Halloween Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies are Lofthouse style sugar cookies decorated with Halloween colors and sprinkles!
We love the Soft Frosted Sugar Cookie recipe because these cookies can be decorated for any holiday or theme.
I have made them for Valentine's Day, my daughter's Frozen Birthday Party, and many more events.
For these Halloween cookies, I tinted the frosting with purple, green and orange food coloring because I wanted bright colors.
I used Halloween sprinkles and edible candy eyes for a spooky effect.
As always, these were a kid favorite at our annual Halloween Party!
Check out these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars that can be colored and decorated to fit any theme!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Purple, green and orange food coloring gel
- Halloween sprinkles
- Edible candy eyes
Make the Dough
The dough is very simple to make. The dry ingredients are whisked together and set aside.
Then the wet ingredients are beaten and the dry ingredients slowly added.
The dough does need to chill for at least 1 hour.
Bake and Cool the Cookies
Scoop out a scant ¼ cup of dough (which weighs about 2 ounces) for each cookie. Roll the dough into a ball.
Flatten the ball slightly depending on the thickness you desire. The cookies will spread a little during baking but not flatten much.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough and space the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake the cookies until they are just set; the edges should not be brown.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
Frost and Decorate
To make the frosting, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and milk in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth. You should start with the smaller amount of milk and add more until you reach a spreadable consistency.
The amount of milk required will depend on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen. If you add too much milk and the frosting is too thin, you may add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it.
Tint the frosting your desired colors. For me, this meant dividing the frosting evenly in 3 bowls and coloring with purple, green and orange.
Frost the sugar cookies with a small offset spatula or spoon. Immediately decorate with sprinkles or candies of your choice so they will stick to the frosting before it sets.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Gluten Free Option
I have not tried this myself yet, but I have good luck using a 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour (like Bob's Red Mill) in place of all purpose flour in cookie and cake recipes.
Keep in mind, gluten free flour does tend to produce a more fragile, crumbly cookie texture but the flavors will be the same.
📖 Recipe
Halloween Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 4½ cups all purpose flour
- 4½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 24 tablespoons butter (3 sticks, at room temperature)
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 5 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 5⅓ tablespoons butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (see note)
- 4 - 8 tablespoons milk
For Decorating:
- Food coloring or gel (optional)
- Sprinkles of choice (optional)
Instructions
Make the Cookies:
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
- Cover dough and chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- When dough is chilled, scoop a scant quarter cup (about 2 ounces) of dough and roll into a ball.
- Flatten the ball slightly depending on the thickness you desire. The cookies will only spread a bit and not flatten much during baking. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and space the cookies about 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set. Do not over bake. The edges should not be brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl by whisking until smooth. Start with the smaller amount of milk and add more if needed to reach spreadable consistency. If you add too much milk, the frosting will slide off the cookies. You may add more powdered sugar to thicken if it is too thin.
- Tint frosting with food coloring or gel as desired.
- Frost the cooled cookies with an offset spatula or spoon. Immediately decorate with sprinkles if desired, otherwise the frosting will crust and the sprinkles will not adhere well. If you need to step away for more than a moment, place a damp paper towel over the frosting to keep it from crusting. If frosting begins to thicken, add a bit more milk.
- Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container.
Leave a Reply