of all the wonderful things the fall season brings, the sweets are one of my favorites!

a few years back, I got really interested in royal icing and cookie decorating, and started to watch tutorials so I could do it myself.

it allows me to explore two of my passions at once: baking and art. oh, and also eating.

so, every year, I make a different batch of Halloween sugar cookies. this year, I decided to go with purple bats, 1) because I had some leftover candy eyeballs, and 2) the more colors you include in your design, the messier your kitchen and more stained your fingers.

i have nowhere near perfected the art of cookie decorating, but they sure do taste good.

if you want to make your own DIY Halloween sugar cookies, follow the recipe below!

Halloween Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies:

[from Design Eat Repeat]

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes
Servings: 24 (2.5") cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla here because of a nut allergy in the home!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (I ended up having to add slightly more because my dough was too soft)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a piece of parchment on the counter and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of flour. (sometimes I just used a clean table if the parchment paper keeps sliding around)
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for 20-30 seconds.
Add in egg, vanilla and almond extract.
Once mixed, add in baking powder, salt, and flour (add flour 1/2 cup at a time on low speed)
Once mixture is combined (the flour will disappear), transfer the dough to the piece of floured parchment paper (or your floured countertop!). Press mixture into large ball and knead dough for 5-10 seconds until it becomes a smooth ball. Press into a 2"-thick disc and use a rolling pin to roll dough 3/8" to 1/2" thick.
Use the cookie cutters of your choice to cut out, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (my cutouts were slightly flimsy, so I put my dough in the fridge for about 20 mins to harden)
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove them from the oven before seeing any brown on the edges.
Let the cookies cool on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes. While they cool, it’s time to make the frosting! (make sure you wait to frost until they are completely cooled, or you’ll end up with some slimy, messy bats)
* You can store these in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for later.

Royal Icing:

[originally from iheartnaptime]

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar (about 1 pound)
5 Tablespoons warm water (more if needed)
3 Tablespoons meringue powder

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat the water and meringue powder on medium speed until well mixed. Add the powdered sugar in slowly until icing forms peaks (it can take about 7-10 minutes).
Once you've made your frosting, transfer to bowls to mix your colors and then transfer into an icing bottle or frosting bag.
Outline your cookie with a stiffer frosting and a fine frosting tip (I used a #2 tip). This border creates a dam to make sure the "flood" icing doesn't go off the sides of the cookies.
Mix in 1 teaspoon of water to make the flood icing. The consistency will be a thick liquid like honey. Using a frosting bottle or bag, spread the frosting inside the outlined cookie.
Use a small knife or toothpick to spread the frosting. You can also use the toothpick to pop any bubbles.
Allow cookies to dry overnight before packaging or adding more designs. After I let the royal icing settle a little, I added my little googly eyes!

*Royal icing will keep at least a month. Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate.

Royal Icing Supplies I Used:

I loved making these and can’t wait to dream up something fun with royal icing for the holidays! what are your fave sweet treats to get in the seasonal spirit??

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