Ghost Sugar Cookies Recipes

HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half, pat into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make rolling easier. Roll out 1 disc between 2 pieces of parchment to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired Halloween shapes with cookies cutters and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining disc of dough.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are just turning golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, reroll the scraps between 2 pieces of parchment and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Repeat the cutting and baking process.
• For the royal icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 1/3 cup water in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. Color the icing as desired for the cookie shapes.
• To make flood icing: Remove three-quarters of the desired color icing to a small bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon water until flooding consistency is achieved?you can run a knife through it and it flows back to where it was in 10 seconds. Add more water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until you've reached the right consistency. Transfer the flood icing to a piping back fitted with a number 2 round tip. Transfer the remaining thick icing to a piping bag fitted with a number 1 round tip.
• For cats: Pipe a black border around the cat with thick black icing. Fill with black flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours or up to overnight. Pipe 2 pointy eyes on the face with thick yellow icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For ghosts: Pipe a white border around the ghost with thick white icing. Fill with white flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight. Pipe a ghost face with thick black icing. Pipe dots around the border of the ghost with thick orange and black icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For pumpkins: Pipe an orange border around the edge of the pumpkin with thick orange icing. Fill with orange flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight. Pipe two orange lines down the pumpkin with thick orange icing. Pipe on a green stem with thick green icing. Pipe vines with thick green icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For candy corn: Pipe a white triangle border around the top third of the cookie with thick white icing. Pipe a trapezoid in the middle portion of the cookie, bordering the white triangle, with thick orange icing. Pipe a larger trapezoid that outlines the lowest third with thick yellow icing. Fill the white triangle with white flood icing. Fill the orange trapezoid with orange flood icing. Fill the yellow trapezoid with yellow flood icing. Allow the flood icing to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight.

HALLOWEEN GHOST COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a second bowl. Add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix to combine. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Dust a work surface with flour and roll out dough into a thin circle. Cut out tulip shapes; if your tulip cookie cutter has a stem, cut the stem off with a knife, so you have a stemless tulip shape. Arrange cut-out cookies on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheets carefully and transfer to wire racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Stir 1 cup confectioners' sugar and milk together in a small bowl until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy. Add more corn syrup if icing is too thick.
• Spoon icing into a piping bag with a small plain tip. Pipe icing around the edge of each cookie to create a border. Fill in the middle completely with icing. Stick 2 chocolate chip cookies into the wet icing for the eyes. Let cookies stand until icing dries, about 1 hour.

SIMPLY "SPOOKY" GHOST COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, oil, water and egg until soft dough forms.
• On lightly floured surface, roll dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3- x 2 1/2-inch ghost-shaped cookie cutter. Pinch one end of straw to make oval shape. With oval end of straw, cut out eyes in ghost cookies. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 15 seconds or until frosting can be stirred smooth. Frost cookies with frosting as shown in photo. Before frosting sets up, remove frosting from the eye area with toothpick.

GHOST COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut with 3x2-inch ghost-shaped cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheet, place shapes about 2 inches apart. If cookies are to be hung as decorations, cut a hole at top of each cookie with end of plastic straw or sharp knife; cut out holes for eyes if desired.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread glaze on cookies. Decorate with candies. Thread string through holes to hang cookies.

GHOST SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat butter, confectioners' sugar and cornstarch until blended. Gradually beat in flour. If desired, divide dough in half; tint one portion orange and the other blue. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. tulip-shaped cookie cutter., Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, butter and milk; beat until smooth. Pipe eyes onto each ghost; top with chocolate chips. Let stand until set.