Set the oven to 350 F. Place 12 cold Pillsbury chocolate chip dough pieces on a lined sheet pan with about 2 inches between them, then press each piece lightly into a thick round. Push a few semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pinch of orange and purple sprinkles into each top, then add a tiny touch of flaky sea salt. Chill the shaped dough at about 40 F for 10 minutes. Keep the pressure gentle so the rounds stay thick instead of flattening before they bake. The dough should feel firm and cool, and the chips should stay partly exposed instead of sinking. If the dough turns soft and glossy before baking, the cookies can spread too fast. Chill 10 minutes because cold fat slows spread in the hot oven.

Bake the chilled rounds at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the sheet pan once at minute 6 so the outer cookies color at the same pace as the center ones. For Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies Pillsbury, pull the pan when the edges look pale golden but the centers still seem slightly soft and puffed. (I tried leaving one batch for 14 minutes, and the centers lost that soft bend. Ten to twelve minutes worked much better.) You'll smell warm chocolate and butter near minute 9, and the tops should lose their wet shine. Go past 12 minutes and the centers can dry as they cool. Bake at 350 F so the centers set before the edges turn hard.

As soon as the pan comes out of the 350 F oven, wait 30 to 60 seconds and press 2 small candy eyeballs into each warm cookie. Use light fingertip pressure and place the eyes at slightly different angles so the faces don't look stamped or identical. Then leave the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes while the centers firm enough to move without breaking. The candy eyes should sit flush with the soft surface, and the cookie edges should feel set while the middle still yields slightly. Wait longer than 3 minutes to add the eyes and the tops may crack. Press the eyes while warm because the soft surface grips them as it cools.

After the first 5 minutes on the pan, transfer all 12 cookies to a cooling rack and let them rest for another 8 to 10 minutes until they reach about 85 F. Then move the Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies Pillsbury onto one serving plate with some edges overlapping and some gaps between cookies. Don't stack them while they're still very warm because trapped steam can soften the crisp rims. The centers should bend slightly when lifted, while the edges stay firmer and the candy eyes remain secure. If the bottoms feel damp, give them 3 more minutes before plating. Cool before stacking because trapped steam softens the cookie edges.