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Perfect Black Cat Cookies: Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies

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These adorable black cat sugar cookies are a fun and festive Halloween treat. With a soft-baked sugar cookie base and forgiving royal icing technique, they’re perfect for bakers of all skill levels.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 ½ cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 3–4 tablespoons water
  • 1–2 teaspoons black gel food coloring
  • Orange and white gel food coloring (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  2. Add the wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms.
  4. Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc about 1-inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 3 days).
  5. Preheat and prep: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Roll and cut: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a black cat cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Re-roll scraps once, handling dough as little as possible.
  7. Bake: Place cookies about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just barely golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Make the royal icing: In a clean bowl, combine powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 3 tablespoons of water and beat on low speed until combined. Then beat on medium-high for 4-5 minutes until thick, glossy, and forms stiff peaks. Add more water a teaspoon at a time if too thick.
  9. Color and thin the icing: Divide the icing. Color most of it black with gel food coloring. Keep small amounts white and orange for details. For black icing, keep a thicker consistency for outlining and thin a portion for flooding (should drizzle like lava and disappear into itself within 10 seconds).
  10. Decorate the cookies: Fit a piping bag with a small round tip (size 2) and fill with thicker black icing. Outline each cat cookie. Let outline set for 5-10 minutes. Then use a separate bag or squeeze bottle with thinner black icing to flood the inside. Use a toothpick to guide icing into corners.
  11. Add face details: While black icing is still wet, pipe two small white dots for eyes and orange details for a pumpkin or nose. Add a small white dot to eyes. Let cookies dry completely, uncovered, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Notes

Chilling the dough is crucial to prevent spreading. For a true black color, use more gel food coloring than you think. The icing should be completely hard before stacking. Cookies taste even better the day after baking.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween cookies, sugar cookies, black cat cookies, royal icing, Halloween baking, decorated cookies

Find it online: https://jollyfork.com/perfect-black-cat-cookies-easy-halloween-sugar-cookies/