give that texture and crunch.
Recipe Tips
Don’t overbake the cookies. This is one of my biggest tips for getting soft, chewy chocolate cookies. I like to remove them from the oven when the edges are just set and let them finish setting on the hot baking sheet.
Don’t skip the cornstarch. Cornstarch is one of the ingredients that helps create the soft, chewy texture in these cookies.
Chill the cookie dough. Refrigerating the scooped dough for at least 30 minutes helps prevent excessive spreading and gives the cookies a better texture.
Use a cookie scoop. I love using my cookie scoop set to make evenly sized cookies. A medium scoop, about 2–2½ tablespoons, works well for this recipe.
Bake on a cookie sheet. I prefer using a cookie sheet rather than a jelly roll pan because the edges of the cookies tend to bake more evenly.
Let the cookies cool completely. If the cookies are even slightly warm, the buttercream will melt and make decorating difficult.
Keep the first frosting layer thin. You only need enough frosting to help the sanding sugar stick. Save most of it for the mummy bandages.
Use black sanding sugar. It creates a much more even coating than larger sprinkles and gives the white frosting a great contrast.
Pipe thick mummy bandages. Don’t make the frosting strips too thin. You want them to look like overlapping bandages, with some black sanding sugar visible between them.
Have fun with the candy eyes. You can position the eyes differently on each cookie to give your mummies their own personalities.
How to Make Your Cookies Perfectly Round
One of my favorite tricks for making bakery-style cookies is shaping them immediately after they come out of the oven. While the cookies are still warm, place a round cookie cutter or glass that’s slightly larger than the cookie around it. Gently move it in a circular motion to bring the edges inward and create a perfectly round shape.
This works especially well for decorated cookies because it gives you a nice, even surface for the frosting and decorations. Just make sure to do this while the cookies are still warm and soft enough to reshape.
Can I Make Chocolate Mummy Cookies Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! These are great cookies to prepare ahead of a Halloween party. You can bake the chocolate cookies a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to decorate.
The vanilla buttercream can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container. Allow it to come to room temperature and beat it again briefly before decorating. I recommend adding the sanding sugar, candy eyes, and frosting bandages closer to serving so the decorations look their best.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls and bake them later. If baking directly from frozen, they may need an additional minute or two in the oven.
Storage
Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend storing them in a single layer if possible so the mummy bandages don’t get squished. If you need to stack them, allow the buttercream to firm up first and place parchment paper between the layers.
Before serving, let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes so the buttercream softens slightly and the chocolate cookies have the best texture. You can also freeze the undecorated chocolate cookies for up to 3 months. Just allow them to thaw completely before adding the buttercream and decorations.
These Chocolate Mummy Cookies are such a fun addition to my Spooky Series! Between the rich chocolate cookies, creamy vanilla buttercream, and adorable mummy decorations, they’re just as delicious as they are cute. They’re the perfect Halloween cookie to make when you want something festive without spending hours decorating! For more cookie recipes, click here!
Chocolate Mummy Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter melted, room temperature. you can use unsalted if you prefer
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed down
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder you can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder as well
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the buttercream:
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature. you can use unsalted butter as well
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tsp heavy cream or milk room temperature
- pinch of salt
- Black sanding sugar
- candy eyes
Instructions
For the cookies:
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted salted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix just until everything is combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop, about 2–2½ tablespoons, scoop the dough into approximately 18–20 evenly sized balls. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the chilled cookie dough balls approximately 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 9–10 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers are still soft. If desired, immediately use a round cookie cutter or glass to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened salted butter until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding additional heavy cream or milk as needed until the buttercream reaches a smooth, pipeable consistency.
To decorate:
- Spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream over the top of each completely cooled chocolate cookie. Pour black sanding sugar into a shallow bowl or plate. Gently flip each cookie frosting-side down into the sanding sugar and press lightly until the buttercream is evenly coated.
- Press two candy eyeballs (or how ever many you'd like!) on each cookie. Transfer the remaining vanilla buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip suitable for creating thick frosting strips (I use a petal tip)
- Pipe thick, overlapping strips of white buttercream across each cookie, changing directions to resemble mummy bandages. Leave some of the black sanding sugar visible between the frosting strips, especially around the candy eyes. Repeat with the remaining cookies and enjoy!