The Haunted Batch: When Halloween Cookies Bite Back

Halloween is the season of ghosts, pumpkins, and sugar lots and lots of sugar. And if you think cookies are the safest part of spooky season, think again. This year, my cookies decided to fight back. 🍪💀

It started innocently enough. I had my playlist on, candles lit, and my favorite orange apron tied snugly around my waist. The plan? A calm night of baking Halloween cookies shaped like bats, pumpkins, and maybe a ghost or two. Simple, right?

Flour danced through the air like fog, sugar sparkled under the dim kitchen light, and everything felt perfectly normal — until I heard the first whisper. It wasn’t loud, just a faint hum from the mixing bowl. I froze. Then shrugged. Probably the blender, I thought.

But as I rolled the dough, a tiny crack appeared on one cookie. Then another. And I swear I saw it move. Just slightly — enough to make me question if I added too much caffeine to my pumpkin spice latte.

Still, I kept going. Because what’s Halloween without a little thrill?

The cookies went into the oven, their little shapes lined up like soldiers on a mission. I waited. Five minutes in, the oven started rattling. Seven minutes — and I smelled something… strange. Not burnt, but alive.

When I opened the door, the cookies looked normal — golden, soft, inviting. But one had a smirk. I blinked. The smirk didn’t go away.

I placed them on the rack, pretending everything was fine. I even took a bite. Crunchy edges, chewy center… delicious. Maybe my imagination was just playing tricks.

Then my phone buzzed.
A notification from an unknown number:
“Nice cookies. Can we have more?”

I dropped my spatula.

At that point, I wasn’t sure if I should run or bake another batch. Naturally, I chose both — because I’m Filipino, and when things get creepy, we feed them.

So I made more. Black cocoa cookies this time, darker than the night outside. I added cinnamon — for warmth — and a pinch of sea salt, like a tiny exorcism in every bite. The cookies came out perfect, glossy and mysterious. I left them on the counter with a note:
“For whoever’s watching. Please don’t haunt my oven.”

The next morning, half were gone. And in their place, a single candy wrapper.
A black one.

Maybe it was the wind. Maybe it was my imagination. Or maybe, just maybe, I had baked the best cookies this side of the spirit world.

Either way, I learned something important:
Halloween cookies aren’t just sweets. They’re tiny spells — a mix of sugar, spice, and maybe a whisper from the other side.

So if you plan on baking this Halloween, here’s my advice:
Use black cocoa for drama. Add cinnamon for warmth. And never — ever — turn your back on the oven when it starts whispering.

Because sometimes, the best treats… bite back. 🍪👻