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Halloween Sugar Cookies with Easy Royal Icing

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These Halloween sugar cookies are perfectly soft with crisp edges, topped with an easy royal icing that sets firm. A forgiving recipe built for real people, perfect for spooky parties and classroom treats.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 5–6 tablespoons warm water, plus more for thinning
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (clear if possible)
  • Gel food coloring (orange, black, purple, green)

Instructions

  1. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. The mixture might look slightly curdled—that’s normal.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see any more streaks of flour.
  4. Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 3 days).
  5. Preheat and prep: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  6. Roll and cut: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one disc of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out Halloween shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut again (re-roll scraps once for best results).
  7. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are just barely golden. For smaller cookies, check at 7 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Make the royal icing: In a clean mixing bowl, combine meringue powder and powdered sugar. Add 5 tablespoons of warm water and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat for 4-5 minutes until thick, glossy, and holds a stiff peak. Add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, if too thick.
  9. Divide and color: Divide icing into separate bowls for each color. Add gel food coloring a little at a time. For each color, prepare two consistencies: thicker for outlining (stiff peak) and thinner for flooding (flows like honey, spreads smoothly). To thin, add water a few drops at a time.
  10. Decorate: Fit piping bags with #2 or #3 tips. Outline each cookie with thicker icing, then fill in with thinner flooding icing. Use a toothpick to spread icing into corners and pop air bubbles. Let dry at room temperature for 2-4 hours, or overnight for best results.

Notes

Don’t skip the chill time—warm dough spreads. Keep royal icing covered with a damp paper towel to prevent drying. Pipe in batches (outline and flood 5-6 cookies at a time) for best results. Fix mistakes immediately with a toothpick before icing dries.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween sugar cookies, easy royal icing, sugar cookies, Halloween cookies, decorated cookies, spooky cookies

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