As I grow older, I find myself looking forward to Halloween! I love indulging in treats like these black bat Halloween sugar cookies. And the decorating part is just so much fun!!
Halloween is such a great way to break up the long stretch between summer break and Christmas. For the longest time, I told myself that I did it for my kids. But the truth is, I love it!
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Coming from a strict Catholic background (my grandmother read out the rosary seven times a day), Halloween is not something I grew up celebrating.
So let's just say, I am now making up for lost time. And no, I do not believe it to affect my faith, say what you want -lol! I find making easy recipes like these a great way to celebrate the season and bond with friends and family.
Let's now take a look at what we'll need for this recipe.
ingredients
- All-purpose flour.
- Unsweetened black cocoa powder: This adds a deep, rich color and flavor thats perfect for the Halloween theme.
- Baking powder.
- Salt and granulated sugar.
- Butter - use unsalted, room-temperature butter. This ensures the dough mixes uniformly, resulting in consistent baking and better cookie structure.
- One large egg.
- Vanilla and almond extracts: The almond extract is optional. Leave it out if you prefer.
- Black royal icing, sprinkles, and candy eyes: For decorating and adding the final spooky touch to the Halloween black bat cookies.
These ingredient notes above are meant as a guide to assist you in making this recipe a success. Check out the recipe card below for the measurements.
should I sift the flour before measuring?
To measure sifted flour, sift more than you need into a bowl, then spoon it into a measuring cup to avoid overpacking. Level it off with a knife to get the exact amount needed.
how to make Black Bat Halloween Cookies
We start by preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once that's done, proceed on to sift flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk everything up, then set aside.
It is important that you don't skip on the sifting! The sifting ensures a smooth dough and fluffy cookies by breaking up lumps and giving uniform texture.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), until fully combined.
Next, we gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. You’ll want to do this slowly to avoid overmixing, which helps form a smooth, well-combined dough.
Once the dough comes together, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour. This makes it much easier to work with and ensures the cookies hold their shape.
After chilling, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or between parchment paper to about ¼ inch (approx. 0.6cm) thickness.
You then want to use a bat-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your bat shapes. Place the cut-out cookies on your prepared baking sheets.
Tip💡: I like to roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to prevent sticking, making the rolling process easier and ensuring an even thickness.
We finish by baking them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies start to turn dark on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating them with your black royal icing, candy eyes, and sprinkles.
decorating the cookies
First, allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating. Try etching your design into the cookies with a scribe tool or small paring knife before piping an outline of the bat cookies.
Since these cookies are so dark, using an edible marker to trace a design may not entirely work unless you have a white marker.
Transfer the icing to piping bags or icing squeeze bottles and decorate the cookies. You can read more about decorating using royal icing here.
useful tips
- Don't limit yourself to bat-shaped cutouts - feel free to use your favourite Halloween cookie cutters. If using differently-sized cutters, bake similarly-sized cookies together to prevent smaller ones from burning.
- Make sure your dough is cold going in the oven. Should the dough warm up while cutting shapes, chill the cut-out cookies in the refrigerator before placing them in the oven.
- Check cookies starting at the 8-minute mark and remove them once the edges are dark.
- Let the cookies cool to room temperature before decorating. This ensures the black royal icing adheres properly to the cookies.
📖 Recipe
Black Bat Halloween Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened black cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- black royal icing (for decorating)
- candy eyes (for decorating)
- black sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), until fully combined.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, forming a smooth well-combined dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out bat shapes using a cookie cutter.
- Place the cut-out cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating.
- Once cool, decorate the cookies with black royal icing.
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