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Sugar Cookie Ghosts for Halloween
Spooky-soft sugar cookies shaped like ghosts, frosted white & dotted with candy eyes—easy Halloween treats for the whole family.
Halloween Ghost Sugar Cookies are festive cut-out treats that pair a classic buttery sugar-cookie base with a simple vanilla icing, decorated to resemble playful white ghosts. The dough is prepared from pantry staples—flour, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, and a hint of vanilla extract—then chilled, rolled, and cut with ghost-shaped cookie cutters for clean, defined edges. After baking to a light golden finish, the cookies are coated with a smooth confectioners’ sugar icing and detailed with melted chocolate or edible gel for the eyes and mouth. Typically enjoyed throughout the Halloween season at classroom parties, trick-or-treat gatherings, and autumn dessert tables, these cookies offer a straightforward, make-ahead option that combines visual appeal with the familiar flavor and tender crumb of traditional sugar cookies.
Sugar Cookie Ghosts for Halloween
Beyond the spooky-cute look, these cookies are a smart make-ahead project: the dough or fully decorated ghosts freeze well for up to a month, so you can prep before the Halloween rush. Feel free to personalize them—add almond extract, tint the icing with edible luster dust, or swap in colorful sprinkles to match any party theme.
Prep Time
140 minutes
140 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
10 minutes
Total Time
2,5 hours (150 minutes)
2,5 hours (150 minutes)
Ingredients
All-purpose flour 2 ¾ cups
- Baking powder 1 teaspoon
- Fine salt ½ teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (2 sticks)
- Granulated sugar 1 cup
- Large egg 1
- Pure vanilla extract 1 ½ teaspoons
- Almond extract (optional) ½ teaspoon
- Milk or cream (only if dough feels dry) 1 tablespoon
- Confectioners’ (powdered) sugar 4 cups
- Meringue powder 3 tablespoons
- Warm water 5–6 tablespoons
- White gel food coloring (optional, keeps icing bright) a few drops
- Black gel food coloring or edible black writing gel (for eyes & mouth) as needed
- Mini chocolate chips or black sugar pearls (optional eye accents) 2 tablespoons
- Extra flour or cornstarch for rolling surface 2 tablespoons
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C)
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl
- Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until fully blended
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms
- Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a disc
- Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes
- Lightly flour a clean work surface
- Roll one disc of dough to about ¼-inch thickness
- Dip a ghost-shaped cookie cutter in flour to keep it from sticking
- Cut out ghost shapes from the rolled dough
- Transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart
- Gather the scraps, reroll once and cut more ghost shapes
- Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up the dough
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set and just starting to turn golden, 8–10 minutes
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes
- Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk and clear vanilla extract in a bowl until a thick white icing forms
- Spoon a small amount of icing into another bowl and tint it black with food coloring
- Spread white icing over each cooled cookie to cover the ghost shape
- Pipe black icing onto each cookie to create eyes and a mouth
- Leave the cookies on the rack until the icing is completely dry
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature
Nutrition (whole recipe)
Calories
5767 kcal Protein
49 g Fat
203 g Carbs
963 g Fiber
11 g Sugar
709 g
5767 kcal Protein
49 g Fat
203 g Carbs
963 g Fiber
11 g Sugar
709 g
Notes
For the sharpest ghost edges, dust your rolling pin and surface with powdered sugar instead of flour—extra flour can toughen the dough. If you’d like the icing to dry with a firm, glossy finish that travels well, substitute half the milk in the glaze with light corn syrup and let the cookies set, uncovered, overnight.
why this recipe
With its perfectly balanced sweetness, buttery crumb, and charmingly spooky shape, this Halloween ghost sugar cookies recipe transforms a simple bake into an unforgettable seasonal delight, delivering bakery-quality texture while remaining approachable for any home cook. The dough rolls out smoothly and cuts cleanly, ensuring crisp, defined ghost silhouettes that hold their shape in the oven, while a quick-setting vanilla glaze offers a blank canvas for playful decorating with melted chocolate eyes and mischievous smiles. Because it uses pantry staples and requires no special equipment, you can whip up a batch on a whim, yet the results look as though they came from a professional pâtisserie—guaranteed to enchant trick-or-treaters and adults alike, and to become a cherished Halloween tradition.
FAQs
FAQ acf
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their ghost shape while baking?
Chill is your best insurance: refrigerate the dough until firm, then freeze the cut-out ghosts for 10 minutes so the butter re-solidifies before they bake. Start with merely softened—not melted—butter and avoid over-working or over-flouring the dough; these steps keep the structure tight so the cookies keep their crisp, spooky outlines in the oven.
How can I quickly fix icing that turns out too runny or too thick for smooth decorating?
If the icing is too runny, whisk in extra confectioners’ sugar 1–2 tablespoons at a time until it ribbons slowly off the spoon. If it’s too thick, thin it with a few drops of warm water or milk, stirring after each addition until it flows in a smooth, 10-second line.
How long will the decorated ghost cookies stay fresh after baking?
Stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature, the fully iced cookies keep their flavor and texture for about 5–7 days. For longer storage, freeze the decorated ghosts in a single layer until solid, then stack with parchment and keep frozen for up to 1 month.