Themed Halloween Stranger Things Upside Down Cookies

If you ask me, Halloween cookies should be fun and a little spooky.

These Stranger Things inspired treats bring the Upside Down right to your kitchen with their eerie appearance and sweet taste. Dark chocolate cookies get flipped and twisted to look like they came straight from Hawkins.

They’re made with simple ingredients like cocoa powder and vanilla, then decorated with red icing that drips down the sides. Crushed Oreos and candy pieces help create that creepy, otherworldly look.

It’s a Halloween treat that both kids and adults will love, perfect for themed parties or trick-or-treat night.

What Kind of Butter Should I Use?

For these spooky cookies, you’ll want to stick with unsalted butter so you can control the salt level in your recipe. The key here is making sure your butter is cold and cubed before you start – this helps create the perfect cookie texture. European-style butter with higher fat content will give you richer cookies, but regular grocery store unsalted butter works just fine too. Just avoid using margarine or butter substitutes, as they won’t give you the same results. If your butter has been sitting out and gotten soft, pop those cubes in the fridge for about 15 minutes before mixing.

Options for Substitutions

These spooky cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so here’s what you can change up:

• Red liquid food coloring: If you don’t have red liquid coloring, gel food coloring works great too – just use less (start with 1/2 teaspoon). You can also try beet juice for a natural option, though the color might be less intense.
• Cake flour: No cake flour? Make your own by removing 2 tablespoons from 1 cup of all-purpose flour and adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift it together a few times.
• Crushed Oreo cookies: You can substitute with crushed chocolate wafers or even finely crushed chocolate graham crackers. Just make sure to remove any cream filling first for the best texture.
• Cornstarch: If you’re out of cornstarch, you can skip it entirely or replace it with an extra tablespoon of all-purpose flour, though the cookies might be slightly less tender.
• Unsalted butter: Salted butter works fine – just reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Make sure whatever butter you use is cold and cubed for the right texture.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making these spooky cookies is using warm or room temperature butter instead of cold cubed butter, which can cause your cookies to spread too much and lose their shape during baking.

Another common error is not removing all the cream from the Oreos before crushing them – leftover cream will make your cookie dough too sticky and affect the final texture.

Don’t skip measuring your flour properly by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, as packed flour will make your cookies dense and tough instead of having that perfect chewy bite.

Finally, resist the urge to overbake these dark cookies since the cocoa powder makes it hard to tell when they’re done – they should still look slightly underbaked in the center when you pull them out, as they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan.

What to Serve With Upside Down Cookies?

These spooky cookies are perfect on their own, but they’re even better when paired with a tall glass of cold milk for dunking. You could also serve them alongside other Halloween treats like candy corn, chocolate chips, or mini marshmallows to create a fun dessert spread that kids will love. For a more grown-up twist, try pairing them with hot coffee or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream to balance out the rich chocolate flavor. They also make great additions to Halloween party platters alongside brownies, cupcakes, or other themed treats.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These spooky cookies stay soft and chewy when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I like to place a piece of bread in the container to help keep them from getting too crispy. They’re perfect for Halloween parties since you can make them a few days ahead!

Freeze: You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. They thaw quickly at room temperature in about 30 minutes, so they’re great for surprise Halloween visitors or when you want to prep way ahead for your spooky celebrations.

Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored covered in the fridge. You can also scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.

Preparation Time	30-45 minutes
Cooking Time	10-11 minutes
Total Time	40-56 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3700-4000
• Protein: 35-45 g
• Fat: 160-180 g
• Carbohydrates: 530-570 g

Ingredients

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (room temperature for better mixing)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, for deep chocolate flavor)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp red food coloring (I use Wilton gel food coloring)
• 1 cup cake flour (for softer, more delicate texture)
• 2 cups Oreo cookie pieces (crushed into varied sizes)
• 1 tsp cornstarch (helps create tender crumb)

Step 1: Prepare Your Equipment and Mise en Place

• Parchment paper for baking tray

Preheat your oven to 410°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

This allows the oven to reach temperature while you prepare the dough, ensuring consistent baking.

Take your butter out of the fridge to soften to room temperature—this is crucial for proper creaming and incorporation of air into your dough, which creates a tender crumb.

Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar to Build Structure

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

In a stand mixer, combine softened butter and sugar.

Beat on low speed for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together, then increase to high speed for 1 minute until the mixture becomes light, pale, and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated.

This creaming process is essential—it aerates the dough and creates the tender texture these cookies need.

Step 3: Incorporate Wet Ingredients and Develop Color

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp red food coloring
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Add eggs one at a time to the creamed butter mixture, beating well after each addition to fully emulsify them into the butter.

This prevents the dough from becoming greasy and ensures a cohesive batter.

After both eggs are incorporated, add the vanilla extract, red food coloring, and cocoa powder, mixing on low speed until the color is evenly distributed and the mixture takes on a deep burgundy-brown hue.

I like to use gel food coloring because it’s more concentrated and doesn’t add extra liquid to the dough, which could make the cookies spread too much.

Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.

Whisking aerates the dry ingredients and distributes the leavening agent and salt evenly throughout, ensuring consistent rise and seasoning in every bite.

The cornstarch is key here—it reduces gluten development, which keeps the cookies tender rather than tough.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures, Then Chill

• dry ingredient mixture from Step 4

Add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 4 to the wet mixture from Step 3, mixing on low speed just until combined.

Overmixing at this stage develops too much gluten and creates tough cookies, so stop as soon as you don’t see streaks of dry ingredients.

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes—this resting period allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps the dough firm up, making it easier to handle and reducing spread during baking.

Step 6: Shape Cookies with Oreo Coating

• 2 cups Oreo cookie pieces
• chilled dough from Step 5

While the dough chills, place the crushed Oreo cookie pieces in a shallow bowl, keeping pieces in varied sizes for visual texture.

Once chilling time is complete, portion the dough into 3.5 oz balls (roughly the size of a golf ball) and immediately roll each ball in the crushed Oreos, pressing the pieces gently into the dough so they adhere.

Space the coated dough balls 3 inches apart on your prepared baking tray—this gives them room to spread slightly without touching.

I find that pressing the Oreo pieces directly into the dough while it’s still cool creates better adhesion and a more dramatic appearance when baked.

Step 7: Bake and Cool to Set Structure

Bake the cookies at 410°F for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone—they will continue to cook on the hot baking tray as they cool.

This technique prevents overbaking and keeps the cookies chewy in the center with crispy edges.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes to set their structure, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

The red dough and dark Oreos create that eerie Upside Down aesthetic perfectly.