Easy Ways to Decorate Halloween Cookies

Icing and candy is all it takes to transform an ordinary batch of homemade or store-bought cookies from plain to Halloween-ready. We show you how.

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Halloween Cookie Ideas

Frankenstein Halloween Cookie

Cauldron Halloween Cookie

Mummy Halloween Cookie

Skeleton Halloween Cookie

Spider Halloween Cookie

Eek Cookie

Spiderweb Halloween Cookie

Flying Bat Halloween Cookie

Hypnotic Halloween Cookie

Pumpkin Halloween Cookie

Large Spider Cookie

Ghost Halloween Cookie

Gravestone Halloween Cookie

Cat Halloween Cookie

Jack-o'-Lantern Basket Cookie

"Boo" Halloween Cookie

Gorilla Hand Cookie

Basic Candy Halloween Cookie

Pumpkin Halloween Cookie

Monster Face Cookie

Cat Cookie Decoration

Spooky Skull Cookie

Halloween Witch Cookie

Licorice Spiral Pumpkin Cookie

Wide-Eyed Halloween Cookie

Black-and-White Pumpkin Cookie

Frankenstein Cookie

Smiling Jack-o'-Lantern Cookie

Black Spider Cookie

Candy-Face Goblin Cookie

Halloween Ghost Cookie

Candy Jack-o'-Lantern Cookie

Mummified Halloween Cookie

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Halloween Cookie Ideas

Stop here for creative cookie ideas sure to inspire your next Halloween batch. All our decorations start from store-bought sugar cookies. The fun is in the frosting!

Frankenstein Halloween Cookie

Make a monstrously fun cookie with this Frankenstein idea. Use a spatula to layer on green frosting in a loose rectangle shape. Place two red chocolate-coated candies at the top of Frank's head as shown. Place two brown chocolate-coated candies as eyes. Fill a pastry bag with brown-tinted icing and pipe on hair, a single eyebrow, a nose, and a smile. A bit of white frosting provides the goofy tooth.

Cauldron Halloween Cookie

You'll bubble over with excitement at this cauldron-theme cookie. Pipe the outline for this cauldron with brown-tinted icing. Fill in the pot with more brown icing and top with green chocolate-coated candies to represent overflowing bubbles.

Mummy Halloween Cookie

Peer into this guy's eyes; they're hidden behind piped-on bandages. A flat pastry tip provides the special effects in this mummified cookie. Run a few lengths of white frosting across your cookie, push in two green eyes, then continue to pipe on a few more rounds of white frosting.

Skeleton Halloween Cookie

Little ghouls will grin at this not-so-frightful skeleton cookie. Use a spatula to layer on white frosting in a simple skeleton shape as shown. Trim black licorice to make eyes, a nose, and a toothy mouth, and press into the frosting.

Spider Halloween Cookie

A cookie on a cookie takes this spider design to new heights. Frost your cookie with bright green frosting. Pipe on eight legs, allowing them to meet in the cookie's center. Press on a chocolate sandwich cookie and use a dab of icing to secure orange eyes onto the design.

Eek Cookie

Share one of the season's phrases on a super easy cookie design. Frost your cookie with bright green frosting. Pipe on the "eek" phrase. Carefully place brown sprinkles around the outside of the cookie, using a pair of tweezers to remove any that fall out of place.

Editor's tip: Start with the center "e," then pipe on the other letters to ensure your phrase is centered.

Spiderweb Halloween Cookie

Get caught up in the web of fun on this cookie. Spread brown frosting all over your cookie for the background. Pipe on a white web (mark seven end points for the web on the edge of the cookie and work your way in). Push a chocolate-covered candy into the web and pipe on white eyes. Cut green licorice to serve as spider legs and press into the cookie.

Flying Bat Halloween Cookie

Take flight with a bat-theme cookie design. Spread orange frosting all over your cookie for the background. Pipe on a brown outline for the bat, then fill in with additional brown frosting as shown.

Hypnotic Halloween Cookie

You are getting sleepy ... but resist the urge to give in with a hypnotic-theme Halloween cookie that's a cinch to design. Spread white frosting to serve as the background of your cookie. Starting from the center, pipe on a continuous spiral of brown icing. Push orange chocolate-coated candies around the edge.

