Watch out for these tricky owls.  Once glance, and you may find yourself under their spell.

Chocolate and vanilla cookie dough swirl together to make an irresistible conocotion sure to lure you in, (and have you desperate for more.)

Wrap them up quickly, and pass on the curse to your friends and family this Halloween!

We had such fun making these cookie pops!  Below you will find recipes and instructions for both the Hypnotic Wheel cookies (a sinister take on traditional pinwheel cookies,) and Mesmerizing Owl cookies.  Don’t forget: at the end of the post there’s a free PDF print out of our packaging tags so you can tie up your treats in style!  Most of the supplies needed are easy to find, and you may have them on hand, but there’s still time to shop before Halloween, too.

Have fun baking, and don’t forget to shield your eyes from the powerful lure of SUGAR COOKIES ON A STICK.  (wahahah ha ha..!)

Hypnotic Wheel Cookie Pops

Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe

2 sticks (1 C.) Unsalted Butter, softened
2/3 C. White Sugar
1 Egg
2-1/3 C. All Purp. Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and mix well.  Stir in remaining ingredients until fully combined to make a stiff dough.  Split the batch in two pieces, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.   Place chilled dough between two pieces of waxed paper and roll into a rectangle roughly  7″ x 9″ and 1/4″ thick.  Do this with both halves of dough.  Then repeat the process with the Chocolate Cookie Dough recipe below.  You should have two sugar cookie rectangles, and two chocolate rectangles.  Chill rectangles briefly in fridge.

Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough Recipe

*Same as for Sugar Cookie Dough above, except add 2/3 C. of Cocoa Powder and reduce the All Purpose flour to 2 cups. This makes a very chocolaty cookie, not overly sweet.

Assembly

Remove the top layer of wax paper from dough rectangles, invert one chocolate dough on top of the sugar dough, lining up the edges of the rectangles.  Gently roll over the top to make sure they layers stick together.  Remove the top layer of waxed paper.  Starting at a short end, use the wax paper to lift the sugar dough and roll both layers tightly into a log.  Be sure to press gently as you go to ensure there are no gaps between the layers.  Roll the finished log lightly on the counter to make it round and even.  Repeat with the other two rectangles of dough.  Wrap the finished logs and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven at 350 degrees.  Remove dough logs from fridge and use a serrated knife to cut cookies about 1/4″ thick.  Place cookies 1″ apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or silpat mats.)    If making lollipops, hold the cookie down with one hand and gently press a paper candy stick into the middle, about 1″ into the cookie.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes until just done.  Do not to let the edges brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Mesmerizing Owl Cookie Pops

Prepare Dark Chocolate Cookie Dough above.  Split dough in half, and roll each piece between two sheet of waxed paper into a free-form shape just over 1/8″ thick.    Place dough pieces flat onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.

Before baking:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line baking pans with parchment paper or silpat mats.  Remove dough sheets from fridge.  Remove top layer of waxed paper.  Invert dough onto counter and remove the second layer of paper.  Cut out owl shapes with a cookie cutter and press about 1-1/2″ of a paper lollipop stick gently into the back.  Place cookies on baking sheet, stick-side down, about 1″ apart.  Gently press pre made jumbo icing eyes into the cookies.   Bake for 8-10 minutes until just done.  Do not let edges brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Cool completely before wrapping.

Free Tag Print Outs!

Please use these free print outs to make tags for your Halloween cookie creations!  Click on the images below for the printable PDF documents. Print onto 8-1/2×11 light to medium weight cardstock or regular printer paper.  Cut out individual tags, and use a standard hole punch to remove the center.

*PDF files may take up to 5-10 seconds to load

I wrapped these cookies in small cello bags - the Tiny Flat bags were a perfect fit, but you may want a larger size if your cookies spread or are cut larger…just in case.   The print-out tags were tied on with striped bakers twine, but black yarn or thin raffia would be just as cute!

Happy Halloween baking to you all!