December 4, 2022
Review RecipeHalloween Sugar Cookies
These easy Halloween sugar cookies are the perfect spooky treats for all the scary Halloween creatures in your life. Soft and sweet, these cookies will be a favorite festive treat.
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Your little ghosts and goblins will love these Halloween sugar cookies. Soft and buttery, they are topped with a sweet frosting and festive orange and black sprinkles that will be perfect to celebrate all the tricks and treats this time of year.
Sugar cookies are classic and delicious. Try our no spread sugar cookies and swig sugar cookies.
HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES
You’ll need:
For the Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ cup shortening (all-vegetable)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
SPRINKLES: You could have a lot of fun with the toppings for this Halloween frosted sugar cookie recipe. You could stick to festive sprinkles in orange and black or you could get creative and add candy eyes and turn your cookies into “monster” cookies.
ICING: Use a small amount of gel food coloring to make the icing color of your choice for this soft sugar cookie recipe. Black or orange frosting would make these cookies extra fun and festive.
VANILLA: Use clear imitation vanilla for a whiter frosting, as the regular vanilla extract will tint your frosting to an off-white.
HOW TO MAKE THIS HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES
PRO TIP:
Make a double batch of these yummy cookies and freeze them unfrosted for a treat later.
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together, then set flour mixture aside.
STEP TWO: In a separate large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and the whole egg together with an electric mixer. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
PRO TIP:
Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, as melted butter will ruin your cookies. Let it sit at room temperature and it should be the perfect consistency.
STEP THREE: Add in the egg white and beat until combined, again, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
STEP FOUR: Add in shortening and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
STEP FIVE: Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Beat just until mixed. Do not overmix.
STEP SIX: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place the raw cookie dough in the fridge overnight.
PRO TIP:
Do not skip refrigerating the dough. It needs to chill and stiffen so that it can be rolled out properly.
STEP SEVEN: Remove the bowl from the fridge and lay sugar cookie dough out on a silicone mat. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to ½-inch thickness. Cut into large circles (3-inch size) using a cookie cutter.
PRO TIP:
If you have Halloween cookie cutters, you could use those in place of the circle cutter to cut out fun cookie shapes.
STEP EIGHT: Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Place unbaked cookies at least two inches apart on baking sheets. Put them back into the refrigerator (uncovered) for another hour.
STEP NINE: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
STEP TEN: Only bake one tray at a time. Place the first cookie sheet into the oven and bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the middle tops of cookies no longer look wet, and the bottom of the cookies look slightly brown. Then bake the second tray.
STEP ELEVEN: Let the cookies cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies should be completely cooled before adding frosting.
STEP TWELVE: To make the frosting, place all frosting ingredients (butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla) in a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer on high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
STEP THIRTEEN: Frost tops of cookies with a butter knife and top with Halloween sprinkles. Store in a covered food storage container in the fridge for 4 to 6 days.
PRO TIP:
Add sprinkles right away as the frosting dries a bit on the surface after a few minutes, and they won’t stick as well.
HOW TO SERVE
A plate of Halloween cookies will be a fun addition to your Halloween party or for a snack on the big day. Enjoy them with a homemade pumpkin spice latte for the grown ups and a whipped hot chocolate for the littles.
MORE COOKIES RECIPES
STORAGE
ON THE COUNTER: Store the unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
IN THE FRIDGE: Store the frosting in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months. Freeze frosting for up to 3 months.
The name of the game at Halloween is plenty of sweet treats and is the perfect time for a batch of these soft sugar cookies. These would be great for Halloween parties or for a surprise before trick-or-treating.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best way to transport homemade sugar cookies so they stay looking nice?
Store and transport these chewy cookies in a single layer so that the icing and sprinkles don’t get flattened.
What are the best cookie cutters to use for these Halloween decorated sugar cookies?
Stainless steel cookie cutters work well for these easy sugar cookies. Cover them in flour before using them so they don’t stick to the dough.
Does sugar cookie dough need to be chilled?
The sugar cookie dough does need to be chilled to ensure it is the right consistency to roll out and cut.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Ooey Gooey Cookies
- Edible Cookie Dough
- No Bake Monster Cookies
- DoubleTree Cookies
- Valentine Sugar Cookies
- Lofthouse Cookies
Halloween Sugar Cookies
These easy Halloween sugar cookies are the perfect spooky treats for all the scary Halloween creatures in your life. Soft and sweet, these cookies will be a favorite festive treat.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 day 35 minutes
Servings 14
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg white
- ¼ cup shortening all-vegetable
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together then set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and the whole egg. Beat until well combined, scraping down sides of the bowl.
- Add in the egg white and beat until combined. Again, scraping down sides of the bowl.
- Add in shortening and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Beat just until mixed. Do not overmix.
- Cover bowl with plastic food wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
- Remove bowl from fridge and lay dough out on silicone mat. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to ½-inch thickness. Cut into large circles (3-inch size) using a cookie cutter.
- Place unbaked circle cookies onto a baking sheet and put back into the refrigerator (uncovered) for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Place cookies at least two inches apart on baking sheets.
- Only bake one tray at a time. Place the first cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until the middle tops of the cookies no longer look wet and the bottom of the cookies look slightly brown. Then bake the second tray.
- Let the cookies cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies should be completely cooled before adding frosting.
- To make the frosting, place all frosting ingredients (butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla) in a mixing bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Frost tops of cookies and top with Halloween sprinkles. Store in a covered food storage container in the fridge for 4 to 6 days.
Notes
PRO TIP: Make a double batch of these yummy cookies and freeze them unfrosted for a treat later.
PRO TIP: Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, as melted butter will ruin your cookies. Let it sit at room temperature and it should be the perfect consistency.
PRO TIP: Do not skip refrigerating the dough. It needs to chill and stiffen so that it can be rolled out properly.
PRO TIP: If you have Halloween cookie cutters, you could use those in place of the circle cutter to cut out fun cookie shapes.
PRO TIP: Add sprinkles right away as the frosting dries a bit on the surface after a few minutes, and they won’t stick as well.
Nutrition
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Gloria says
My kids are obsessed with these cookies!