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Halloween Sugar Cookies
Hoosier Hill Farm Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Powder, 1 lb container

Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

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Halloween Sugar Cookies

These homemade Halloween sugar cookies bring a little spooky fun to a classic treat. Hoosier Hill Farm Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Powder goes straight into the dough, adding real dairy flavor alongside butter and vanilla. Finish each cookie with creamy vanilla frosting, colorful sprinkles, and candy eyes for a batch that’s ready for your boo crew.

No rolling pin or cookie cutters needed. Scoop, flatten, bake, and decorate. Make them for a Halloween party, a spooky movie night, or an afternoon of decorating with the family.

How to decorate sugar cookies for Halloween

Start with completely cooled cookies and divide your vanilla frosting into a few bowls. Keep some white for ghosts and mummies, then tint the rest orange, green, or purple. Spread frosting with a butter knife or use a piping bag for simple details.

Try orange pumpkin faces, green monsters with candy eyes, or white mummy stripes. Add sprinkles while the frosting is soft so they stick. Each cookie can have its own personality, and a little messy frosting is part of the fun.

Prep Time About 35 minutes
Cook Time 8–10 minutes per batch; about 20 minutes total
Total Time About 2 hours 25 minutes
Yields About 24 cookies

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup Hoosier Hill Farm Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Additional granulated sugar for rolling

Vanilla Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1–2 Tbsp milk, as needed
  • Pinch of salt

Halloween Decorations

  • Orange, green, or purple gel food coloring
  • Black decorating icing
  • Candy eyes
  • Halloween sprinkles

Directions

  1. Mix the dough. Stir melted butter and sugar together, then add egg, yolk, and vanilla. Separately combine flour, milk powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients.
  2. Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Shape. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Roll roughly 2-tablespoon portions into balls, coat in sugar, space 2 inches apart, and flatten gently.
  4. Bake and cool. Bake 8–10 minutes, until set with lightly golden edges. Rest on the sheet 5 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
  5. Make the frosting. Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually mix in powdered sugar, then add vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat for 2–3 minutes until fluffy. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, only as needed for spreading.
  6. Add Halloween colors. Divide frosting among small bowls. Leave some white and tint the rest with gel food coloring. Start with a small amount of coloring and add more until you reach your desired shades.
  7. Decorate. Spread frosting over cooled cookies. Make orange pumpkin faces with black icing, green monsters with candy eyes, or mummies with piped white frosting stripes. Add sprinkles while the frosting is soft.
  8. Serve. Arrange on a tray in a single layer to protect the decorations. This buttercream stays soft and will not dry into a firm royal icing finish.
  • Add the milk powder dry. Mix it directly into the flour mixture without adding water.
  • Cool the melted butter slightly. It should be fluid but no longer hot when you add the egg.
  • Keep portions consistent. Use a cookie scoop so cookies bake at a similar rate. Yield and baking time may vary with size.
  • Frost only when cool. Warm cookies can melt the buttercream.
  • Choose gel food coloring. It adds color without thinning the frosting as much as liquid coloring.
  • Keep decorations simple. A butter knife works for spreading, and a small piping bag works for mummy stripes or faces.
  • Avoid stacking. This is a soft buttercream frosting. Serve or transport decorated cookies in a single layer.

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