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spooky iced halloween sugar cookies

Halloween Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 2 Mixing bowl
  • 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 2 Baking sheet
  • 2 silicone baking mat or sheet of parchment paper
  • 3 Cookie cutter Halloween shapes
  • 1 wire cooling rack
  • 3 piping bag
  • 3 small round piping tip
  • 3 toothpick or scribe tool
  • 1 measuring cup set
  • 1 measuring spoon set
  • 1 plastic wrap

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cup all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 cup powdered sugar sifted (for icing)
  • 2 tablespoon meringue powder for icing (use up to 3 tablespoons, as needed)
  • 4 tablespoon water plus more as needed (for icing, up to 6 tablespoons total possible)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract for icing
  • gel food coloring assorted Halloween colors (for icing)
  • sprinkles optional (for decorating)
  • candy eyes optional (for decorating)

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  • Cream butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar in a mixer on medium until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes.
  • Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until combined, scraping the bowl.
  • Mix in the dry ingredients on low just until a soft dough forms, then add milk if dough seems dry.
  • Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for 45–60 minutes until firm.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment.
  • Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, dusting the pin as needed.
  • Cut out Halloween shapes, re-rolling scraps once, and transfer cookies to prepared sheets 1 inch apart.
  • Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are set and barely golden, then cool on sheets 5 minutes.
  • Move cookies to a wire rack and cool completely, about 20–30 minutes.
  • Make royal icing by whisking powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons water to thick peaks, adding more water by teaspoons to reach piping consistency.
  • Divide icing into bowls, tint with gel colors, and adjust some portions to flooding consistency by adding a few drops of water at a time.
  • Fill piping bags with piping-consistency icing fitted with small round tips and outline cookie shapes.
  • Flood outlined areas with thinner icing, using a toothpick to nudge and pop bubbles for a smooth surface.
  • Add details like eyes, webs, stitches, and borders with piping-consistency icing, and apply sprinkles or candy eyes while icing is wet.
  • Let decorated cookies dry uncovered at room temperature until the icing fully sets, 6–8 hours or overnight.

Notes

Keep dough cold for crisp, clean edges; if it softens while cutting, refrigerate the tray for 10 minutes before baking. For sharp shapes, avoid adding too much flour when rolling and bake just until the bottoms barely color to prevent spreading. Royal icing has three main consistencies: stiff for fine details, piping for outlines, and flood for filling; adjust with drops of water or dustings of powdered sugar. Use gel colors to avoid thinning the icing and cover bowls with damp towels to prevent crusting while you work. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or freeze undecorated cookies up to 2 months and thaw before icing.
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