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Our Halloween Sugar Cookies are easy to make, so much fun to decorate, and the perfect treat for a Halloween party!
Are you as excited about Halloween as I am? I can almost hear the ghouls giggling and the witches cackling. Ha! Today, I’m going to share one of my all-time favorite Halloween recipes with you—Halloween Sugar Cookies!
Halloween is not just about costumes and trick-or-treating; it’s also a time for delicious and fun treats. If you’re hosting or going to any Halloween parties this year, you’ll definitely want to bring along some spooktacular eats.
Imagine biting into a buttery sugar cookie with a blast of vanilla flavor, and it’s decorated to look like a cute little ghost or a grinning pumpkin. Sounds like Halloween fun, right? You bet it does!
Cookies like these are the first thing Lily thinks of when we talk about Halloween. I’m pretty proud of that, actually! Haha! It’s not the candy she really wants. It’s the pumpkin cookies!
I know the candy is always part of Halloween. However, I’d much rather my 3 year-old have sweet treats like these easy Halloween Cookies than all that other stuff. What do you think?
On top of that, she loves helping me make them! In my opinion, the cutest Halloween cookies are the ones decorated by the kids. This recipe is the perfect Halloween activity to get them involved in!
So grab your aprons, roll up your sleeves, and let’s dive into these easy Halloween sugar cookies!
Some of our other favorite Halloween recipes we have on our site include: Mummy Stromboli, Crispy Spider Webs {Mini Funnel Cakes}, and Graveyard Dirt Cups.
Jump to:
- WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- HOW TO MAKE HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES:
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
- WHAT KIND OF ICING IS BEST TO USE?
- ARE THESE CRUNCHY OR SOFT?
- DO THEY HOLD THEIR SHAPE?
- ANY ADDITIONS?
- ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
- HOW TO STORE:
- DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Easy Decorated Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipe
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Easy to Make: With just a handful of ingredients, even a cooking newbie can make these. That makes it the perfect project for all your little Halloween newbies out there, haha! Let them get messy!
- Great for Decorating: The smooth surface is the perfect canvas for your food coloring art. Show off your cookie skills!
- Sturdy but Soft: These cookies are solid enough to hold their fun shapes but still give you that soft bite we all love. They are seriously some of the tastiest sugar cookies I’ve made.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Butter (softened)
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Corn starch
- Baking powder
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Food coloring
- Edible candy eyes (optional)
HOW TO MAKE HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES:
Make the cookies:
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until combined into a smooth dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Do not skip this step!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough to approx. ¼” thickness and cut out shapes using your Halloween cookie cutters.
- Place the cookie shapes on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to go golden around the edges.
- Leave on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps the cookies to continue to cook all the way.
Make the icing:
- Mix together the powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth icing. It should be thick enough to pipe but still pourable.
- To make the different colors, split between a few bowls and mix through a few drops of the food colorings.
- Using a piping bag and narrow nozzle, pipe lines around the edge of each cookie. For the pumpkins, the stem can be outlined in green and the rest of the pumpkin in orange. For the ghosts I went with all white.
- Using a wider nozzle, flood the middle of the lines to fill them in. If you need to make the icing a little runnier, add a few more drops of milk.
- Add the edible eyes to the ghosts if using.
- If adding a second layer of icing, allow the cookies to dry for at least 30 minutes first.
- Pipe lines on top of the orange pumpkin icing to represent the ridges of the pumpkin. For the ghosts, you can pipe small black circles underneath the eyes for the mouths.
- Leave the cookies to dry in the open air at room temperature for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before touching or stacking.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
WHAT KIND OF ICING IS BEST TO USE?
I find that a simple mixture of powdered sugar and milk works best for these cookies.
It has the right consistency for both piping and flooding. The flavor is wonderful, too!
ARE THESE CRUNCHY OR SOFT?
These cookies are more on the soft side but have slightly crisp edges, making them the perfect sugar cookie texture.
Bring them to your Halloween get-together and they’ll disappear faster than a rabbit in a wizard’s hat!
DO THEY HOLD THEIR SHAPE?
Absolutely! Just make sure your sugar cookie dough is chilled before cutting out your fun shapes.
This crucial chilling step really makes the process go smoothly.
Even after they bake, they’ll still keep that shape!
ANY ADDITIONS?
Oh, you know it! Check out this list.
- Sprinkles
- Mini chocolate chips
- Almond extract for a different flavor
- Coconut flakes
- Cinnamon for a dash of spice
- Lemon zest for a citrusy twist
- Meringue powder for a different icing texture
- Crushed nuts like almonds or pecans
- Your favorite Halloween candy, crushed
- Black icing for extra spooky details
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Why certainly! I’ve got a few ideas on this end.
- Use almond milk for dairy-free cookies
- Substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour
- Use coconut sugar or stevia as a sugar alternative
- Egg whites for a lighter texture
- Vegan butter for a dairy-free version
- Use beet juice or natural food dyes for natural coloring
HOW TO STORE:
Room Temp: They last at room temp for about 5 days in a sealed container.
Freezer: Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap and then place them in an airtight container. They’ll last for about 3 months.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Chill the Dough: Always remember to chill the dough; it’s easier to work with and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Use Parchment Paper: Line your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Test Your Oven: Ovens can run hot or cold. It might be a good idea to bake one test cookie first.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your butter is at room temperature for the best results.
- Use a Metal Spatula: A metal spatula helps to lift cookies off the cookie sheet without breaking them.
- Double the Recipe: If you’re having a big Halloween party, simply double the ingredients for a big batch of cookies.
And there you have it, my ghoulishly delicious Halloween Sugar Cookies that will impress both the living and the undead at your next Halloween bash. Ha!
So grab your Halloween cookie cutters and your trusty piping bag, and let’s make this spooky season extra tasty.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Easy Decorated Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookies-
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 & ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the icing/decoration-
- 2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- Food colorings of your choice I used orange, green and black gel food coloring
- Edible candy eyes optional
Instructions
Make the cookies-
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.½ cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.1 & ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until combined into a smooth dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Do not skip this step!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough to approx. ¼” thickness and cut out shapes using your Halloween cookie cutters.
- Place the cookie shapes on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to go golden around the edges.
- Leave on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps the cookies to continue to cook all the way.
Make the icing-
- Mix together the powdered sugar and milk until you have a smooth icing. It should be thick enough to pipe but still pourable.2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons milk
- To make the different colors, split between a few bowls and mix through a few drops of the food colorings.Food colorings of your choice
- Using a piping bag and narrow nozzle, pipe lines around the edge of each cookie. For the pumpkins, the stem can be outlined in green and the rest of the pumpkin in orange. For the ghosts I went with all white.
- Using a wider nozzle, flood the middle of the lines to fill them in. If you need to make the icing a little runnier, add a few more drops of milk.
- Add the edible eyes to the ghosts if using.Edible candy eyes
- If adding a second layer of icing, allow the cookies to dry for at least 30 minutes first.
- Pipe lines on top of the orange pumpkin icing to represent the ridges of the pumpkin. For the ghosts, you can pipe small black circles underneath the eyes for the mouths.
- Leave the cookies to dry in the open air at room temperature for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before touching or stacking.
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Always remember to chill the dough; it’s easier to work with and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Use Parchment Paper: Line your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Test Your Oven: Ovens can run hot or cold. It might be a good idea to bake one test cookie first.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your butter is at room temperature for the best results.
- Use a Metal Spatula: A metal spatula helps to lift cookies off the cookie sheet without breaking them.
- Double the Recipe: If you’re having a big Halloween party, simply double the ingredients for a big batch of cookies.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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