Make these fun and spooky Halloween Sugar Cookies! They are made with classic soft cut out chocolate sugar cookies and decorated with simple sugar icing.
These cute Halloween Sugar Cookies are perfect to celebrate Halloween! Together with Halloween Rice Krispie Treats and Monster Cookies, they will be so much fun to create with your kids!
This recipe is based on my favorite Best Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe. To make them chocolate, I just reduced the amount of all-purpose flour and substituted it with cocoa powder.
How to make sugar cookies
To make it easier, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Start with beating room temperature unsalted butter with sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale in color.
Then add an egg (room temperature) and vanilla extract and beat again until well combined.
Don’t forget to scrap the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is well mixed.
For the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt), mix them together in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients in two steps. Mix in between on low speed until well combined but try not to overmix.
You can slightly knead the dough with hands, make a ball/disk shape, and wrap it in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
It is very important to chill the dough, so it will be elastic and less sticky while rolling and cutting out the cookies. Plus, the cookies will keep the shape while baking.
When you roll out the dough it might be a bit sticky. You can use a little bit of all-purpose flour to prevent it from sticking to the roller or a counter. However, I have a different trick that always helps me. Put the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, then roll over the parchment paper. The paper will keep the dough smooth and will not stick.
After you cut out the cookies and put them on the baking sheet, put the sheet with the cookies back in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill. The reason I do it, is because while you are working the dough it warms up. Chilled dough will help your cookies to keep their shape.
It takes about 9-10 minutes to bake these cookies at 350°F. When you take them out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
How to make sugar icing
To make this simple sugar icing, mix powdered sugar and vanilla extract together, then gradually add some milk until you get the right consistency.
Divide the icing in three different bowls and add food coloring.
Transfer the colored icing to the piping bags to decorate the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can store them in an air-tight container on the countertop for up to 1 week.
Yes! Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then with foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
Yes! I prefer to freeze baked but NOT decorated cookies. You can put them in a freezer friendly air-tight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Halloween Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chocolate Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
- food coloring
Instructions
How to make Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
- In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat unsalted butter with granulated sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale in color.
- Add an egg and vanilla extract and beat again until well combined.
- Scrap the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is well mixed.
- Mix all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients in two steps. Mix in between on low speed until well combined but try not to overmix.
- Slightly knead the dough with hands, making a ball/disk shape, and wrap it in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, take the dough out from refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
- To roll out the dough, put the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, then roll over the parchment paper. The paper will keep the dough smooth and will not stick.
- After you cut out the cookies and put them on the baking sheet, put the sheet with the cookies back in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill. Chilled dough will help your cookies to keep their shape.
- Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes at 350°F. When you take them out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
How to make icing.
- Mix powdered sugar and vanilla extract together, then gradually add some milk until you get the desired consistency.
- Divide the icing in three different bowls and add food coloring.
- Transfer the colored icing to the piping bags to decorate the cookies.
Not sure why but the dough was quite dry so I had to add a bit of milk to get the right consistency. Taste pretty good though!
Hi Britta! The dough should be thick but not dry. Glad it worked out at the end!
I love Halloween and these would be the perfect fit for our kid-friendly Halloween party.
These cookies are so fun!! Mine might not look as good as yours but I’m gonna give it a go!
These are so cute! I know they will be a huge hit with my son’s preschool class for their Halloween party.
These are so cute. Perfect halloween treat. Thank you so much for sharing.
Those are so cute! And I love the idea of chocolate sugar cookies.
These are so cute and totally effective! Thanks for the detailed recipe.
These cookies are so cute and look easy enough to make! Perfect for Halloween parties.
These are absolutely perfect! Literally the best way to celebrate Halloween if you ask me. Thanks for a great recipe!
What a great Halloween recipe! I always bake with my youngest daughter and my niece! This will be a perfect recipe to make with them! Your instructions are so easy to follow.
These are absolutely adorable! Perfect for the Halloween season! I could never decorate as beautiful as you did – you did a GREAT job!!! My kiddos would really enjoy making these!!
So festive! We usually do sugar cookies and icing for Christmas, but with cocoa powder in the recipe that calls for early celebration for Halloween instead! Love all of your decorations, these cookies are almost too pretty to eat! (almost.)
Isn’t that funny. I was just telling my husband that I need to make some Halloween cookies for the grandkids. These look like fun…and I know I will be the best gramma ever!!
These are so cute! My husband actually requested me to make cookies like this, but I never knew how. Now I saw these I have no excuse!
How fun are these? I bet they’re just as much fun making them as eating them….though, I don’t know if my hand was be as steady as your to draw those faces – they’re perfect!