Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies - Just 8 Ingredients from Scratch

Yes, you can make Halloween Sugar Cookies from scratch with this recipe and avoid all kinds of mess and fuss. In fact, it’s just as easy (if not easier) than using a sugar cookie mix.

That’s because there’s just 8 ingredients. And because this recipe is not fussy – you get soft sugar cookies every time.

But more important, this recipe is a myth-buster. For years I thought of sugar cookies as synonymous with “rolling pin and cookie cutters.”  It ain’t necessarily so, my friend, and this recipe is a good example of why the myth doesn’t hold  (as are Easy Snickerdoodles and our fave Whipped Shortbread Cookie Recipe.)

Instead, you scoop the dough and dip it into decorations or colored sugar.

Some Specifics

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Bake time: 9-11 minutes

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

½ cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons milk

Cookie decorations, nonpareils, or colored sugar

Directions for Halloween Sugar Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl continually, about 1-2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
4. Reduce speed to low. Gradually stir flour mixture into creamed mixture a bit at a time until well blended, scraping the bowl constantly, until well mixed, alternating with milk. 
5. Pour cookie decorations into a shallow bowl.
6. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to form dough into scant 1-inch balls. Set balls, 2 or 3 at a time, in the bowl with decorations. Use a spoon to gently roll balls, making sure they are completely covered with decorations. Place balls in 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Use the heel of your hand or the back of a spoon to gently press the balls into rounds. 
7. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until they are set. Remove baking sheets from the oven. 
8. Let cookies cool for a minute on baking sheets before using a spatula to remove them from the sheet to a cooling rack. 
9. Allow cookies to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

More Halloween Cookie Recipes and Tips

Easy Halloween Rice Krispie Treats: jack-o-lantern look-alikes!

Halloween Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treat recipe ...

Halloween Magic Bar Cookies: easy bar cookie recipe that says BOO! ...

Halloween Thumbprint Cookies Recipe: easy, fun, gluten-free ...

Halloween Cookie Pizza: fun and easy for kids!

Candy Bar Cookies Recipe: use your leftover Halloween candy ...

Time-Saving Tips for Making Halloween Cookie Recipes ...

More Halloween Cookies on our Pinterest board ...

Return from Halloween Sugar Cookies to The Cookie Elf home