Looking for a gross but tasty Halloween cookie? These Zombie brain Halloween sugar cookies are gross and tasty! Made with no spread sugar cookie dough and homemade royal icing these halloween cookies are perfectly gross looking but they taste amazing!
Zombie Brain Halloween Sugar Cookies
I am going to eat the brains!!! On the plus side, they will taste very yummy! Zombie brain Halloween cookies will sure be a hit at your next Halloween party or just for you to enjoy while you watch your favorite zombie show.
Sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes to make because then I can decorate them for any holiday that I want to. I love using royal icing for decorating my homemade sugar cookies because of how beautiful they look when they are done drying.
These easy halloween sugar cookies are so much fun to make and look amazing set out for a Halloween Party. Yes I know they look like they are going to be hard to make and that when reading the steps to make the royal icing can be a bit scary. However once you start working with the royal icing it will make complete sense and not be hard at all.
Halloween Cookie Recipes
- Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Oreo Pops
- Mummy Cookies
- Monster eyeball Cookies
- Vampire Cookies
- Jack Skellington Cookies
Tips for making this recipe
There are a few things that you can do to make it so you have the best Halloween cookies when you are making this easy sugar cookie recipe.
Use Homemade Sugar Cookie dough.
Check out here on how to learn everything you need to know on making sugar cookies . You will want to use the perfect sugar cookie dough recipe, this recipe makes amazing no spread sugar cookies. Once you shape them, they keep their shape even after they are baked!
Use homemade royal icing
If you have never made royal icing or cookies with royal icing be sure to read up on everything you need to know about royal icing for making these cookies. It will explain the different thicknesses of royal icing, and what everything means when you are decorating cookies with royal icing.
Measuring royal icing speeds
This part may sound scary when I say something like 20 second icing or 6 second icing but it is actually very simple. When you pick up a spoonful of the icing from the bowl and drizzle it downward off the spoon, count as it absorbs back into the bowl of frosting if it takes about 20 seconds that is 20 second icing if it takes about 10 seconds it’s thinner and is called 10 second icing and it keeps going as you add more water to thin the frosting. When you are thinning frosting only add 1 teaspoon of water at a time and then mix well
Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating
It is very important that your sugar cookies are completely cooled before decorating them.
How long do I bake Sugar Cookies?
These no spread sugar cookies need to bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes.
How to Cut the Best Sugar Cookies
The best way to cut these sugar cookies out is to use a good sturdy circle cookie cutter.
How Thick Do I Roll Sugar Cookies?
You want to roll the sugar cookie dough out to 1/4 inch thick.
How long should I refrigerate my sugar cookie dough?
Yes, you need to refrigerate your sugar cookie dough for at least 10 minutes before cutting the cookie dough into shapes.
How to Flavor Royal Icing
You can easily flavor this royal icing by using clear extracts in the flavors you want them to be. All you have to do is add a few drops of the flavor you want to have the icing be. If you are wanting the icing to remain white then you will want to use a clear extract. If you are working with colors then you can use the colored extracts to flavor the icing.
How to Color Royal Icing
Coloring this cookie decorating icing is simple. All you will do is add a few drops of food coloring to your royal icing. Using food coloring gel is the best way to go. It is already similar to consistency of the icing so it will not add more liquid to it like you would do if you were using liquid food coloring. Royal icing colors will get darker and bolder as it dries and hardens.
How long do sugar cookies last in the fridge?
Properly stored sugar cookies will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Can I Freeze Sugar Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze baked sugar cookies without frosting for 3-6 months
How long in advance can you make sugar cookies with royal icing?
Once the cookies are decorated they will keep for up to 2 weeks as long as they are store properly in an airtight container.
Zombie Brain Cookies Ingredients
- Sugar cookie dough
- Royal icing
- 30 Pecans or walnuts
- Red food gel coloring
Zombie Brain Cookies Supplies
- Rolling pin
- Rolling pin bands
- Parchment paper or Silpat mat
- Sheet pan
- Circle cookie cutter
- Scriber needle or toothpick
- Piping tips
- Couplers
- Pastry bags or squeeze bottles
How to Make Zombie Brain Halloween Cookies
In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the granulated sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
Once the sugar and butter are creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
Put half of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer.
