Cute Halloween Cookies
Let’s get into the Halloween spirit with these easy Halloween Cookies. In this cookie decorating tutorial I’m going to show you how to decorate spooky cute Ghost, trick or treat Candy Corn and silly Jack-o-Lantern cookies.
HOW TO MAKE DECORATED HALLOWEEN COOKIES
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Halloween Cookie Cutters
- Halloween Sprinkles
- Royal Icing Colors
- Royal Icing Consistency
- Candy Corn Cookies
- Jack-o-Lantern Cookies
- Ghost Cookies
- Recipes and Tools
This Halloween Cookie Decorating tutorial is made possible with the help of Wilton. Wilton sent me several product from their Halloween Line for free, including adorable Halloween cookie cutters, festive sprinkles and candy eyes.
HALLOWEEN COOKIE CUTTERS
As you know I love multi purpose cutters. Cutters that I can use for more than one design are my favorite.
And these simple Halloween Cookies Cutters (pumpkin, ghost, candy corn) are no exception. Here are few other ideas you can use these cutters for :
- Pumpkin Cutter could be used for so many designs. How about Poison Apple Cookies, Kawaii Owl Cookies, or Glass Inspired Pumpkin Cookies to mention just a few.
- Ghost Cutter is my absolute favorite from this set. It’s perfect not only for a ghost but pacman or a jelly fish would work, too.
- And Candy Corn Cutter can be turned into a Halloween basket.
SPRINKLES
While decorating it’s so easy to accidentally stumble over a bottle of opened sprinkles with your hand. Sending sprinkles flying all over. Maybe it doesn’t happen to you but it sure happens to me! That’s why I used a paint palette to hold my Halloween sprinkles. It keeps the sprinkle spillage to minimum and my work area organized.
- Orange and Black Halloween Sprinkle Assortment
- Halloween Sprinkles Mega Set
- Candy Eyes Tackle Box
ROYAL ICING COLORS
Let’s talk icing and colors. To decorate sugar cookies I used Royal Icing. I prepared my favorite Fresh Lemon Royal Icing. And then I colored it with concentrated gel food colors. I ended up using black, orange, yellow, blue, and pink gel colors from the Wilton’s Color Right System.
This set of colors doesn’t come with green or purple gel. Don’t worry. It’s really easy to mix variety of different colors. As a matter of fact I always use blue and pink to mix my purple hues. It works every time.
To color icing purple I used blue and pink gel color. And blue and yellow to mix green icing. You can control intensity of colors by adding more or less food coloring.
HOW DO I MAKE BLACK ROYAL ICING?
Add black gel color to white icing, stir well until icing turns deep dark grey. Then I cover the icing and let it rest overnight or at least for several hours. Color deepens significantly overtime and you don’t have to add excessive amounts of food coloring.
ROYAL ICING CONSISTENCY
To thin thick royal icing to different consistencies you need to add room temperature water. I recommend using a spray bottle to add water. It’s really easy to add too much water all at once making icing too watery. Using a spray bottle helps to achieve the right consistency without adding too much water.
You can learn in depth about royal icing consistency in my Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing Consistency . My guide includes samples of real cookie decorating projects and when different consistencies are used to achieve desired results.
CANDY CORN COOKIES
These Candy Corn Cookies are adorned with a purple trick-or-treat pumpkin basket. How cute!
ROYAL ICING COLORS AND CONSISTENCIES :
- White, Yellow, Orange – 15 second consistency
- Purple, Black – 20 second consistency
- Black – piping consistency
DECORATING STEPS :
Start by drawing outlines on a cookie with edible marker.
Outline and flood top section with white (15sec), then immediately flood the middle section with orange (15sec) and lastly flood the bottom part with yellow (15sec). Use a needle tool to shape the icing while wet. Let the icing dry.
Then attach candy eyes and pipe a mouth with black icing (piping consistency).
I made purple pumpkin baskets as Royal Icing Transfers. These can be prepared ahead of time. Place a template on a flat surface (flat tray, cardboard). Then layer wax paper sheet over it. If needed secure the wax paper and a template with a masking tape.