Pumpkin Halloween Cookie

Celebrate a seasonal favorite with a pumpkin cookie design. Spread orange frosting in a basic heart or pumpkin shape in the center of your cookie. Pipe on brown icing to form the outline and create a few pumpkin ridges. Trim a green licorice piece to serve as the stem and press into the cookie.

Large Spider Cookie

Watch this guy crawl off the cookie tray -- he's sure to be a favorite! Trim black licorice to form eight thin spider legs. Use a generous dollop of frosting to secure them in the center of your sugar cookie. Press on a chocolate-mint candy. Pipe two eyes from orange frosting.

Ghost Halloween Cookie

Never fear this friendly ghost, featuring candy eyes and a licorice mouth. Spread white frosting in a basic ghost shape as shown (it's easiest to pipe the shape first, then fill in with the frosting). Press in two chocolate candies for the eyes and a trimmed piece of red licorice for the mouth.

Gravestone Halloween Cookie

We picked "RIP," but you could say anything you like on your cookie gravestone. Spread brown frosting into a gravestone shape as shown (it's easiest to pipe the shape first, then fill in with frosting). Pipe on a white phrase. Spread on green frosting to serve as the grass and use your spatula to artfully extend the grass tips.

Cat Halloween Cookie

Make a "purrfect" cookie with a silly cat face. Spread brown frosting into a cat shape as shown (it's easiest to pipe the shape first, then fill in with frosting). Press in two yellow chocolate-coated candies as eyes and two pieces of licorice as the mouth. Pipe on brown frosting as eye pupils and the nose, and finish with white frosting to make whiskers.

Jack-o'-Lantern Basket Cookie

Say "trick-or-treat" to this clever cookie design. Spread orange frosting in a basic basket shape; outline with brown frosting. Pipe on additional details, such as a basket handle and opening, as well as jack-o'-lantern facial features.

"Boo" Halloween Cookie

No fear here; this frightful message is just for fun. Frost your cookie with orange frosting. Pipe on the "boo" phrase. Carefully place brown sprinkles around the outside of the cookie, using a pair of tweezers to remove any that fall out of place.

Editor's tip: Start with the center "o," then pipe on the other letters to ensure your phrase is centered.

Gorilla Hand Cookie

Grab on to this cookie -- a giant gorilla has already called dibs. Frost your cookie with green icing. Pipe on finger shapes to look like the hand is grabbing the cookie. Press in an almond for each fingernail.

Basic Candy Halloween Cookie

Go basic with a make-in-mass Halloween cookie design. Frost your cookie with bright orange icing. Press in brown chocolate-coated candies in a basic design.

Pumpkin Halloween Cookie

Ramp up an orange frosted pumpkin cookie with white candy-coated chocolate pieces arranged as pumpkin ridges. A piece of green licorice and a green candy-coated chocolate piece form the stem.

Editor's tip: Stir paste food coloring instead of liquid food coloring into purchased white frosting to achieve a bright pumpkin-orange hue. Find paste food coloring in the cake decorating aisle at a crafts store.

Monster Face Cookie

Fill a pastry bag with black-tinted royal icing and pipe on the monster's face; let dry. Carefully pipe on an outline of green icing and use a small spoon or paintbrush to cover the cookie surface between the black details and the green edge.

See our royal icing recipe.

Cat Cookie Decoration

With its cute decoration this, black-and-orange cookie will be the cat's meow. To make, cover a cookie with a coating of orange frosting. Place a black candy-coated chocolate piece in the center for the cat's nose. Put two red candies above it for the eyes. For the mouth, use one thin slice of a red gumdrop cut into quarters. Place pieces of black string licorice around the nose for the whiskers. To complete, roll out two black gumdrops and cut two triangles from the flattened candies for ears.

Spooky Skull Cookie

No bones about it, this skull cookie is festively frightening. To make, pipe a skull shape onto the center of the cookie with white royal icing; let dry slightly. Spread a thin layer of white icing inside the skull shape; let dry slightly, then pipe on the black facial features; let dry. Pipe black icing around the outside of the skull and around the outside edge of the cookie; let dry slightly. Fill in the remaining area with a thin, even coat of black icing.