Your dough will be chilled and ready to cut and bake. Using a circle cookie cutter cut out circle cookies. Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies until the dough is all used up.
Bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes. Let cool.
How to Make Royal Icing
While the cookies are cooling make your Royal Icing.
Combine the sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until well combined.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.
Next, add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to.
If the mixture is still crumbly add the rest of the water.
Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
How to Decorate Zombie Brain Halloween Cookies
Using 1/4 cup of royal icing, fill a piping bag with royal icing and pipe the outline of the circle with a number #4 round tip. Let it dry for 10 minutes.
While the outline is drying, thin out the icing to be about a 6 second second icing by adding water to the frosting in the mixer 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach 6 second icing.
Put 1/2 cup of the royal icing into a piping bag and fill the circle (also known as flooding) with the 6 second icing. Allow the filling to dry for about 10 minutes.
Thin down the icing to about 3 second icing and color it with 2-3 drops of red food coloring.
Dip your nuts into the icing and let them drip off a little before placing them in the center of the cookie.
Using a spoon, splatter the red icing over the cookies to look like blood drops, let dry.
Easy Halloween Treat Recipes
- Mummy Twinkies
- Halloween Hot Chocolate
- Ghost Lolipops
- Banana Ghosts
- Jack O Lantern Quesadillas
- Ghost Cheese Sticks
Be sure to check out the fun Halloween crafts we have, they are perfect for a fun halloween party for kids! There are so many great ones that are perfect for the kids! Looking for more Fall recipes? Be sure to check out these 90 amazing Pumpkin Recipes that are perfect for fall!
Cookie Making Supplies
Want delicious cookies that come out perfect every time? Check out some of our favorite tools to make super easy cookies with fun decorations!
Zombie Cookies
Material
- Rolling pin
- Rolling pin bands
- Parchment paper or Silpat mat
- Sheet pan
- Circle cookie cutter
- Scriber needle or toothpick
- Piping tips
- Couplers
Ingredients
Zombie Brain Cookies Ingredients
- Sugar cookie dough
- Royal icing
- 30 Pecans or walnuts
- 2-3 drops Red food gel coloring
- Pastry bags or squeeze bottles
Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cups butter 2 sticks
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Royal Icing Ingredients
- 1 pound confectioners sugar Powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- 6 tablespoons water You will need more after making the frosting as you decorate
- 1 teaspoon clear flavor extract Optional, if you are choosing to flavor your icing
- pinch salt
- Red Gel Food Coloring.
Instructions
How to Make Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl or with your stand mixer cream the granulated sugar and butter until it is fluffy. If using the stand mixer it will take about 5 minutes.
- Once the sugar and butter is creamed together, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla extract mixture. Mix everything until well incorporated.
- Put half of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer.
- Your dough will be chilled and ready to cut and bake.
- Using a circle cookie cutter cut out the cookies. Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies until all of the dough is used up.
- Bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes. Let cool.
- While the cookies are cooling make your Royal Icing.
How to Make Royal Icing
- Combine the sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.
- Next, add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to.
- If the mixture is still crumbly add the rest of the water.
- Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
How to Make Zombie Brain Cookies
- Using 1/4 cup of royal icing, fill a piping bag with royal icing and pipe the outline of the circle with a number #4 round tip. Let it dry for 10 minutes.
- While the outline is drying, thin out the icing to be about a 6 second second icing by adding water to the frosting in the mixer 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach 6 second icing.
- Put 1/2 cup of the royal icing in to a piping bag and fill the circle (also known as flooding) with the 6 second icing. Allow the filling to dry for about 10 minutes.
- Thin down the icing to about 3 second icing and color it with 2-3 drops of red food coloring.
- Dip your nuts into the icing and let them drip off a little before placing them in the center of the cookie.
- Using a spoon, splatter the red icing over the cookies to look like blood drops, let dry.
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