Pipe baskets with purple icing (20sec). Shape the baskets with a needle tool. And while icing is wet pipe black (20sec) eyes and mouth. Use a needle tool to shape black eyes and mouth. Allow buckets to dry overnight.
Next day, peel off the wax paper and finish the baskets.
Pipe a small amount of orange icing (15sec) onto a wax paper. Then carefully attach purple basket onto the bottom. Decorate orange icing with festive Halloween Sprinkles and sanding sugar. Gently shake off the excess sanding sugar. And let dry completely.
Once royal icing is dry peel off the wax paper from Halloween basket decoration.
To finish trick or treat candy corn cookies attach pumpkin basket onto the icing. And pipe the arms with black (piping consistency).
PUMPKIN JACK – O -LANTERN COOKIES
I made 2 variations of these Halloween Jack-o-Lantern cookies.
ROYAL ICING COLORS AND CONSISTENCIES :
- Black, Orange -15 second consistency
- Green – 20 second consistency
- Orange – piping consistency
DECORATING STEPS :
With edible marker draw the mouth. Outline and flood the section with black royal icing (15sec). Pour some black sanding sugar onto a clean, dry coffee filter. Then immediately turn the cookie over and gently place it onto the black sanding sugar. With your hands shift the coffee filter with sanding sugar back and forth. After lift up the cookie and shake off the excess black sanding sugar. Use a food only paint brush and brush off small black sugar crystals if needed. Allow icing to set for about 30 minutes.
Outline and flood the cookie with orange icing (15sec). Use a needle tool to distribute the icing evenly. Let crust for 3 hours. After, flood the stem with green icing (20sec) and immediately add black-orange nonpareils onto the wet green icing.
Then with orange icing (piping consistency) pipe vertical segment lines across.
What makes this designs silly are the eyes. I used Wilton Candy Eyes. Glue the eyes on a cookie with a little bit of orange icing. Gently place eyes onto the icing.
Alternatively you can use pretty nonpareil sprinkles to decorate the black mouth.
SPOOKY CUTE GHOST COOKIES
These decorated ghost cookies are my favorite.
ROYAL ICING COLORS AND CONSISTENCIES :
- White, Gray – 15 second consistency
- Black – piping consistency
DECORATING STEPS :
Start by outlining and flooding the cookie with white royal icing (15sec). I decided to add some shading with gray at the very bottom of the cookie. Notice I left this section without the white icing. Then immediately after I flooded cookie with white icing I piped the gray icing on the bottom part of the cookie. After with a needle tool I shaped the icing while it was still wet. Allow icing to dry.
Attach candy eyes onto the ghost and pipe several small dots on a cookie. Then attach spooky bat sprinkles, gently placing them on the dots. I also added some color on the cheeks with pink luster dust and dry food only paint brush.
Another option is to add arms and cute pumpkin lights. Pipe the arms with white and gray icing (15sec). Shape the gray icing while wet. Then allow arms to crust for 15 minutes. After, pipe a slightly curved black line between the arms. Decorate the line with orange pumpkin sprinkles.
TO MAKE CUTE HALLOWEEN COOKIES YOU NEED
- RECIPES
- Royal Icing Recipe
- Cut Out Cookie Recipes : Classic Sugar Cookies, Vegan Cut Out Cookies, Gluten Free Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Cookies
- TOOLS
- Halloween Cookies Cutters (pumpkin, ghost, candy corn)
- Gel Food Colors – Color Right System
- Orange and Black Halloween Sprinkle Assortment
- Halloween Sprinkles Mega Set
- Candy Eyes Tackle Box
- Paint Brush
- Pink Pearl Dust
- Needle Tool
- Basket Template
- Tipless Piping Bags
- Edible Markers – brown
- RELATED COOKIE DECORATING TUTORIALS
- How to thin royal icing | Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing Consistency
- Royal Icing FAQ
- Guide to Royal Icing Transfers
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These cookies are adorable! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and ideas! 🎃💕🥳
Thank you so much Mira.
Your cookies with directions are so cute! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Debbie.