This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateLosMuertos #CollectiveBias
Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? I know everyone in my family does, which is why I decided to come up with an easy, fun, creative way to make (Dia de los Muertos) Day of the Dead chocolate chip cookies.
How to Create a Dia de Los Muertos Altar
In case you don’t know what el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is about, here’s a little back story. Although it sounds like a morbid holiday, it isn’t. It’s actually a day Hispanics dedicate to honoring and celebrating loved ones who have passed. It’s filled with tradition, love and all the colors, sounds and food usually associated with a celebration.
The most noted symbol of el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is the sugar skull, which is why I decided to create an Americanized version using two things I love the most – NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Cookie Dough and NERDS® Fun Size Candy. How easy and cool does that sound?
How to make Day of the Dead Chocolate Chip Cookies
First, make sure you freeze the dough so that it’s easier to work with. Once frozen, grease your cookie sheet, put on gloves (helps keep your body heat from melting the dough, but you can go bare handed if you prefer), and grease the gloves to make the dough shaping easier.
Grab a dough square and begin removing the chocolate chips (save in a container) to allow a smooth surface to shape the dough into the sugar skull (if you prefer, you can make the dough from scratch, mold and then add NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Morsels accordingly – your call). 
Once the dough is chip free, you can begin shaping it into a skull, by pinching the top and stretching the bottom. Think mushrooms or broccoli florets – round top with a short stem.
Once shaped, add the chips back in (saving at least 3 to make the face).
Now turn the dough over, add in two eyes and a nose to the dough, and place on your greased cookie sheet.
Repeat the process until you’ve got at least 9 on your cookie sheet (make sure to allow room for the cookie to spread, because it will). 
Bake according to the package instructions, but at the halfway point, take them out to reshape. Don’t panic, most will have gone back to a normal round shape. That’s ok. Reshaping them back into skull shape half way through the baking process will normally keep them that shape through the end. All you have to do is pinch the top into shape by using your thumb and index fingers. It’s ok if the cookie cracks, the baking process will bind it back together.
Once you’ve reshaped the batch, place back into the oven to finish the baking process. Once baked, you’re ready to add the sugar to your sugar skull with NERDS® Fun Size Candy.
As soon as you remove the batch from the oven, start decorating. This is when the dough is still soft enough to keep the NERDS® in place. (If the dough begins to harden, don’t worry, place it back in the oven for a few seconds to soften it again and continue decorating.)
I decided to go with a basic sugar skull design – placing 3 large NERDS® above the eyes and 3 small NERDS® along the mouth, but choose which ever design you like or leave your skull as is.
How to make Day of the Dead Chocolate Chip Cookies (video)
Pretty cool huh? So what are you waiting for? Get your sugar skull on the easy way and head out to your local H-E-B store to buy NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Cookie Dough and NERDS® Fun Size Candy, or any of your other Halloween, Day of the Dead treats. They’re stocked and ready for you!
And if you happen to be shopping at the Austin Highway H‑E‑B on October 23rd or 24th, 2015 you’ll be able to sample a Pumpkin Cookie Butter dip with LIBBY’S 100% Pure Pumpkin and H-E-B Speculoos Creamy Cookie Butter – yum, yum.
Then bake away until your heart’s content for either a Halloween party
or your Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar.
What are your favorite NESTLÉ® recipes?
- Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Her - February 10, 2020
- Rice Stuffing Plus Holiday Wine Pairings with Kuhlman Cellars - November 21, 2019
- 5 New Orleans Must Do’s - November 19, 2019
So cute! & Very easy! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Super easy and fun! Hope you love them as much as I do Ashley 😀
These are so cool! They look fun to make.
Thanks Liz, they were pretty fun to make 😀
I love these so much! What a fun idea for cookies.
Thanks Robin, it is such a fun one to make!
I Love this! SO cute and creative. I’m going to have to try it.
Yay Marissa, hope you enjoy making them 😀
What a great way to shape cookies. I like chocolate chip cookies and these are cool shaped.
Thanks we love them too Tara, which is why I had to come up with a fun way to have them all the time 😀
Love these cookies! They are super cute.
Thanks Kristi!
