Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies

5 from 1 vote
These bat sugar cookies are so cute and easy to make. The perfect Halloween treats for a party.
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These adorable Halloween bat sugar cookies are super cute and easy to make! The perfect Halloween treat for a party.

Halloween is my favorite holiday.

I go all out with the decorations for my annual Halloween party.

And love to have food (including desserts) that go with the theme.

Unfortunately, I’m not a great baker. So I’m always looking for easy ways to make treats that look great but aren’t that hard to make.

Which is where these adorable Halloween bat sugar cookies come into play.

With all my secrets for making sugar cookies that hold their shape and my research into the best way to make black royal icing, these cookies turn out perfectly every time!

Ingredients

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Here is your shopping list:

  • 1 cold egg
  • flavoring: vanilla extract, almond extract – the almond extract is optional but I think it makes the cookies taste better.
  • flour – you can use regular all-purpose flour or measure-for-measure gluten-free flour (this gluten-free brand* works the best)
  • baking supplies: baking powder, baking soda, salt, meringue powder
  • sugar: granulated sugar, 1 pound icing sugar
  • dairy: cold unsalted butter
  • cocoa powder – Dutch processed cocoa powder is best because it is a darker brown.
  • black gel food coloring – gel food coloring works better than liquid because it doesn’t alter the texture of the icing. And this brand* creates the darkest black with the least amount of food coloring.
  • red sugar pearls* (bat #1)
  • black sprinkles* (bat #2)
  • sugar eyes* (bat #2) – you could also make your own with a little bit of white and black royal icing (but the store-bought eyes are faster and easier)

Supplies

How To Make Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies

Make The Dough

Halloween bat sugar cookie dough being mixed in a food processor

You can find all of our tips and tricks for making sugar cookies HERE.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.

Then mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract and ¾ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine 2½ cups of flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon baking powder. Set aside.

Unlike most sugar cookie recipes, for this one you want to start with cold right-out-of-the-refrigerator butter.

Cut up 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter into chunks and mix it in the food processor with the sugar until the sugar is combined, about 30 seconds.

Add in the egg mixture and process until combined, about 10 seconds.

Then add the flour mixture and process until all of the flour is mixed in, about 30 seconds.

Roll Out The Dough

Halloween bat sugar cookie dough being rolled

Divide the dough in half to make it easier to roll.

Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper.

Put one ball of dough in the center of the parchment.

Lay another sheet of parchment paper over the top.

Push the ball flat with your hands (over the parchment paper).

Then use the rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/8″ thick. Try to get it evenly thick all the way around since this will help the cookies bake evenly.

Put the rolled out dough on a cookie sheet or tray, still keeping the parchment paper on both sides.

Repeat the parchment paper and rolling process with the other ball of dough.

Stack it on top of the first sheet on the tray.

Refrigerate the rolled out cookie dough for 1 1/2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes.

Cut Out The Bats

Take the first sheet of cookie dough out of the refrigerator.

Peel off the top layer of parchment paper.

Bat cookie cutter cutting out cookie dough

Use the bat cookie cutters to cut the shapes from the cookie dough.

Put the cut out cookie dough back in the refrigerator.

Repeat the process with the second sheet of cookie dough.

Refrigerate for another 30 minutes or until the dough is stiff.

This will make the cookies much easier to move to the cookie sheet without wrecking their shape.

Bake The Cookies

metal spatula separating the cookie dough from the parchment paper

Use a thin spatula to separate the cookies from the bottom layer of parchment paper.

Put a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet (rimless ones are better).

Then lay out the cookies about 1/2 inch apart.

Bake at 300℉ for 14 to 18 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies are slightly brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

bat cookies being moved to a wire cooling rack

Then move to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Repeat the baking process with the other sheet of cookie cut-outs.

Roll out the extra dough to make another batch of cookies.

Make Black Royal Icing

Plain Halloween bat sugar cookies beside a bowl of black royal icing

You can find all of my tips and tricks for making black royal icing HERE.

Mix 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 4 cups icing sugar and 3 Tablespoons meringue powder in a stand mixer on low speed.

Add in 1/2 cup of WARM water.

Increase to medium speed.

Mix for 3 to 5 minutes until the icing forms soft peaks.

Add in a little bit of black gel food coloring. Americolor Super Black works best…you can find it HERE.*

Mix until combined.

If it still looks like a light grey, add a little more food coloring. But not too much or the icing will taste bitter.

