Spooktacular Red Velvet Brimstone Cookies: Easy Halloween Cake Mix Recipe

Prepare for a hauntingly delightful treat that’s as easy to make as it is impressive! These striking Red Velvet Brimstone Cookies are destined to be the star of your Halloween party. With their dramatic red interior beautifully contrasted by a dark, almost black, cocoa powder coating, they create an irresistible crinkle cookie effect that captures the essence of spooky season. Imagine a soft, vibrant red velvet cookie with a mysterious, dark exterior – it’s a visual feast that perfectly embodies the “brimstone” theme.

Brimstone cookies made with red velvet cake mix and black cocoa powder served on a dark wooden board, ready for a Halloween party. — These eye-catching red and black crinkle cookies are a perfect Halloween party treat.

These simple cake mix cookies require minimal effort but deliver maximum impact, making them ideal for both seasoned bakers and beginners. The recipe leverages the convenience of a boxed cake mix, transforming it into a homemade-tasting cookie with a unique Halloween twist. If you’re enchanted by these wickedly good cookies, you’ll also adore our Candy Corn Cake Mix Cookies and spooky Halloween Cake Mix Monster Cookies! All three of these Halloween cake mix cookie recipes are guaranteed to bring a dose of fun and fright to your autumn festivities.

Close-up of red and black crinkle cookies on a wooden platter with one cookie broken in half to show its vibrant red velvet interior, highlighting the striking contrast. — The dramatic contrast of deep red velvet against the rich black cocoa creates a truly unique cookie.

Whipping up a batch of these Brimstone Cookies is incredibly straightforward. No complicated techniques or lengthy ingredient lists are involved. Whether you’re a novice baker looking for a foolproof recipe or a busy pro seeking a quick yet impressive dessert, the simplicity of this recipe ensures perfect results every time. So, gather your minimal ingredients, and let’s embark on a delicious journey to create some truly spooktacular and memorable treats for your next Halloween gathering!

Essential Ingredients for Red Velvet Brimstone Cookies

This section includes detailed ingredient notes and helpful substitution options. For precise measurements, the full list of ingredients, and comprehensive instructions, please refer to the printable recipe card conveniently located at the end of this post.

Ingredients for easy Brimstone Cookies: a box of red velvet cake mix, black cocoa powder, two eggs, and a bottle of vegetable oil displayed on a rustic wooden surface. — Just a few simple ingredients are all you need to create these festive Halloween cookies.

Red Velvet Cake Mix: This is the magical base for our vibrant red cookies. You can use any 15.25-ounce box of your favorite brand, such as Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, or Pillsbury. Always double-check the expiration date to ensure freshness, which contributes to the best flavor and texture for your cookies. Using cake mix simplifies the baking process immensely, ensuring a consistently delicious and moist cookie every time.
Eggs: Large eggs are essential for binding our cookie dough and adding moisture. They contribute to the structure and richness of the cookies. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature if possible, as this helps them incorporate more smoothly into the batter, resulting in a more uniform dough.
Vegetable Oil: This ingredient is key for creating that wonderfully soft and tender texture that cake mix cookies are known for. Vegetable oil adds moisture without imparting additional flavor, allowing the red velvet and chocolate notes to shine. While vegetable oil is recommended, you can also use other neutral oils or, as discussed later, melted butter for a slightly different texture.
Black Cocoa Powder: This is the secret to achieving the dramatic “brimstone” look! Black cocoa powder is an ultra-dutched cocoa powder that has been heavily processed to neutralize its acidity, resulting in a significantly darker, almost black color. It also has a milder, less bitter chocolate flavor than regular cocoa, which is perfect for coating without overpowering the red velvet. While black cocoa powder creates the most striking contrast, you can substitute it with extra dark cocoa powder or even regular cocoa powder if necessary, though the color will be less intense.

How to Make Spooky Red Velvet Brimstone Cookies: Step-by-Step Guide

This section provides a visual, step-by-step guide with photos and clear instructions to help you make these delightful cookies. For the complete, printable recipe, including exact measurements and detailed baking times, please refer to the recipe card located further down on this page. Let’s get baking!

A 4-image collage demonstrating the steps to make Brimstone Cookies: red cookie dough being mixed, dough being scooped, dough rolled in black cocoa, and coated cookie dough balls on a baking sheet. — Follow these simple steps to create perfectly crinkled red velvet Brimstone Cookies.

