Description
Create festive Halloween Sugar Cookies that are perfectly soft with a slight crisp. This recipe is ideal for decorating with fun spooky shapes. The dough is enriched with sour cream for tenderness, and the easy buttercream frosting can be customized for a delightful holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- For the Frosting:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the room temperature butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, almond extract, and sour cream until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface or parchment paper. If sticky, sprinkle with additional flour.
- Use floured Halloween-themed cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Do not overbake.
- Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat together the softened butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Divide the frosting into bowls to color with Halloween themes (e.g., orange for pumpkins, white for ghosts).
- Once cookies are completely cool, frost them using your desired Halloween sugar cookie designs. Add details like candy eyes for extra flair.
Notes
- Ensure butter and eggs are at room temperature for best texture.
- Avoid overmixing the dough after adding dry ingredients to keep cookies tender.
- Chilling the dough is crucial for easy handling and to maintain cookie shapes.
- Monitor baking time closely to prevent drying out the cookies.
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant frosting without altering consistency.
- Store decorated Halloween sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-9 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg