TheseHalloween Sugar Cookiesare such an easy Halloween food idea! As a lover of sweets, I’m of the firm belief thatsugar cookies aren’t just for Christmas, and candy isn’t just for Halloween!

sugar cookies decorated with halloween theme white frosting to look like a mummy with candy eyes and colored sprinkles in purple black green and blue colors.

Christmas gets all the sugar cookieattention, but I’m here to vouch for Halloween to get its fair share of thesesoft and chewy cookies,too. Don’t you just love Halloween? Between pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, spooky stories, andfall decorgalore,Halloween is just one of the best times of year, if you ask me.

And these sugar cookies bring home that point. They’re soscrumptious, sweet, and chewy,and with ample opportunities for shapes (pumpkins, ghosts, and mummies, oh my!), they’ll be the hit of any Halloween party this season.

cookie dough with pumpkin and witch hat cut out.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Undecorated cookies can be stored in the freezer forup to 3 to 4 monthsso they are great to make ahead and have ready for a fun decorating activity with the kids.
Decorating sugar cookiesis afamily-friendly activitythat can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s a fun way to spend time with family and friends.
Decorating cookies encourages children to use their imagination and develop their artistic abilities and have ayummy treatin the end!

Recipe Ingredients

Butter-flavoredshortening
Sugar –granulated
Eggs
Sour cream
Vanilla
Baking soda
Baking powder
Flour
Nutmeg –just a dash

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Halloween Sugar Cookies

Cream shortening and sugar together.
Next add eggs, followed by sour cream and vanilla.
Then mix in dry ingredients and refrigerate the dough.
Roll out and cut your cookies, then bake until golden brown on the bottom.

Recipe FAQs

How do you make sugar cookies keep their shape?

There are so many reasons why cookies lose their shape, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have amazing cookies. The most important things to remember are measuring properly, chilling the dough, and not placing the cookie shapes on a warm or hot cookie sheet. Also, some sugar cookie recipes call for butter instead of shortening (which is what I use), and I’ve found that butter doesn’t keep shapes as well as shortening.

Why do my sugar cookies taste like flour?

A chalky, floury-tasting sugar cookie is the result of— you guessed it!— too much flour! Be sparing with the flour used to roll out the dough to make sure the dough isn’t dry or crumbly.

How do I fix my sugar cookie dough that’s too dry?

If you’ve added too much flour and your sugar cookie dough is dry, add a half teaspoon of cooking oil (something light like canola oil). Mix it into the dough to incorporate it. Continue adding half teaspoons until you reach the desired consistency.

Expert Tips

I’m not a big shortening fan, but I do use it in this recipe because ithelps the cookies keep their shape and moistureso much better than butter does.
Store decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
I don’t recommend storingdecorated cookiesin the freezer because the frosting may dry out or crack as they thaw.
These cookies are customizable for the holiday or season with aneasy and delicious frosting for sugar cookies.