Prepare Your Workspace: First, begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the oven heats up, take a moment to line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This crucial step prevents the cookies from sticking and ensures easy cleanup. Set the prepared baking sheets aside, ready for your cookie dough.
Mix the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the entire box of red velvet cake mix, the two large eggs, and the vegetable oil. Using an electric mixer (either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer) beat these ingredients together on medium speed until they are thoroughly combined. Continue mixing until no dry streaks of cake mix remain and the dough is uniform in color and consistency. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
Scoop and Roll: Once your dough is perfectly mixed, use a cookie scoop (approximately 1.5 tablespoons) to portion out the dough. Roll each portion into a smooth, round ball with your hands. Aim for uniform sizes to ensure all cookies bake evenly. If the dough is too sticky to handle comfortably, refer to our “Helpful Tips” section for advice on chilling it.
Coat with Black Cocoa: Pour the black cocoa powder into a shallow bowl. Take each red velvet dough ball and place it into the black cocoa powder, rolling it gently to coat completely. For a classic, dramatic crinkle cookie look, ensure the entire surface of the dough ball is generously covered. If you prefer a more “brimstone” or slightly less uniform appearance, you can choose to coat only sections of the cookie, allowing some of the red to show through before baking.
Arrange on Baking Sheets: Carefully place the cocoa-coated dough balls onto your prepared baking sheets, ensuring they are spaced at least 2 inches apart. This spacing is important to prevent the cookies from spreading into each other as they bake, allowing them to achieve that perfect round shape and beautiful crinkle effect.
Bake to Perfection: Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; cake mix cookies are best when they are slightly under-baked in the center, which results in a wonderfully soft and chewy texture. The edges should be set, but the centers may still look a little soft. Once baked, remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot sheet for about 5 minutes. This allows them to firm up without becoming dry. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. As they cool, the crinkle effect will become more pronounced, and the cookies will set to a perfect, chewy consistency.

Storage Solutions for Brimstone Cookies

To keep your delicious Red Velvet Brimstone Cookies fresh and tender, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will maintain their optimal flavor and texture for up to 5 days. For extended freshness, these cookies freeze beautifully! Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to a zip-top freezer bag or an airtight freezer-safe container. When stored properly, they will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw them at room temperature for a few hours before serving, and they’ll taste as good as freshly baked.

Helpful Tips for Perfect Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Utilize a Cookie Scoop for Consistency: When portioning out your dough, aiming for uniform size is absolutely crucial for even baking. Using a cookie scoop is an excellent tool to achieve consistently sized cookie balls, ensuring that every cookie on your baking sheet bakes at the same rate and comes out perfectly done. This also helps in creating a more visually appealing batch of cookies.
Taming Sticky Dough: Red velvet cake mix dough can sometimes be a bit sticky, making it challenging to roll into perfect balls. If you find your dough too difficult to handle, don’t fret! Simply chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will firm up the dough, making it much easier to work with. If it’s still excessively sticky after chilling, you can mix in a very small amount of extra all-purpose flour, adding just a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a manageable consistency.
The Golden Rule: Don’t Overbake: This is arguably the most important tip for any cake mix cookie! For the best results, cake mix cookies are truly at their peak when they retain a slightly soft, almost fudgy center after baking. It’s always better to err on the side of slightly under-baking rather than over-baking. The cookies will continue to cook slightly and firm up as they cool on the hot baking sheet, resulting in that wonderfully chewy texture. An over-baked cookie, however, can become dry and crumbly.
Gloves for Black Cocoa: Black cocoa powder can be messy and might temporarily stain your hands. Consider wearing disposable gloves when rolling the cookie dough in the cocoa powder to keep your hands clean and avoid any dark residue.
Creative Variations: Feel free to customize your Brimstone Cookies! Before rolling in cocoa, you could gently press a few mini chocolate chips into the dough balls for an extra chocolatey kick. For an even more festive touch, after baking and cooling, drizzle some white chocolate or a contrasting colored icing over the cooled cookies.

A single red velvet Brimstone Cookie coated with black cocoa powder for a crinkle effect. A bite has been taken, revealing the soft, deep red interior of the cake mix cookie. — The soft, chewy texture and vibrant red interior are a delightful surprise with every bite.

Brimstone Cookies FAQ: Your Questions Answered

What exactly is “brimstone,” and why is it used for these cookies?

