Description
Delight in these festive Frosted Halloween Sugar Cookies, featuring a tender, buttery base topped with rich black frosting and colorful sprinkles. Perfect for spooky celebrations, these cookies combine classic flavors with a fun Halloween twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (270g)
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g, 1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (198g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g, 1 stick)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (283g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp milk or heavy cream, if needed
- Black gel food coloring
- Sprinkles: orange nonpareils, skeleton bones, candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together for 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, creating a light texture for your cookies.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract for about 20 seconds on low speed until fully incorporated, ensuring a flavorful dough.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed for 1 minute. The dough will appear crumbly at first; use a spatula to work it together into a cohesive dough.
- Shape Cookies: Use a cookie scoop to form dough balls roughly 2.5 to 3 tablespoons each for large cookies. Place them 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each ball gently with your palm to about 1/2 inch thickness.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 15 minutes. If making smaller cookies, adjust the baking time to 12 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden, and the centers set.
- Cool: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet or a wire rack before frosting to prevent melting the frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Add black gel food coloring and mix until the color is uniform and deep black.
- Frost Cookies: Spread the black frosting evenly over the cooled cookies using a spatula or butter knife.
- Decorate: Garnish the frosted cookies with festive Halloween sprinkles such as orange nonpareils, skeleton bones, and candy eyeballs for a spooky finishing touch.
Notes
- For best color intensity, prepare the frosting 24 hours in advance and allow it to sit covered at room temperature; the black color will deepen.
- If the frosting is too thick, add milk or heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- For smaller cookies, reduce baking time to 12 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Almond extract adds subtle flavor but can be omitted or replaced with additional vanilla extract if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
