Cut out cookies are so fun for holidays! But not just at Christmas time. I decided to make some Halloween-themed cookies to have some decorating fun.
The bat-shaped sugar cookies delivered on all counts. Easy to make, fun to decorate. I had a six-year-old helper which of course made it twice as much fun!
Whether you have a favorite recipe for cut-out sugar cookies, or want to use a mix like I did, follow these directions for some fun and easy decorating ideas.
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Why I love these cookies
If you have a specific recipe you love for sugar cookies, you can use it here. I used a mix for the speed and convenience, and because I knew my granddaughter would want to get to the decorating step ASAP.
For me, what this really was about was spending time together and creating memories making cookies.
As my daughter said, it's not a visit to Grandma's without a Googly eyes project!
Ingredients
How to make these bat decorated sugar cookies
Of course, you need to make the sugar cookie dough, roll it out, make bat shapes with a cookie cutter and bake. All of this is to get to the decorating step!
We think of bats as being black, but many are brown. They just appear black to us because they are flying around in the dark!
So I decided the best way to decorate the bat cookies is with chocolate buttercream frosting. Plus, black sanding sugar. This gave us plenty of options to make both brown and black sugar cookie bats. Googly eyes and mini chips (chocolate and butterscotch) gave us the extra finishing touches.
If you turn a 6-year-old loose with those choices, you'll get plenty of fun variations of your bat sugar cookies!
Expert Tips
We mostly stuck with Googly eyes, but red cinnamon candies would make excellent beady bat eyes also. Chopped nuts would also work well.
To get the chocolate frosting nice and dark, use "Hershey's Special Dark" cocoa powder. I keep some around just for making chocolate frosting. 😃 You can also use a little more than I did to make the frosting even darker, if desired.
If using a sugar cookie mix, pay attention to the directions for cut out cookies vs. drop sugar cookies. Typically, for cut-out cookies, you need to add a little flour to the dough. This makes it easier to roll and cut.
More Fun Recipes for Halloween
Kids will love making (and eating!) some Monster Eye Cookies or Silly Apple Bites. Because you need to use up those Googly eyes!
For the adults, a Skull Cheese Ball is a great addition to any Halloween party. Serve with a Devil's Margarita.
And the whole family will enjoy Jack O' Lantern Stuffed Peppers. They are a fun way to celebrate with a nice break from all the sweets.
📖 Recipe
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Bat Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 package sugar cookie mix 17.5 oz
- ½ cup butter 1 stick
- 1 egg
- Flour as needed for dough and for rolling
Frosting
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter softened (1 stick)
- 3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder Special Dark
- 2-4 tablespoons milk or whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating
- Black sanding sugar
- Candy Googly Eyes
- Chocolate or butterscotch chips chopped if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix the sugar cookie dough according to package directions. Roll dough on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut bat shapes with a cookie cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Cool before decorating.1 package sugar cookie mix, ½ cup butter, 1 egg, Flour
Frosting
- Begin beating softened butter with a hand mixer. Add one cup powdered sugar and mix well. Add one tablespoon milk or cream and mix in.2-3 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup butter, 2-4 tablespoons milk
- Add vanilla and cocoa powder, then repeat with another cup of powdered sugar and tablespoon of milk. Adjust with more powdered sugar and/or milk to get the amount and consistency you desire.3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating
- Frost each cookie with chocolate buttercream frosting and decorate as desired.Black sanding sugar, Candy Googly Eyes, Chocolate or butterscotch chips
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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