See our royal icing recipe.

Halloween Witch Cookie

This smiling witch looks a tiny bit mischievous this Hallow's Eve. To make, ice a cookie with purple frosting and use snips of red licorice strings for the witch's hair and a mouth. Use two black jelly beans for eyebrows, white nonpareils for eyes, candy corn for the nose, a small red candy for the mole by her mouth, and a rolled-out black gumdrop cut into a triangle for a hat.

Licorice Spiral Pumpkin Cookie

The black licorice on this Halloween cookie adds a nice anise flavor, a change of taste from your typical treat. To make, wrap lengths of black string licorice into spirals for a polka-dot pumpkin cookie. A piece of green licorice and a green candy-coated chocolate piece form the stem.

Wide-Eyed Halloween Cookie

This wide-eyed cookie almost looks too cute to eat. To make, pipe around the outside of the cookie with black icing; let dry slightly. Fill in with more black icing and spread to cover the cookie with a thin, even coat. Create eyes by slicing a small marshmallow into thin slices and placing on top of the black icing before it dries. Use a dab of frosting to attach round black candies for pupils and short lengths of green licorice as eyebrows to create a worried expression.

See our royal icing recipe.

Black-and-White Pumpkin Cookie

Make a black-and-white pumpkin cookie for a fresh spin on a holiday classic. To decorate, start with white frosting and use black string licorice as ridges. A piece of green licorice forms the stem.

Frankenstein Cookie

This Frankenstein cookie will bring any Halloween party to life. To make, put a square of green frosting on top of a cookie. For the hair, cut tiny pieces of black string licorice and place along the top of the square. Roll out a black gumdrop and cut a jagged edge along one side; place on top of the black licorice pieces. Finish the face with various black candies for the eyes, mouth, and scars. Use a red miniature candy-coated chocolate piece for the nose.

Smiling Jack-o'-Lantern Cookie

Showcase this grinning pumpkin on the center of your cookie platter. To make, use a piece of black string licorice for the mouth and slices of regular black licorice for the eyes (positioned with the cut ends facing up). A piece of green licorice and a green candy-coated chocolate piece form the stem.

Black Spider Cookie

This is one spider you'll be happy to see on your cookie plate. To make, place a black gumdrop in the center for the spider's body. Cut short lengths of black string licorice for the legs and place around the center. Using a dab of frosting, attach two red candy eyes to the gumdrop. Finish with two small pieces of string licorice as fangs.

Candy-Face Goblin Cookie

Rarely are monsters this sweet. To make, ice a cookie with green frosting. Loop a piece of black string licorice to make the goblin's mouth. Slice the bottoms off two white gumdrops for eyes and place above the mouth. Use a dab of frosting to attach two black jelly beans for pupils. Finish with a candy corn nose and candy corn eyebrows.

Halloween Ghost Cookie

This white pumpkin ghost might look frightened, but there's nothing scary about a platter of delicious Halloween cookies. To make this ghost's expressive face, place white candy-coated chocolate pieces on top of black licorice spirals for eyes. Use short pieces of black string licorice to create arched eyebrows. A piece of green licorice and a green candy-coated chocolate piece form the stem.

Candy Jack-o'-Lantern Cookie

This smiling jack-o'-lantern gets its start with a layer of orange icing. To make, use two candy corn pieces for the eyes, a black candy-coated chocolate piece for the nose, and small square candies for the mouth. Top with half a green gumdrop for the stem. For the final touch, roll out two green gumdrops and cut into leaf shapes; place one on each side of the stem.

Mummified Halloween Cookie

All it takes to unwrap this tasty mummy cookie is a Halloween guest with an appetite. To make, pipe the outlines of the green and black shapes with royal icing. Let the outlines dry slightly, then fill in the shapes with the respective colors of icing. Add two orange mini candy-coated chocolate pieces for eyes.

See our royal icing recipe.

Easy Ways to Decorate Halloween Cookies

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