Want to make a fun and easy Halloween dessert? Try this Halloween cookie cake! It’s made with oil instead of butter, making it an inexpensive dairy-free treat. The chewy and chocolatey goodness of a rich cookie, made festive with Halloween sprinkles and optional frosting around the edges. Great for baking with your kids, making it for a classroom treat, or just satisfying your own sweet tooth.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Vegetable oil – I used this because it’s inexpensive and almost everyone has it on hand. If you’re not a vegetable oil fan, you can substitute another neutral oil like avocado oil instead.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips – If you’re making this fully dairy-free, you’ll want to look specifically for dairy-free chocolate chips. My two favorite dairy-free options are Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels and Guittard extra dark chocolate chips (note: amazon affiliate links; I earn a commission on purchases). Both are soy free too. Keep in mind that some brands, like Guittard, have other varieties that are *not* dairy free, so be sure to check the labels to ensure you’re choosing the right option.
- Frosting – You can choose whether you want to dollop frosting around the edges, or if you’d prefer to just leave it simple with the sprinkles throughout the cookie. If you want to use frosting and you’re dairy free, many store-bought options are naturally dairy free. For example, the Pillsbury Funfetti frostings in Halloween colors like orange and green were dairy-free at the time of publish. Their cream cheese frosting is also surprisingly dairy-free. (Note that some other frostings, like Betty Crocker’s cream cheese frosting, do contain dairy. Always read labels, as manufacturer formulations can change at any time.) You can also make your own homemade dairy-free frosting and add food coloring.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by combining the dry ingredients: the flour, 1 ½ tablespoons of sprinkles, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Press that mixture into a greased 9-inch round cake pan (or an 11×7 pan). You can use your hands (I find that easiest) of the back of a large spoon to press the mixture down firmly.
Bake that at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean from the center. (If using an 11×7 pan, start checking around 15 minutes). As soon as you take it out from the oven, add the rest of the sprinkles.
Let the cookie cake cool in the pan. At this point, you can dollop frosting along the edges if you’d like. I use a piping bag for this. Alternatively, you could spread a thin layer of frosting over the whole cookie cake.
Cut it up into slices and enjoy! This is best eaten within 1-2 days of making it. It will start to dry out with longer storage. If you plan to keep it longer, cut it into slices and freeze it, then defrost at room temperature when ready to enjoy.
Allergens in this Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is dairy free. As long as you choose ingredients that do not contain nuts (which should apply to the ingredients listed), this recipe is also nut free.
This recipe does contain wheat/gluten (in the flour), egg (in the egg), and soy (in the sprinkles and frosting; also in vegetable oil though it’s highly refined and not required to be labeled as an allergen in that case). Soy can easily be avoided by choosing sprinkles and frosting that do not contain soy, and using avocado oil in place of vegetable oil. I have not tested substitutes for wheat and egg in this recipe.
More Halloween Desserts
If you’re looking for more fun Halloween desserts, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Creepy finger cookies
- Dairy-free Halloween sugar cookies
- Chocolate pumpkin cookies with Halloween sprinkles
- Dairy-free pumpkin cheesecake dip
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, please leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Halloween Cookie Cake (Made with Oil)
Ingredients
For the cookie cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Halloween sprinkles divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (or whatever chocolate chips you prefer)
Optional for topping:
- ⅔ cup dairy-free store-bought or homemade frosting in your favorite Halloween colors
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1 ½ tablespoons of sprinkles, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In another large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
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Pour the mixture into the cake pan. Press the mixture down with your hands or large spoon to pack into the pan and evenly distribute.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean from the center. Immediately sprinkle with the remaining ½ tablespoon of sprinkles. Let cool in the pan.
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When cool, optionally pipe frosting along the edges of the cookie cake. Cut slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition analysis (approximate per serving without frosting): 366 calories, 19 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 185 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 28 g sugar, 4 g protein, Vitamin D: 1%, Calcium: 5%, Iron: 11%, Potassium: 4%
Nutrition analysis (approximate per serving including frosting): 440 calories, 22 g fat, 7.5 g saturated fat, 220 mg sodium, 59 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 39 g sugar, 4 g protein, Vitamin D: 1%, Calcium: 5%, Iron: 11%, Potassium: 4%
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