Description
These Frosted Halloween Sugar Cookies are a festive treat perfect for celebrating the spooky season. Soft, buttery sugar cookies are baked to perfection and topped with rich black frosting and fun Halloween-themed sprinkles like orange nonpareils, skeleton bones, and candy eyeballs. Perfect for parties or a delightful seasonal snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) all purpose flour
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 stick, room temperature
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
Frosting
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 stick, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (283g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp milk or heavy cream, if needed
- Black gel food coloring
- Sprinkles: orange nonpareils, skeleton bones & candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheet: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a larger mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on low speed for 1 minute using an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract for 20 seconds until combined.
- Combine dry and wet: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low for 1 minute. The dough will be crumbly; then use a spatula to work the dough together until it forms a cohesive dough.
- Shape cookies: Use a cookie scoop to form dough balls approximately 2.5 to 3 tablespoons each. Place the dough balls 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet and flatten them gently with your palm.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. For smaller cookies, adjust baking time to 12 minutes. The cookies should be lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Prepare frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Optionally, add 1 tsp milk or heavy cream if the frosting is too thick.
- Add color: Mix in black gel food coloring until the frosting reaches a deep, even color. For best results, prepare frosting 24 hours in advance and cover it to deepen the black color.
- Frost and decorate: Spread the black frosting on the cooled cookies. Decorate with Halloween-themed sprinkles such as orange nonpareils, skeleton bones, and candy eyeballs.
Notes
- Make frosting 24 hours ahead to achieve a deeper black color by allowing it to sit covered at room temperature.
- Adjust baking times based on cookie size to avoid over or under baking.
- Use parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
- Add a teaspoon of milk or heavy cream to the frosting if it feels too thick for spreading.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh for several days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
