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Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies: Hand Decorated & Crowd-Pleasing

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These Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies are soft, buttery, and perfect for decorating with friends and family. Made with a simple boxed mix shortcut, they come together in under 30 minutes and are a crowd-pleasing hit at any Halloween gathering.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 box (17.5 oz) boxed sugar cookie mix (optional)
  • Halloween sprinkles and decorations (orange, black, purple jimmies, candy eyeballs, edible glitter)
  • Royal icing or store-bought decorating icing (1-2 tubes)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once.
  3. Add the room-temperature egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on low until just combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. If using the boxed mix, skip this step and just add the mix to the wet ingredients.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. The dough should be slightly sticky but hold together when pressed.
  6. Use a cookie scoop to portion out rounded tablespoons of dough. Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden, but the centers will look slightly underdone.
  8. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Wait until they are completely cool before decorating.
  9. Decorate using royal icing or store-bought decorating icing to create spider webs, ghosts, pumpkins, or simple polka dots. Add sprinkles and candy eyeballs as desired.

Notes

For the best texture, use butter that’s softened but not melted. If using the boxed mix, follow the package instructions for the base, then add the almond extract yourself. For a gluten-free option, swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. If the dough feels too soft to scoop, chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Don’t overbake; cookies continue to cook on the hot baking sheet after removal.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween sugar cookies, easy sugar cookies, decorated cookies, Halloween dessert, drop cookies, boxed mix cookies

Find it online: https://freshforkful.com/easy-halloween-sugar-cookies-hand-decorated-and-crowd-pleasing/