Halloween may be known for candy, but these Halloween sugar cookies are sure to be a hit for any ghost or ghoul you're entertaining! Sugar cookies are a classic recipe and you can make all of the designs I'm sharing with a circle cutter. Kids will love the chance to decorate cookies leading up to Halloween. In this post I'll share design ideas for a candy corn cookie, a ghost, spider, pumpkin and Frankenstein monster.
Sugar cookies are fun to bring to any party, or to work on with friends or solo while watching a creepy movie. Or happy movie. I'm the one in the friend group who is watching Hallmark movies on Halloween night- this is a judgement free zone.
Looking for more Halloween treats?
- Halloween Cake Pops
- Ghost Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
- Easy Halloween Popcorn Balls
- S'more Dip- an Easy Halloween Peep Dessert Recipe
Making Sugar Cookies
Homemade sugar cookies will always be hard to beat. My classic recipe is soft and a crowd favorite, you can get the full recipe card below. No matter if you're making your own cookie dough or rolling it out from the store you can make almost any design with a basic shape cutter, a circle. It is fun to play with other cutters and shapes, but if you're not wanting to buy a bunch of cookie cutters you'll just want to get creative with your decorating.
After you've made your cookies and they've cooled, you'll want to prep all your icing colors. For these Halloween sugar cookies I mixed black, orange, white, gray and green. You could also use purple instead of green and/or gray, like I did with my Halloween cake pops.
Making Royal Icing
I like to work with royal icing when cookie decorating, and it does take a bit to get used to. This guide goes in depth in how I make my royal icing, along with supplies and tips that make it easier. I do recommend using gel food coloring as you'll get the most impact with using the least amount of coloring.
Ghost Design
This spooky ghoul is a favorite and easy cookie to make! Pipe your outline (think icing border) and flood or fill your cookie with white royal icing. Using black royal icing or even a black food marker add a scary, happy or surprised face.
Bonus- Ghost cookies are easily turned into mummy cookies by making icing squiggles with white royal icing.
Frankenstein Monster Design
To make a friendly or spooky Frankenstein monster cookie design you'll use bright green or even purple icing to make your outline and fill. Before it sets add a few candy eyes. (Totally optional but pretty cute!) Then using black royal icing add hair, a smile and a stitched spot on his face.
Spider Design
This little spider might be my favorite from the set! Outline and fill your circle cookie with grey icing. If you don't have grey food coloring you can mix white and black icing to get your desired shade. Use a minimal amount of black food coloring. Like, teeny tiny amount. Then if it gets too dark add white food coloring. Use black icing to pipe on legs. Add candy eyes and a smile and this spider is ready to go!
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin or jack-o-lantern cookies are so fun to decorate! You can make any kind of face. Outline and fill your cookie with orange royal icing. Use black royal icing or a edible food decorating pen to add on faces.
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
Candy corn can be controversial, but no one is going to dislike these sweet treats! I did use my candy corn cookie cutter since I had it, but you could use a circle here too and achieve the same type of look.
- Make an outline with yellow for the top section of the cookie. Fill with yellow icing and allow to sit for a few minutes to avoid it bleeding together.
- Next, use white to make a larger middle section of the candy. Use a toothpick to drag the edges together if needed.
- Finally, outline and fill the orange section.
FAQ
Chilling the dough and then freezing it helps to maintain the shape of the cookie. It also helps for the dough to be firm/chilled when you're cutting out your shapes.
You can use egg whites instead of meringue powder. I prefer the powder as I find it easier to work with.
Decorated sugar cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about a week. If you heat seal then you can maintain freshness for 2-3 weeks.
📖 Recipe
Halloween Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- stand or hand mixer
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- baking sheets
- oven+timer
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks or 16 tbsp
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Royal Icing
- 4¾ cups powdered sugar 4-5 cups total, as needed for the consistency of the icing
- 2½ tablespoon meringue powder
- ¾ cup water
- 3-4 drops gel food coloring in colors of choice I used white, black, orange, green, yellow and gray.
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Beat together your sugar and butter until combined. You can use your stand-mixer or a hand-mixer.
- Add your eggs and combine. Add remaining ingredients and stir for 1-2 minutes for the dough to really come together. It should stick to the paddle of your mixer attachment when it’s ready and not be sticking to the bowl. *If it is sticking to the bowl you might need to add a bit more flour. It should come off easily with a wooden spoon.
- Divide into two parts and roll out your dough. I use two cookie sheets for this amount. Stack them with parchment paper in between the layers. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Allowing the dough to chill will help it set up and hold the shape of your cutouts.
- Once the dough has chilled, cut out your shapes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Take the first cookie sheet full of shapes and place in the freezer for 7-10 minutes. This minimizes spread. Bake for 9-12 minutes. This is a variable that’s really determined by your oven temp and cookie softness preference. Play with it a bit to see what works best for you.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet, the cookies will finish baking directly on the sheet.
Royal Icing
- Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in bowl or stand-mixer. Allow to stir for 1-2 minutes to combine.
- Add your water. Run stand mixer for 2-3 minutes to combine.
- Separate into bowls as many colors as you're planning to use, and add your gel food coloring. Bag right away and start decorating!
Making a Monster Face on Your Cookie
- Flood or fill your circle cookie with green icing. Add black eyes as dots or use googley eyes. Make a stitch with black royal icing and a smiley face.
Making a Pumpkin Cookie
- Flood or fill your cookie shape with orange icing. Using black royal icing, add triangles for eyes and a crooked smiley face.
Ghost and Mummy Cookie
- Flood or fill your cookie shape with white royal icing. Use black royal icing or googley eyes and draw on the face. To make a ghost into a mummy drizzle white royal icing across the cookie back and forth once the first layer of icing has hardened.
Spider Cookie Design
- To make a spider design, flood your circle shaped cookie with gray royal icing. You could really use any color. Then, use googley eyes while the icing is still fresh and gently push them into to cookie. Add legs using black royal icing off to the sides.
Candy Corn Cookie Design
- To make a candy corn design, you'll need yellow, orange and white royal icing. Start at the top of the cookie and outline the top of the candy with yellow. Fill or flood that section of cookie. Repeat with your white and orange layers.
Claire says
Simple designs are a win!
Elsie larson says
Yay for spooky season! I can't wait to make cookies!