How super adorable are these?! My kids would LOVE THEM <3
Yay Rachel, hope you give them a try. They were so fun to make 😀
I love how these turned out. I bet they are really tasty too.
OMG so tasty Shann – thanks!
Those look so cute!
Awe, thanks Colleen 😀
This is a great idea, and what fun to celebrate!
Yup and that’s what I’m all about – fun celebrations 😀 Thanks for dropping by Dana 😀
Not much of a cookie baker me but these deserve a twirl.
Yes they do Claudette. I’m the same way – making cookie dough from scratch is work, but I love that these are ready made. I just get to shape and decorate 😀 Enjoy!
My little one is scared of all things Halloween. I guess that means I’ll get to eat these cookies all by myself.
Lol, the sacrifice Karlyn 😉 Enjoy!
Cool looking cookie. The recipe looks good and fun ! My kids love chocolate chip
Yes Rika, so do my niece and nephews, so I thought, why not 😀
I WILL be making these for my next party!
Yay, Erika, hope you enjoy!
They looks cute. this is a great snack for kids for the Halloween. I will try these for Halloween
totally, please do Victoria and let me know how they turn out 😀
I love, love, love this idea! I was wondering about the title before scrolling down. I can’t wait to make this.
Yay, I hope you do and you share how they come out…some may look more skull like than others, but hey they’re yummy chocolate chip cookies how ever they look 😀
Awesome candy skulls! I initially thought you used a mold to shape the skulls and then I saw the entire post. That’s so creative!
Thanks Elizabeth, I was hoping to use a mold, but chocolate chip cookies want to be round, so I had to come up with my own way to get them into skull shape 😉 Glad you liked them 😀
These are so awesome! I never thought to shape cookies this way!
Yeah me either Shaylee, but I thought why not 😀
This is a cute idea. Great activity for kids.
Thanks Chanelle!
You are way too creative! These look great!
Well how sweet are you! Thanks Ashley!! I had fun making these 😀
Now that’s a fun way to celebrate the holiday while being easy!
Thanks Liz. I’m all about ease when it comes to the Holidays, so I really love these too!
looks so good, ill have to try it some time.
I hope you do Mya, they are pretty yummy 😀
Those cookies are super cute! my daughter would love it if I made them. She is sort of obsessed with the day of the dead at the moment
Love that Julia, hope y’all enjoy!
Very creative! I feel like this year saw more Day of the Dead things at stores than every before! There were even super cute little baggies to put treats into. Loved this post :).
I agree Angie, it does seem to be picking up momentum year by year. So happy you liked these!
You’re right, it does sound morbid until you hear the back story! The cookies are very creative and colorful.
Right K Lee, once you take time to really know what it’s all about it’s really just a celebration with cute, colorful items. Happy you liked them. 😀
These are so cute. My office is having a Dia de los Muertos party and this is definitely making the list.
Yay Olga, I hope y’all enjoy and how cool is it that your office is celebrating this Holiday. Love all the way around!
I love that the cookies are celebrating your Mexican heritage, I love seeing pictures of Day Of The Dead Festivities.
Me too Ana, I think it’s all the colors and history that come with it.
Oh my gosh! That looks delicious! I would eat those on a daily basis and I’m not ashamed of saying that hahahaha
Lol Anna, I pretty much ate the first batch on my own. It lasted several days, but still, I enjoyed every last one myself. 😀
These are awesome! I can’t wait to make them for our Halloween party. They seem so simple too. Brilliant idea! I would be honored for you to check out our conference and affiliate program. We need talented bloggers like you! http://www.foodbloggingconference.com/become-an-affiliate/
Well aren’t you the sweetest Kami. I’m definitely going to check out your conference. Let me know how these turn out for your party 😀
Cute! Looks easy enough that the kids could help out
Thanks Krystal, they are totally worth it 😀
Hehehe those cookies are so cute and look so tasty I would eat the entire plate so fast. Maybe I should share…maybe?
NAH!!!!!! =]
Danielle | FollowMyGut.com <3
Lol, thanks Danielle, they totally didn’t last long for sure 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Yummy yummy!!
https://julesonthemoon.blogspot.com/
Thanks!