Brimstone is an archaic term for sulfur, literally translating to “burning stone.” Historically, it has strong ties to folklore, mythology, and religious texts, frequently appearing in vivid imagery associated with fire, the underworld, and dramatic, often ominous, settings. In the context of these striking cookies, “brimstone” is used purely for its dramatic, evocative connotations. It adds a touch of mystery, intrigue, and a perfectly spooky allure to the recipe, especially fitting for Halloween celebrations. Rest assured, there is no actual sulfur or any other unusual ingredient in these delicious treats!

What is black cocoa powder, and how does it differ from standard cocoa powder?

Black cocoa powder is a highly alkalized, or “Dutch-processed,” cocoa powder. This extensive processing neutralizes its acidity, resulting in a significantly darker, almost jet-black color, which is ideal for achieving the dramatic contrast in these Brimstone Cookies. Compared to regular cocoa powder, black cocoa has a much milder, less bitter, and often more mellow chocolate flavor. It’s famously used in popular sandwich cookies like Oreos to give them their distinctive dark appearance and unique taste. Regular cocoa powder, while still chocolatey, won’t yield the same intense black color.

Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil in this cookie recipe?

Yes, you absolutely can substitute melted butter for vegetable oil in this recipe, typically using a 1:1 ratio. However, it’s important to note that the texture of your cookies might be slightly different. Vegetable oil tends to produce a softer, more uniformly chewy cookie. Melted butter, on the other hand, can impart a richer, more complex flavor and might result in cookies with slightly crispier edges while still maintaining a tender interior. Both options are delicious, so it often comes down to personal preference for texture.

Can I use other cake mix flavors for a similar crinkle cookie effect?

Absolutely! While red velvet is perfect for the “brimstone” theme, you can experiment with other cake mix flavors to create different variations of crinkle cookies. Chocolate cake mix would result in an even deeper, double-chocolate cookie, while a white or yellow cake mix could be tinted with food coloring (like green or orange for Halloween) before coating in black cocoa for a contrasting effect. Spice cake mix would also be a fantastic autumnal choice!

How can I make these cookies even more festive for Halloween?

There are many ways to amp up the Halloween spirit! After baking and cooling, you could drizzle the cookies with white or orange icing to create spiderweb designs, or attach small candy eyes with a dab of frosting. Sprinkle some edible glitter or Halloween-themed sprinkles on the freshly rolled, cocoa-coated dough balls before baking. You can also add a few drops of orange or green food coloring to the red velvet dough itself for a multi-colored interior, though this might mute the distinct red velvet look.

More Spooky Halloween Party Recipes to Enjoy

Looking for more hauntingly good treats and drinks to complete your Halloween celebration? Explore these other fantastic recipes that are sure to be a hit:

Witch Hat Cupcakes: Adorable and easy cupcakes topped with edible witch hats.
Witches Brew Drink: A bubbling, mystical concoction perfect for adult parties.
Halloween Chex Mix: A sweet and salty snack mix with a spooky twist.
Or explore all of our fun and festive Halloween recipes and ideas here!

Recipe

Red velvet cookies coated with black cocoa powder for a crinkle cookie effect. One cookie has a bite taken out of it to reveal the inside of the soft red velvet cake cookie.

Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Brimstone Cookies

Author: Jaclyn

Prep:
10 minutes

Cook:
10 minutes

Total:
20 minutes

These eye-catching red and black Brimstone cookies are easy to make with just 4 ingredients and are the perfect treat for Halloween celebrations, offering a soft red velvet interior with a mysterious dark crinkle exterior.

Servings:
20

Save
Saved!

Rate

Ingredients

▢ 15.25 ounce red velvet cake mix (1 box)
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ ⅓ cup vegetable oil
▢ ½ cup black cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat to combine the red velvet cake mix, large eggs, and vegetable oil using an electric mixer until well combined and no dry spots remain.
Scoop 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll it into a smooth ball. (If dough is too sticky, chill for 30 minutes).
Place each dough ball individually in a shallow bowl of black cocoa powder and coat thoroughly. Roll to cover completely for a full crinkle cookie look, or coat sections for a more ‘brimstone’ effect.
Place each cocoa-coated dough ball at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers are still slightly soft. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool fully and allow the crinkles to develop.

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?

We’d love to see your creations! Share your beautiful Brimstone Cookies with us on Instagram @crayonsandcravings and make sure to follow us on Pinterest @crayonsandcravings for even more delightful recipes and inspiration!

Email Recipe
Pin Recipe
Leave A Review