Dessert

Halloween Sugar Cookies

October 13, 2026

One of my earliest memories in the kitchen is making Halloween-shaped sugar cookies with my aunt. I had so much fun punching out all the little shapes that I immediately became obsessed. For months afterward, I begged my mom to pick up a bag of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix on every grocery run. This was also the first time I experienced cooking as a form of leisure and entertainment rather than pure necessity, so these little bat shaped cookies hold a very special place in my heart <3 Of course these cookies are far more delicious than the ones from my childhood (no offense Betty Crocker). I’ve incorporated black sesame paste for a subtle nuttiness that pairs perfectly with the rich dark cocoa powder, also naturally giving the dough a spooky jet black hue. I love these cookies as is, but if you want to have some fun and decorate them I’ve included a royal icing recipe below. Whatever you do please don’t try to decorate these using store bought icing. It never works and is always ugly I’m sorry.

Halloween Sugar Cookies

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Ingredients

Black Sesame and Cocoa Cookie Dough

3 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup black cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ t salt
¾ cup melted butter, 1 ½ sticks
½ cup black sesame paste
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Royal Icing

3 egg whites
1 lb powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the Dough: In a medium size bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix together melted butter, black sesame paste, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet in batches until no dry streaks remain. Careful not to over mix.
Chill the Dough: Form into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. The dough may appear dry, but will hydrate as it chills.
Make the Icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggwhites on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until fully incorporated, scraping the sides. Continue to whip on medium speed until the icing appears glossy soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fixed with a fine tip and store in the refrigerator until ready to use for up to 1 week.
Roll out and Cut: Place the dough between 2 large pieces of parchment paper and roll out the dough to a uniform ¼ inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment and carefully release the dough from the bottom piece of parchment dusting flour underneath if needed.
Use cookie cutters to punch out your shapes and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet leaving ½ - 1 inch of space between each. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake at 350 until you reach your desired doneness, which will depend on the size of your cookie shapes. For ¼ inch thick cookies, 10-12 minutes will give you a firm and chewy cookie, while 15-18 will give you a crisp and crunchy cookie similar to an oreo. I recommend doing a small test batch first to see which you like best. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once fully cooled, you can begin decorating.