These Halloween cookies are so much fun to make! Sugar cookie decorating is a delicious and creative way to express yourself artistically (even when you don’t think you’re much of an artist) and is an enjoyable activity for kids and adults alike! Gorgeous, decorated sugar cookies are all the rage these days and with the help of our easy step-by-step instructions, you’ll have the cutest treats to share with your favorite ghosts and goblins. Perfect for a Halloween Party!

Ingredients in Halloween Cookies

These cookies start out with a simple sugar cookie recipe. It’s not a super sweet stand-alone cookie, so you’ll definitely want to add icing to make it the perfect sweetness. Decorate these cookies with our delicious and easy royal icing recipe that pairs perfectly with these cookies.

For the cookies:

Sugar – regular granulated sugarPowdered sugar – make sure to sift the powdered sugar before adding to the bowl so it’s light and airyButter – softened to room temperatureShortening – adding shortening to the butter mixture helps the dough keep its shape Eggs – for best results, let your eggs come to room temperature before adding to the mixtureVanilla extractAlmond extract – Adding almond extract along with vanilla extract gives these cookies a rich flavor that can’t be beat!Flour – white, all purpose flour works best for these cookies. You’ll want to keep a little on hand for rolling out the cookie dough.Baking powderSalt

For the icing:

Powdered sugar – about a pound of sifted powdered sugarMeringue powder – you can find this at most grocery stores or craft storesWater

Once you’ve rolled out and baked your cookies, the fun part begins! Read on for our easy step-by-step instructions for decorating the cutest cookies you’ve ever seen!

How to Decorate Halloween Cookies – step by step instructions for each cookie

Ghost Halloween Cookies

First outline the ghost shape in white royal icing.

Second, completely flood the ghost cookie with white flood consistency icing, then immediately place a black oval with black flood consistency royal icing.

Allow the ghost to crust over for about 15 minutes, then you can add the big black eyes to your ghost cookies.

Cauldron Halloween Cookies

First outline the cauldron Halloween cookie with black outline icing leaving the cookie empty on the top for a different color.

Second, flood the cookie with black icing then outline the bubbles on the top of the cauldron with green outline icing.

Fill in the bubbles with the same green outline icing. It doesn’t have to be smooth and perfect on this step.

Immediately top the green icing with any kind of sprinkles. The sprinkles may stick to the black food part of the cauldron. They will easily flake off it’s all dry.

Spider Web Halloween Cookies

Outline a circle cookie with white icing.

Flood the cookie with white icing and use black flood icing to make a dot in the center followed by three evenly spaced circles around the dot. Using a toothpick, start from the center of the cookie and pull from the black dot of the icing to the outer rim of the cookie. There will be a total of six pull lines creating the spider web. You do not have the push hard on this part, just lightly scrape the toothpick across the surface of the icing.

Allow the cookie to crust over for 15 minutes, then place a green spider anywhere on the web.

Pumpkin Halloween Cookies

Outline the pumpkin with orange icing leaving the space for the stump empty.

Flood the pumpkin with orange flood consistency icing.

Allow the orange icing to crust over for fifteen minutes, then finish this cute pumpkin cookie with squiggly lines to cover the stump and loopy lines for the pumpkin vines.

Candy Corn Halloween Cookies

First outline the cookie with yellow, orange and white icing in order of a candy corn candy.

Second flood the yellow and white portions of the cookie using a toothpick to swirl the icing to the edges.

Flood the orange portion of the candy corn center last. If you want there to be definition on the cookie, allow the yellow and white to crust over for fifteen minutes first. For a smooth connecting finish, flood the orange section right away.

Tips for Decorating and Storing Decorated Halloween Cookies

You must let the cookies completely dry for 24 hours on a cookie sheet or a counter or table. Do not place them in a Tupperware container or Ziplock bag until they are completely dry. Be careful moving your cookies while they are drying. It’s best to decorate on a cookie sheet where they can remain there to dry and transporting them is much easier. Do NOT stack each decorated Halloween sugar cookie on top of each other as it may destroy the design. Once the cookies are dry, I like to individually bag them with cello bags or ziplock bags. They can also be stored in a large container.

Allow yourself time to make these cookies. They still taste good to eat them a few hours after decorating, but they are very fragile to handle. I usually will bake and decorate on one day, allow one day to dry and package them the following day.

Frequently Asked Questions About these Sugar Cookies

Read Next:Royal Icing Recipe

It’s truly the season to get into the kitchen and start baking! Try some of our other delicious cookie recipes:

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

Swig Sugar Cookies

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