Halloween Royal Icing Cookies
Nothing says festive fun like a tray of beautifully decorated cookies, and these Halloween Royal Icing Cookies are guaranteed to impress.
Made with buttery sugar cookies and decorated with colorful royal icing, they can be transformed into spooky designs like ghosts, pumpkins, bats, or spiderwebs.
Whether you’re baking with kids, hosting a Halloween party, or just want a creative baking project, these cookies are as fun to decorate as they are to eat. The sugar cookie base is soft yet sturdy, making it the perfect canvas for vibrant icing details.
With just a little imagination, you can create edible works of art that will bring smiles (and maybe a few chills) to everyone at the table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creative & Fun: Decorating cookies with spooky designs is a festive Halloween activity.
- Perfect Canvas: The sugar cookies bake up sturdy yet tender, ideal for icing.
- Customizable: Use food coloring and cutters to make pumpkins, ghosts, bats, or whatever spooky shapes you like.
- Party-Ready: A colorful treat that doubles as edible decor on your dessert table.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
For the Royal Icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 large egg whites or 4 tbsp meringue powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Food coloring (orange, black, purple, green)
Step-by-Step Process
- Prep Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Make Dough: In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Gradually add dry mixture until dough forms.
- Roll & Cut: Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into Halloween shapes (pumpkins, bats, ghosts).
- Bake: Transfer to baking sheets and bake 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely.
- Royal Icing: Beat powdered sugar with egg whites (or meringue powder + water) until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
- Color & Decorate: Divide icing into bowls, tint with food coloring, and transfer to piping bags. Decorate cooled cookies with spooky designs. Let icing set before serving.
Variations
- Glow-in-the-Dark Effect: Use neon food coloring for cookies that pop under blacklight.
- Sprinkle Fun: Add Halloween sprinkles or edible glitter before icing sets.
- Chocolate Twist: Swap half the flour for cocoa powder for chocolate sugar cookies.
How to Serve
Arrange cookies on a festive platter, wrap in clear treat bags for party favors, or stack them on a tiered tray for a dramatic dessert table display. They also make a fun family activity — let kids decorate their own cookies for a Halloween party craft.
FAQs
1. Can I make the cookies ahead?
Yes! Bake cookies up to 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container. Decorate closer to serving.
2. Can I freeze them?
Undecorated cookies freeze beautifully for up to 2 months. Decorated cookies can also be frozen if well wrapped.
3. Do I need meringue powder for royal icing?
No — you can use egg whites instead. Meringue powder just makes it safer and longer-lasting.
Halloween Royal Icing Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Gradually add dry mixture to form dough. Roll out to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into Halloween shapes.
- Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely.
- Whisk powdered sugar with egg whites (or meringue powder + water). Add vanilla.
- Divide icing into bowls, tint with colors, and transfer to piping bags.
- Decorate cookies with spooky designs. Allow icing to set before serving.
