Cut-Out Royal Icing Halloween Sugar Cookies
Delight in festive Halloween sugar cookies decorated with smooth royal icing, perfect for spooky celebrations and sharing with loved ones.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- For the royal icing:
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5–6 tablespoons warm water
- Gel food coloring (orange, black, purple, green)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing until combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Use Halloween-themed cookie cutters (pumpkins, ghosts, bats, cats) to cut shapes and place them 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Let cool completely on wire racks.
- Prepare the royal icing by combining powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 5 tablespoons warm water; beat with an electric mixer on medium until thick and glossy, about 4–5 minutes.
- Divide icing into bowls and tint with gel food coloring to desired shades.
- Transfer each color icing to piping bags and decorate cooled cookies with outlines and flood technique for smooth designs.
- Allow icing to set at room temperature for 4–6 hours before serving or storing.
Notes
For best results, pipe the cookie outlines first and let them dry for 15 minutes before flooding the inside with thin icing to prevent colors from blending.