For some people, Halloween is a time for celebrating fright, fear, thrills, and all things related to gore. Other people associate it with the more pleasant aspect of the holiday: sweet treats. These days, you can’t think of Halloween without thinking of candy. From hard candies to candy bars of all shapes, sizes, and flavor combinations, simply realizing the holiday is on its way sometimes seems to add a few pounds when you step on the scales. Still, we love to daydream about those delectable goodies and partake of them when the Halloween season finally rolls around.
Making Cookies Part of Your Halloween Repertoire
Having said all that, there’s no rule that dictates Halloween treats have to be limited to candy and traditional popcorn balls. Having cookies at Halloween can add a great deal of variety to the mix without sacrificing that craving for sugar. When Halloween draws near, bakeries and stores make spooky treats readily available to shoppers. You’ll also find a variety of premade cookie dough with themed images built right into the mix. All you have to do is place them in the oven and bake them. You can even slice them into two rounds to create miniature cookies and make the dough stretch a little farther.
Of course, there’s also the option of baking your own Halloween cookies. You have countless options to choose from if you take the homemade route from unlimited flavors to an endless array of shapes. When the time comes to decorate those tasty goodies, even more freedom is at your disposal. You could keep things simple and mix in the standard fall colors of yellow, brown, and orange. Sprinkles and Reese’s Pieces are great for this decorating alternative. Candy corn and pumpkins are also perfect additions to your Halloween cookies to make them reflect the season.
A Cut Above the Standard Decorating Process
Fast and simple is certainly the way to go if you want to make Halloween cookies but don’t have a great deal of time to dedicate to the process. If time is on your side, though, there are plenty of opportunities for stepping outside the box. With themed cookie cutters, you can make the shapes of the cookies themselves part of the overall decor. That’s only the beginning, though. Since much of the fun of cookies lies in the decorating phase, you can certainly take the matter above and beyond the norm.
First, you’ll need to consider the icing that’ll be used for ramping up those cookies. While any type of icing will suffice from basic buttercream to gel icings, not all of them are sturdy enough to hold up to layers of decor and being stacked and transported. Using an icing that’ll harden and become glossy without rendering the cookies inedible is the key to success.
There’s absolutely no harm in purchasing premade icing at the store, but most standard cookie icing recipes aren’t overly difficult. They’ll give you a chance to create decorative icing in any colors you desire as well. When you make your own icing, you can also use piping bags and all the decorating tips you have on hand to make your cookies more fun and creative.
Exploring the Halloween Cookie Possibilities
No flavor is off-limits when it comes to making Halloween cookies. The same can be said for shapes, icing flavors and colors, and the decorating approach itself. Halloween is meant to be fun for all, and this concept easily transfers to the cookies you make for the occasion. Certain cookie shapes and decorating themes just speak to the holiday, though.
Pumpkins
Pumpkins are a classic cookie shape for Halloween as well as fall in general. You can bake up a batch of pumpkin-shaped cookies and even add pureed pumpkin and a pumpkin spice blend to the mix to further drive home the point. Basic sugar cookies and other varieties work well, too. You could even dye the dough orange and press green or brown stems on the cookies before baking them.
When it comes to decorating, orange icing can truly bring those pumpkins to life. You can use brown or green icing to create little stems and vines to make them even more realistic. In honor of the holiday, though, transforming your standard pumpkin cookies into unique jack-o-lanterns is a fun possibility as well. Give each one its own special face and personality and make them as spooky or adorable as you’d like.
Spider Webs
For some people, the thought of creating spider webs on cookies may seem a bit intimidating. It doesn’t have to be, though. You can use a spider web cookie cutter and simply follow the shape of the cookie to create an initial outline. From there, just follow suit for the internal layers of the web. You could also use different colors of icing to draw in adjoining web shapes and use a toothpick to create a bit of a connected, tie-dyed effect. Don’t forget to add little spiders to round out the picture. Again, whether you choose the cute or scary route is entirely up to you.
Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos falls on November 1 and 2, but many people have come to associate this Mexican holiday with Halloween as well. It’s a time that’s set aside for remembering and honoring lost loved ones. Sugar skulls are an iconic symbol of the occasion, and they’re characterized by vibrant colors and glitz. What better theme for a decorated cookie? Creating sugar skull cookies and allowing your friends or party guests to decorate them in their own unique ways could be a wonderful way to commemorate the occasion.
Making Your Halloween Cookies Count
You can make Halloween cookies as a simple way to celebrate the holiday at home or for school Halloween parties. You could also serve them at your own parties. If you’re hosting a Halloween party for children, allowing them to decorate their own cookies is a great idea. Keep in mind, though many adults are reluctant to admit it, they enjoy decorating cookies as well. If you have the time and resources, you could even bake cookies and package them with little decorating kits to send with neighborhood trick-or-treaters for a fun surprise that’ll last beyond the holiday itself.