Halloween Sugar Cookies

These Halloween sugar cookies are the perfect way to ring in the spooky season! They're so easy to make, and the entire family will have fun decorating them.

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One of my all-time favorite ways to spend a Saturday afternoon is decorating cookies.

And what could be more fun to decorate than these cute Halloween sugar cookies? I can't get enough of those little ghost faces!

These cookies are so easy to make, and they'd be so fun to decorate with the entire family on Halloween. And the best part? They're totally customizable! Use whatever cookie cutters you have on hand, and don't be afraid to get creative with the decorating.

Jump to:

• What You'll Need
• How to Make These Cookies
• Tips to Make Perfect Cookies
• How to Store & Freeze
• Common Questions About This Recipe
• Halloween Sugar Cookies
• Comments

What You'll Need

You'll only need a few key ingredients and tools to make these Halloween sugar cookies.

Ingredients

This is a short overview of some of the ingredients for these cookies and why they're important. The full recipe can be found at the bottom of the post!

• Unsalted butter - You'll want to use unsalted butter (rather than salted) in this recipe so you can control the amount of salt in the cookies.
• Eggs & egg whites - We'll use whole eggs in the cookie dough and egg whites for the royal icing. Be sure to use pasteurized egg whites for the icing!
• Whole milk - I prefer to use whole milk, but 2% or skim milk would also work well. I haven't tried making this recipe using plant-based milk, so I wouldn't recommend that.
• All-purpose flour - Be sure to use the spoon & level method when measuring out the flour.
• Powdered sugar - Be sure to sift it first to avoid any clumps.
• Water - This will help thin out the royal icing.
• Food coloring - I used orange, black, and green food coloring to color the royal icing.

Equipment

Here's a list of the tools I used to make this recipe.

• Mixer - Personally, I like to use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for this recipe. However, an electric hand mixer will also work.
• Rolling pin - You can use any rolling pin you'd like, but I prefer to use a French rolling pin because it helps ensure that you roll the dough out evenly.
• Halloween cookie cutters - I picked up a pack of these Halloween cookie cutters on Amazon, but feel free to use any shapes you want.
• Baking sheet - This recipe calls for 2 baking sheets.
• Black food coloring - I used Wilton's gel food coloring to make the orange, black, and green royal icing.
• Piping bag - I like to keep a stash of these disposable piping bags in my pantry at all times.

How to Make These Cookies

We'll start by making the sugar cookies, and then once they're baked, we'll decorate them with royal icing!

1. Make the sugar cookie dough. Start by mixing together all the wet ingredients, then add in the dry ingredients until just combined. It's okay if the dough seems sticky at this point — it will firm up in the fridge. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness, then cut the dough out using your desired cookie cutters. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet.

3. Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown.

4. Make the royal icing. Whisk the pasteurized egg whites until light and foamy, then gradually add in the powdered sugar. Add in the water one teaspoon at a time until you can make a figure eight with the icing that disappears in eight seconds. You want the icing to be stiff enough to pipe, but not too runny.

5. Decorate. Color the royal icing with food coloring if desired, then divide the royal icing into piping bags. Have fun decorating the cookies!

Tips to Make Perfect Cookies

These cookies are pretty simple to make, and the fun part is definitely the decorating. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making them:

• Make sure to use softened butter (not melted). When mixing together the butter and sugar, make sure your butter is just a little bit soft. If the butter has melted, the dough will be too soft, and you will have to refrigerate the dough for a longer period of time. If it's coming straight from the fridge, I like to warm my butter up in the microwave in 15-second increments until it is ready. 
• Make sure to refrigerate the cookie dough before rolling it out. This lets the dough firm up, which makes it easier to roll out later. You can even refrigerate the dough overnight if you want to make the cookies in stages. 
• Flour your surface well so that the dough doesn’t stick. Honestly, is there anything worse than cookies that won’t come off the counter? I will usually re-roll the dough once or twice, and I recommend flouring the surface well in between each roll.
• Use the figure-eight test to see when the royal icing is ready. After making the royal icing, make a figure eight in the icing with a spoon, and if it disappears within 8 seconds, the icing is ready to go. If the icing is too stiff, you can add in some water a teaspoon at a time. If it's too loose, you can sprinkle in small amounts of powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

How to Store & Freeze

To store: You can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.

To freeze: Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a frozen-safe zip-top bag before freezing. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months. Just be sure to let it thaw to room temperature before rolling it out and baking.

Common Questions About This Recipe

These are some common questions I hear about this recipe. If you have an additional question that isn't answered below, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the comments below! And don't forget to subscribe to The Baker's Almanac for even more baking recipes and tips.

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