Description
These Simple Iced Halloween Cookies are buttery, crisp-edged sugar cookies decorated with smooth Betty Crocker icings and festive sprinkles. Perfect for a spooky celebration, they feature almond and vanilla extracts for a unique flavor twist, and a decorating process that keeps the icing soft yet stackable.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Decoration
- 1-2 containers white Betty Crocker cookie icing
- 1-2 containers black Betty Crocker cookie icing
- Round red sprinkles (optional)
- Black edible food marker
- Black decorating sugar (sanding sugar or sprinkles)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which takes about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract, then continue beating until all ingredients are well combined. Mix in the salt and baking soda, and then gradually add the flour, beating until a smooth dough forms.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two halves. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably overnight, to allow the dough to firm up for easier rolling and cutting.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Roll and cut shapes: Take one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch (1 cm), turning and flouring the dough as necessary to prevent sticking. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired Halloween shapes and transfer the cut cookies onto a baking sheet.
- Chill the cut cookies: Place the baking sheets with the cut, unbaked cookies back into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This step helps the dough firm up so the cookies retain their shape and do not spread too much during baking.
- Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 11 minutes, depending on their size, or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the cookies: Once cooled, frost the cookies with white and black Betty Crocker cookie icings using a piping bag or spreading knife. Sprinkle with black decorating sugar and optionally red round sprinkles. Let the frosted cookies dry for at least 4 hours to set the icing.
- Add final details: After the icing is fully dried, use the black edible food marker to draw spooky faces or other details. Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely before storing or stacking.
Notes
- The cookies have buttery flavor with crisp edges that hold their shape well after chilling.
- Betty Crocker cookie icing is recommended for convenience and produces a finish that dries soft and stackable, unlike royal icing which hardens and cracks.
- Fully decorated cookies keep well for up to two weeks.
- Cookies can be frozen in an airtight Tupperware container; bring to room temperature before opening container to avoid condensation ruining the icing finish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (based on 48 cookies per batch)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
