Print

Perfect Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipe with Royal Icing Ghosts and Pumpkins

halloween sugar cookies - featured image
Print Recipe

A fun and festive recipe for soft, buttery sugar cookies decorated with glossy royal icing in ghost and pumpkin shapes, perfect for Halloween celebrations.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk (or almond milk for dairy-free)
  • 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 large egg whites or 4 tablespoons meringue powder + 5 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • Food coloring gels: orange, black, white
  • Optional: a few drops of lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Make the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Gradually add dry ingredients alternating with milk until a soft dough forms (about 5 minutes). Add flour if dough is too sticky.
  2. Chill the Dough: Divide dough into two disks, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  3. Roll and Cut: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll one disk of dough to about ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface or silicone mat. Use ghost and pumpkin cookie cutters to cut shapes and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
  4. Bake: Bake cookies for 8–10 minutes until edges just start to turn golden. Let cool completely on baking sheet (about 15 minutes) before decorating.
  5. Prepare Royal Icing: In a clean bowl, whip egg whites (or meringue powder + water) with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating on low then high until stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes). Adjust consistency with water for flooding or more powdered sugar for piping.
  6. Color the Icing: Divide icing into three bowls. Leave one white for ghosts, tint one orange for pumpkins, and one black for details.
  7. Decorate: Use piping bags with small round tips to outline cookie shapes with thick icing, then flood inside with thinner icing. Let base layer dry 15–20 minutes. Add details like ghost faces and pumpkin ridges with black icing.
  8. Dry Completely: Let decorated cookies dry at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight before stacking or storing.

Notes

Use meringue powder instead of raw egg whites for safer royal icing, especially when serving kids. Keep unused icing covered to prevent crusting. Let icing dry completely before storing to avoid smudging. Dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead and chilled. For gluten-free or vegan adaptations, substitute ingredients as noted in the recipe.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween sugar cookies, royal icing cookies, decorated sugar cookies, Halloween treats, ghost cookies, pumpkin cookies, festive cookies

Find it online: https://fizzlefork.com/perfect-halloween-sugar-cookies-recipe-with-royal-icing-ghosts-and-pumpkins/