These Halloween Sugar Cookies are such an easy Halloween food idea! As a lover of sweets, I'm of the firm belief that sugar cookies aren't just for Christmas, and candy isn't just for Halloween!
Celebrate this fun (and sometimes spooky) holiday by baking a big batch of these festive sugar cookies with your loved ones this Halloween season!
An Easy Halloween Sugar Cookie Recipe
Christmas gets all the sugar cookie attention, but I'm here to vouch for Halloween to get its fair share of these soft and chewy cookies, too. Don't you just love Halloween? If you have kids, it's such a fun time of the school year for them as they get to dress up and enjoy fun celebrations with friends in their classrooms. Between pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, spooky stories, and fall decor galore, Halloween is just one of the best times of year, if you ask me.
And these sugar cookies bring home that point. They're so scrumptious, sweet, and chewy, and with ample opportunities for shapes (pumpkins, ghosts, and mummies, oh my!), they'll be the hit of any Halloween party this season. I'm not a big shortening fan, but I do use it in this recipe because it helps the cookies keep their shape and moisture so much better than butter does. Just trust me -- you'll want to break out this recipe every October and share all the fun Halloween cookies with your friends and family year after year!
How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?
SO many reasons can go into why cookies lose their shape, but that doesn't mean you can't have amazing cookies. The most important things to remember are measuring properly, chilling the dough, and not placing the cookie shapes on a warm or hot cookie sheet (if you just baked a batch, let the sheet cool before adding more cookies). Also, some sugar cookie recipes call for butter instead of shortening (which is what I use), and I've found that butter doesn't keep shapes as well as shortening.
Why is my sugar cookie dough crumbling?
Over-mixing your dough can cause it to crumble, as well as too much flour. Add a half teaspoon of liquid to soften the dough and get it to a tacky, but not sticky, consistency.
Why do my sugar cookies taste like flour?
A chalky, floury tasting sugar cookie is the result of -- you guessed it! -- too much flour! Be sparing with the flour you use to roll out the dough, and make sure the dough isn't dry or crumbly (a sign of too much flour).
How do I fix my sugar cookie dough that's too dry?
If you've added too much flour and your sugar cookie dough is dry (and won't hold a shape because it's crumbling), then add a half teaspoon of cooking oil (something light like canola oil). Mix it into the dough to incorporate it. Continue adding half teaspoons until you reach the desired consistency.
How do you store decorated sugar cookies?
Store decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I don't recommend storing decorated cookies in the freezer because the frosting may dry out or crack as they thaw. But you can certainly store undecorated sugar cookies in the freezer for up to 3 to 4 months.
Easy Mummy Sugar Cookies:
Easy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Halloween Sugar Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 dozen medium cookies 1x
Description
These Halloween Sugar Cookies are such an easy Halloween food idea! As a lover of sweets, I'm of the firm belief that sugar cookies aren't just for Christmas, and candy isn't just for Halloween! Celebrate this fun (and sometimes spooky) holiday by baking a big batch of these festive sugar cookies with your loved ones this Halloween season!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Dash of nutmeg
- Additional flour as needed and more for rolling out the cookies
Instructions
- Cream shortening and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add one egg at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat to combine.
- Next, add dry ingredients, and mix all together. Dough should be tacky without being sticky (you might need to add a little more flour as needed).
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- When you are ready to roll and cut your cookies, divide the dough into 2 pieces.
- Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll it out to ½-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut out your cookies and move them to an un-greased cookie sheet. Gather any dough scraps and repeat. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees F. for 7 to 10 minutes. The cookies will still be very light on top and just a little golden-brown on the bottom. Let them cool 5 minutes on the tray before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate with your favorite butter cream frosting.
- Store extras in an airtight container or unfrosted cookies in the freezer for much longer.
Notes
- I don't use shortening often (this recipe and pie crust are just about it), but it really helps the cookies to keep their shape. All butter cookies tend to either be a bit crunchy (like a shortbread) or spread when baked.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sugar cookie, cookie recipe, halloween treat, Halloween recipe, halloween recipes, halloween party food idea, easy halloween dessert
Other Halloween Treats you'll love:
- Easy Oreo Spider Halloween Snacks
- 5 Easy No-Bake Halloween Treats
- Halloween Cheese Board
- Free Halloween Boo Poem (Printable)
- 12 Non-candy Halloween Treats
- Easy Ghost Cupcakes for Halloween
You are going to have a blast baking these fun and festive Halloween sugar cookies with your people to ring in the spooky October holiday!
Amy E Hines
My daughter Victoria and I will be making these cookies. Thanks!
Melissa
Happy baking Amy, I love when the kitchen brings people together!
Rachel >> Strangers on a Plain
The monster ones are so cute!
Melissa
Thank you! Kinda fun huh AND easy!