Ghost Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing for Halloween

Is there anything that screams Halloween more than a plate of adorable, spooky, and downright delicious homemade cookies? These Ghost Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing are the perfect project for a crisp fall afternoon. They’re a total crowd-pleaser, whether you’re baking with little goblins, prepping for a party, or just treating yourself. And don’t let the fancy icing scare you off—it’s way easier than it looks, I promise.

Why You’ll Love This

These cookies are the ultimate spooky snack. They hit that perfect sweet spot: a tender, buttery sugar cookie that practically melts in your mouth, topped with a crisp, sweet royal icing that holds its ghostly shape. They’re so, so fun to decorate. Honestly, even if your ghosts end up looking a little more ‘blob’ than ‘boo,’ they’ll be full of charm and taste incredible. They’re the kind of easy Halloween food that makes you feel like a pastry pro without any of the stress.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour: The base for our sturdy yet soft cookie dough.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder: Gives the cookies a slight lift.
• ¼ teaspoon salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened: For that rich, classic sugar cookie taste.
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar: Sweetens the cookies and helps them spread just right.
• 1 large egg: Binds everything together.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract: Adds a warm, cozy flavor.
• 4 cups powdered sugar: The foundation of our smooth, hard-drying royal icing.
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder: The magic ingredient that makes the icing set firm without raw egg whites.
• 6 tablespoons warm water: To get the icing to the perfect piping consistency.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for icing): A flavor boost for the icing.
• Black gel food coloring: For drawing those cute little faces.

Let’s Get Cooking Step by Step

1. First, make your cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed. You want it to be light and fluffy, which should take about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until everything is fully combined and looks smooth.
4. Now, gradually add your flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no dry streaks of flour remain. Don’t overmix!
5. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap them in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This firming-up step is crucial for preventing cookie-spread.
6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter (or any shape you like!) to cut out your cookies. Place them about 1 inch apart on your prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely starting to turn a light golden brown. The centers should still look soft. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
9. While the cookies cool, make the royal icing. In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add the warm water and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed to combine, then crank it up to high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the icing is stiff and glossy.
10. You’ll need two consistencies. Spoon about ⅓ of the icing into a separate bowl and add a few drops of black gel food coloring. This will be your “piping” icing for the faces. Thin the remaining white icing by adding water, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a “flood” consistency. You should be able to drizzle a ribbon of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear into the surface after about 5 seconds.
11. Now, the fun part! Outline each completely cooled cookie with the thicker white icing (you can use a piping bag with a small round tip or just a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off). Then, “flood” the inside with the thinner white icing, using a toothpick or a skewer to help spread it to the edges.
12. Let the white icing set for about 30 minutes. Finally, use your black piping icing to add two little eyes and a small ‘o’ for a mouth on each ghost. Let the cookies sit out, uncovered, for several hours or overnight until the icing is fully set and hard.

Tips For Success With Royal Icing

• Patience is key. Let your cookies cool completely before you start icing. If they’re even slightly warm, the icing will melt and slide right off.
• Don’t skip the meringue powder. It’s a shelf-stable, food-safe product that creates a perfect, hard-set icing. You can find it in the baking aisle of most craft or grocery stores.
• When thinning your flood icing, go slow. Add water just a teaspoon at a time. It’s easier to thin it out more than it is to thicken it back up!
• Cover your icing bowls with a damp paper towel when you’re not using them. This prevents a crust from forming on the surface.
• If your icing is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit more water. You’ve got this!
• Have fun with it. Seriously. The best Halloween themed food is the kind that makes you smile.

Spooky Snacks Ideas for Halloween

These ghost cookies are just the beginning. If you’re looking for more Halloween food ideas for parties, I love creating a spooky snack table. Pair these cookies with some savory Halloween finger foods like “mummy dogs” (pigs in a blanket arranged to look like mummies), a creepy crudité platter with a hummus “dip grave,” or “witch’s finger” breadsticks. For a full spooky dinner, serve a hearty pumpkin soup in a hollowed-out bread bowl or some monstrous meatloaves. And don’t forget the candy! A bowl of classic Halloween candy is always a welcome sight. The goal is to have a mix of sweet and savory that’s as fun to look at as it is to eat.

Variations & Substitutions

• Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. The texture might be slightly more crumbly, but they’ll still be delicious.
• Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based butter stick. Just make sure it’s the kind meant for baking.
• Flavor Twist: Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the cookie dough instead of vanilla for a different flavor profile.
• Color Fun: Feel free to make your ghosts any color! Purple, green, or orange spooky cookies would be amazing.
• No Meringue Powder? You can use pasteurized egg whites instead. Use 2 large egg whites for every 4 cups of powdered sugar. The consistency might be a touch different, but it will work in a pinch.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

Once the royal icing is fully set, these cookies store beautifully. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze the undecorated baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before icing. I do not recommend freezing the iced cookies, as the icing can become tacky. There’s no need to reheat these—they’re perfect enjoyed cool and crisp!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: My royal icing is too runny! How can I fix it?
  A: No worries, this happens to everyone. Simply add more powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and mix until it thickens back up to your desired consistency.
• Q: Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
  A: Absolutely. The dough disks can be wrapped tightly and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and baking.
• Q: What are some other easy Halloween food ideas for decorating?
  A: Get creative! Use orange icing for pumpkins, white for tombstones, or multiple colors to create monster cookies. The sugar cookie base and royal icing are a blank canvas for any spooky snacks you can dream up.