To test how black your icing is, let it sit over night to let the color set. It will look much closer to the final dried color, and you can adjust if necessary. To make sure it doesn’t dry out, cover it with plastic wrap that is pushed down so that it is directly touching the icing.

Test The Consistency Of Your Icing

Now we need to test that the icing is the right consistency for outlining and flooding (or filling in) the cookies.

Run a knife through the middle of your icing and count how many seconds it takes for the cut to close.

If it’s longer than 15 seconds (or it doesn’t close at all), the icing is too stiff. Add in a few drops of water (just a few…it doesn’t take much for the icing consistency to change).

Repeat the test (and add a little more water if necessary) until the cut in the icing closes in about 15 seconds.

If it’s closing faster than 15 seconds, mix the icing for a little while longer until it gets stiffer. Then do the test again.

For Small Batches Of Icing

If you are going to be decorating other cookies and need white icing for them, you can make a small batch of black icing instead of making it all black.

To do this: 

  1. Mix the icing as directed above without the cocoa powder. That will give you plain white royal icing.
  2. Then put some of the white icing into a separate bowl.
  3. Mix in 2 to 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder per cup of white icing.
  4. Add in the black food coloring a little bit at a time following the same process as for the whole batch recipe.

How To Decorate Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies

Bat #1 – Small Bat Cookies

Option 1 is the simplest way to decorate Halloween bat sugar cookies.

Fill a piping bag with the black icing.

Small bat sugar cookie being outlined with black royal icing

Use a #4 piping tip to outline the edge of the bat with the black icing.

Slightly smaller or larger piping tips (#2, #3 or #5) will also work. But the #4 tip is my personal favorite for this job.

Small bat sugar cookie being flooded with black royal icing

Then fill in the middle.

Icing on the bat cookie being smoothed out

Use a knife or toothpick to fill in any gaps in the icing.

Red pearl eyes being added to the frosted Halloween bat sugar cookie

Stick two red sugar pearls into the icing near the top of the bat’s head for the eyes. Using tweezers to place them makes it much easier to get them in the right spot.

Halloween bat sugar cookies decorated with black royal icing and red sugar pearl eyes

That’s it! I told you these were easy!

Bat #2 – Larger Bat Cookies

The second option for decorating bat cookies isn’t too much harder but does have a couple of extra steps.

The middle section of larger bat sugar cookies being outlined with black royal icing

Outline the middle section of the bat with black icing

Center of the bat cookie being flooded with black royal icing

Then flood (fill in) the middle of your outline and fill in any gaps.

Candy eyes being added to the Halloween bat sugar cookie

Stick two candy eyes on the icing near the top of the bat’s head. Again, tweezers are helpful for getting them in the right place.

Black sprinkles being added on top the black icing on the bat cookies

Cover the rest of the wet icing with black sprinkles. I like to do this on a plate so I can catch the excess and put it back in the bottle.

Brush off any sprinkles on the plain cookie part of your bats.

You can also skip the sprinkles altogether if you prefer.

Wings of the bat cookie being outlined with black royal icing

Pipe the black icing around the edges of the bat’s wings.

Bat wings being flooded with black royal icing

Flood (fill in) the wings with black icing and fix any gaps with a toothpick or knife.

Let the cookies sit for at least 6 hours to give the icing time to try.

Larger Halloween bat sugar cookies with black royal icing, black sprinkles and candy eyes.

And you’re done!

Notice how much darker the black icing looks on the finished cookies than it did when it was still wet.

How To Store Bat Sugar Cookies

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

To keep your cookies looking their best, place a layer of parchment paper between each layer of cookies.

Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies

5 from 1 vote
Servings: 24 cookies
Prep 45 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total 3 hours

Ingredients
  

Sugar Cookies

  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • cups all-purpose flour or measure-for-measure gluten-free flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

Black Royal Icing

  • cup cocoa powder
  • 4 cups icing sugar about 1 pound
  • 3 Tablespoons meringue powder
  • ½ cup warm water

Equipment

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • mixing spoon
  • food processor
  • Stand Mixer With Whisk Attachment and Mixing Bowl
  • Spatula
  • parchment paper
  • rolling pin
  • cookie sheet
  • wire cooling racks
  • Small and large bat cookie cutters
  • Piping bag
  • Piping tip #4
  • Coupler (optional)

