Description
These Skeleton Halloween Sugar Cookies combine buttery, soft sugar cookies with colorful frosting and spooky skeleton decorations. Perfect for Halloween parties or festive family baking, they’re as fun to make as they are to eat.
Ingredients
- For the Sugar Cookies:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla + ½ tsp almond extract)
- For the Frosting:
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2–3 tbsp milk (adjust for consistency)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (orange, black, purple, green, etc.)
- For the Skeleton Decorations:
- ½ cup white chocolate chips or melting wafers
- Candy eyes
- Optional: white sprinkles or mini white chocolate bones
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla (or almond extract).
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until dough forms. Divide in half, shape into discs, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll dough to ¼ inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into skeleton or gingerbread shapes.
- Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8–10 minutes, until edges are just set. Let cool completely.
- To make frosting, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Divide and color with gel food coloring.
- Frost cookies and let the base set for 10 minutes.
- Melt white chocolate in short microwave bursts until smooth. Transfer to piping bag or zip-top bag and pipe skeleton bones.
- Let chocolate skeletons harden or pipe directly onto cookies. Add candy eyes and any extra decorations.
- Store in an airtight container once set, with parchment between layers if stacking.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to avoid thinning the frosting.
- Chill dough before rolling for easier cutting and clean shapes.
- Freeze undecorated cookies for up to 2 months and decorate fresh.
- Use zip-top bag with corner snipped as a piping bag alternative.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
