Halloween Decorated Cookies

Helene

(1)

These Halloween Decorated Cookies are spooktacular. With an easy level of decor, involve your kids to spend some time together for fun Halloween activities.

halloween decorated cookies on a orange background

These Halloween Decorated Cookies are chocolatey and naturally deep black, thanks to the black cocoa powder. The great thing about these chocolate cut-out sugar cookies is that they hold their shape as they bake, and even if you keep things simple and easy to decorate, they will be amazing.

halloween witch hat cookie on a plate

These Halloween Decorated Cookies are fun, and festive Halloween treats. All you need is some cookie cutters and royal icing (or store-bought cookie icing if you prefer).

Why you’ll love these Halloween Decorated Cookies

  • No spread sugar cookies: their hold their shape
  • These chocolate sugar cookies are easy to prepare
  • They have great chocolatey flavor and naturally black
  • They are the perfect Halloween treats for kids
  • They are great for Halloween but use any other cookie-cutter shape for another holiday-themed treat.
  • They are also perfect as a base for the day of the dead cookies
  • Amazing Halloween gift ideas
  • They are good on their own if you don’t fancy decorating them

Equipment needed

  • Stand mixer but not compulsory. It just makes things easier.
  • Halloween cookie cutter. Mine are from Ann Clark Cookie Cutters. (Find it easily on Amazon UK and US)
  • A rolling pin with measuring rings is a great tool to flatten the dough evenly but not compulsory
  • Baking paper
  • I use a perforated silicone sheet, and place it on a perforated aluminum sheet pan for best results. You can use a classic baking tray and baking paper. It works great. However, you may need 1 or 2 extra minutes to bake.
  • Piping bag and piping tips to decorate.

Ingredients for these Halloween Decorated Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies:

  • Butter: unsalted and softened
  • Sugar: powdered sugar
  • Salt: one pinch
  • Egg: a large one – 55g
  • All-purpose flour:  measure the flour correctly to avoid excess flour.
  • Black cocoa powder: I must admit that it’s not easy to find black cocoa powder in grocery stores, but you will find it online. I use Van Houten Intense Deep black cocoa powder
  • Dutch process cocoa powder or regular unsweetened cocoa powder

Note: You can use only natural cocoa powder if you don’t have black cocoa powder. The dough won’t be as black as mine, and the taste will be slightly different, but these Halloween Decorated Cookies will still be delicious.

Black cocoa powder has a slightly roasted flavor, delicious if used with a good balance; that’s why I prefer to mix it with natural cocoa powder for these chocolate sugar cookies. If you like chocolate but not a too strong flavor, replace the black cocoa powder with Dutch process cocoa powder or regular unsweetened cocoa powder.

Royal Icing:

  • Pasteurized egg white
  • Powder sugar
  • Vanilla extract: optional
halloween chocolate cookies in process

FAQs

Can I make these cookies ahead of time?

Yes, prepare the dough 2 days in advance, wrap it and let it in the fridge. Alternatively, freeze the dough for up to 2 months.

Another option: prepare the cookies, place them in the lined baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.

How to store the Halloween Decorated Cookies?

1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.

Can I Freeze them?

Yes, best to freeze them undecorated. Wrap the Halloween decorated cookies with cling paper and place them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

halloween ghost and pumpkin cookies

Tips

These decorated Halloween cookies are based on my sweet pastry recipe, so the tips are pretty much the same as the sweet pastry recipe.

  • Ingredients at room temperature.
  • Weigh your ingredients for the best results.
  • The dough: add the ingredient in the order given. Flour at the end.
  • Don’t overwork the dough. 
  • Chill the dough.
  • Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to avoid adding flour. (Use a rolling pin with measuring rings to flatten the dough easily)
  • If you need to add flour to help you roll out the dough, choose cocoa powder instead; it will avoid getting white powder on your cookies.
  • Chill the raw cookies for 45 minutes before baking or even overnight. The dough should be cold when ready to go to the oven. 
  • Low temperature to bake these cookies helps to reach the right texture.
  • For the royal icing, add powdered sugar gradually to control the consistency.
halloween bat cookie on a small bowl

Try these recipes, next:

If you tried these Halloween Decorated Cookies or any recipe on the blog, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment below.

Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for even more tips and recipes.

View Print Layout
Print Recipe
Close Print

Halloween Decorated Cookies

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 2 hours
  • Serves: 15

These Halloween Decorated Cookies are spooktacular. With an easy level of decor, involve your kids to spend some time together for fun Halloween activities.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

  • 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 100 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 25 g (1/4 cup) black cocoa powdered
  • 25 g (1/4 cup) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt

Royal Icing

  • 1 pasteurized egg white, (about 30g)
  • 150 g (1 cup + ½ cup) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
  • food coloring gel: orange, purple and green

Method

Chocolate Cookies

  • 1)

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until creamy.

  • 2)

    Add the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and the butter mixture is light and fluffy.

  • 3)

    Add in the egg and mix until fully incorporated.

  • 4)

    In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, black cocoa powder, Dutch process cocoa powder, and salt. Then add them to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix them together on low speed. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated, even if the dough is not completely together. The dough looks a bit crumbly.

  • 5)

    Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and bring it together into a ball with your hands. The dough should come together easily. Then, using the palm of your hand, knead the dough slightly and flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick disc (2.5cm).

  • 6)

    Wrap the dough in wrap film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes (up to 2 days). Don’t skip this step. At this stage, the texture is too soft to be rolled out immediately, so the dough needs to firm up a little bit. It will also allow for the gluten to relax.

  • 7)

    After chilling, roll the dough into a large disc between two sheets of parchment paper, 4 mm thick (a bit over 1/8 inch). If you leave the cookie dough for more than 45 min in the fridge, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.

  • 8)

    Cut out with cookie cutters and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place the baking tray in the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap and chill the cookies for 1 hour or overnight. The dough should be cold when ready to go to the oven.

  • 9)

    Preheat the oven to 160C (320F), fan-assisted. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.

    The cookies will still look soft but do not overbake. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. They will firm up.

    When completely cooled, proceed to the decorating

Royal Icing

  • 1)

    In a medium bowl, beat the egg white on medium-low speed until frothy

  • 2)

    Reduce the speed on low, and slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla (if used).

    Once fully incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat until shiny peaks form. The consistency should be similar to honey, thick enough but still a bit runny.

  • 3)

    Divide the royal icing among small bowls, and dye with gel food coloring if desired. If you don’t use the royal icing immediately, cover with plastic wrap to avoid it from drying

  • 4)

    Transfer to piping bags and decorate your cookies. I used the tip: PME Supatubes, Loose – No.3 Writer

    Scroll back to check my video: How to decorate these Halloween Cookies

    Once decorated, let the royal icing dry (between 3 to 6 hours, depending on your room temperature)

    Note: If you want decorate your cookies more than I did, like completely covered with royal icing, double the quantity for the icing.

Notes

– Baking spoons, US/UK standard size : teaspoon 5ml / tablespoon: 15ml / cup: 240ml
– Storage: 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
– Scroll back to read tips and frequently asked questions within the blog post that you might find helpful

You may also like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please rate the recipe:  

Remember Me!

Previous Recipe Next Recipe