Instructions
 

How To Make The Cookies

  • In a small bowl, beat the egg. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract and ¾ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, combine 2½ cups of flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon baking powder. Set aside.
  • Cut up 1 cup (2 sticks) of COLD butter into chunks.
  • Mix in the food processor with 1 cup sugar until the sugar is combined, about 30 seconds.
  • Add in the egg mixture and process until combined, about 10 seconds.
  • Then add the flour mixture and process until all of the flour is mixed in, about 30 seconds.
  • Divide the dough in half to make it easier to roll.
  • Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper.
  • Put one ball of dough in the center of the parchment.
  • Lay another sheet of parchment paper over the top.
  • Push the ball flat with your hands. Then use the rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.
  • Put the rolled out dough on a cookie sheet or tray, still keeping the parchment paper on both sides.
  • Repeat the parchment paper and rolling process with the other ball of dough.
  • Stack it on top of the first sheet on the tray.
  • Refrigerate the rolled out dough for 1 1/2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes.
  • Take the first sheet of cookie dough out of the refrigerator.
  • Peel off the top layer of parchment paper.
  • Use the bat cookie cutters to make the shapes in the cookie dough.
  • Put the rolled cookie dough back in the refrigerator.
  • Repeat the process with the second sheet of cookie dough.
  • Refrigerate for another 30 minutes or until the dough is stiff.
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  • Use a metal spatula to separate the cookies from the bottom layer of parchment paper.
  • Put a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet.
  • Then lay out the cookies about ½ inch apart.
  • Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies are slightly brown.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.
  • Then move to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
  • Repeat the baking process with the other sheet of cut-out cookies.
  • Roll out the extra dough to make another batch of cookies.

How To Make Black Royal Icing

  • Mix ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 4 cups icing sugar and 3 Tablespoons meringue powder with a whisk attachment in a stand mixer on low speed.
  • Mix in ½ cup of WARM water on low speed for a few seconds.
  • Increase to medium speed.
  • Mix for 3 to 5 minutes until the icing forms soft peaks.
  • Test the consistency of the icing. A cut made through it should close in about 15 seconds. If it takes longer than that, add a few drops of water. If it closes faster, beat it a little while longer. Repeat the testing process until it is at the right consistency.
  • Stir in a little bit of black gel food coloring by hand.
  • If it still looks too light, add a little more food coloring. It should be a dark grey color since it will get darker as it dries.

How To Decorate Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies

    Option 1 – Small Bat Cookies

    • Outline the edge of the bat with the black icing in a piping bag with a #4 tip.
    • Flood (fill in) the middle.
    • Stick two red sugar pearls into the icing near the top of the bat's head for the eyes.
    • Let the cookies sit for at least 6 hours to let the icing dry.

    Option 2 – Larger Bat Cookies

    • Outline the middle section of the bat with black icing using a #4 piping tip.
    • Then flood (fill in) the middle of your outline.
    • Stick two candy eyes on the icing near the top of the bat’s head
    • Cover the rest of the wet icing with black sprinkles.
    • Pipe the black icing around the edges of the bat’s wings.
    • Fill in the wings with black icing.
    • Let the cookies sit for at least 6 hours to give the icing time to try.

    Notes

    • Using cold butter and refrigerating the dough makes sure that the cookies hold their shape
    • Putting the dough back in the refrigerator after cutting the shapes will make them much easier to transfer to the cookie sheet without wrecking them.
    • If you find the cookie dough has warmed up enough that they are losing their shape when you move them, put them back in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the dough gets stiff again.
    • Roll the cookie dough evenly thick all the way around since this will make the cookies bake evenly.
    • Rimless cookie sheets work best for even baking since they allow for even airflow.
    • Add in the black food coloring a little at a time. Use as little as possible to prevent the icing from tasting too bitter.
    • For the best black, let the icing sit over night to let the color set. It will take on a much darker color. To make sure it doesn’t dry out, cover it with plastic wrap that is pushed down so that it is directly touching the icing.

    For Small Batches Of Icing

    • Mix the icing as directed omitting the cocoa powder.
    • Put some of the mixed white icing into a separate bowl.
    • Mix in 2 to 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder per cup of white icing.
    • Add in black gel food coloring a little at a time until the icing turns a dark grey color
    • Test for consistency as directed above. A few extra drops of water may be needed to thin the icing out.

    How To Store Bat Cookies

    The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.
    You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
    To keep your cookies looking their best, place a layer of parchment paper between each layer of cookies.

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    authorWanda Simone
    courseDessert
    cuisineAmerican
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Have comments or questions about how to make our Halloween bat sugar cookies? Tell us in the section below.

    This post was originally published on October 7, 2020 but was updated with new content on March 19, 2024.


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