In our house we love all things Disney and all things Nightmare Before Christmas and these Jack Skellington Cookies are perfect! Homemade sugar cookies that don’t spread when you bake them, with homemade royal icing decorated to look like Jack Skellington!
Jack Skellington Cookies
Go ahead and make these cookies and you will find yourself saying,” Isn’t that wonderful? It couldn’t be more wonderful!”
I love Halloween and I love making sugar cookies, and we all know that I LOVE all things Disney so when it comes time for Halloween this Disney fan must have some Jack Skellington Cookies! Using my favorite sugar cookie dough recipe and my favorite royal icing recipe I came up with these adorable Jack Skellington Cookies that are perfect for Halloween!
Check out here on how to learn everything you need to know about making sugar cookies. This no spread sugar cookie dough is the best sugar cookie dough to use for making shaped sugar cookies. They come out soft and chewy but don’t spread and lose their shape when you bake them in the oven.
Halloween Cookie Recipes
- Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Oreo Pops
- Mummy Cookies
- Monster eyeball Cookies
- Vampire Cookies
- Zombie Cookies
Tips for Making These Cookies
Use Edible Markers in place of royal icing for drawing. To make Jacks face I used these edible markers but you are more than welcome to pipe some black icing on top of the edible marker face to make Jacks face pop. I like to draw on the face and then trace it with edible markers.
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 frosting. 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 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.
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.
Jack Skellington Cookies Supplies
- Rolling pin
- Rolling pin bands
- Parchment paper or Silpat
- Sheet pan
- Circle cookie cutter
- Scriber needle or toothpick
- Piping tips
- Couplers
- Pastry bags or squeeze bottles
Jack Skellington Cookies Ingredients
- Homemade Sugar cookies
- Homemade Royal Icing
- Edible Markers
How to Make Jack Skellington Cookies
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.
Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies.
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 Decorate Jack Skellington Cookies
When the cookies are cooled completely, it is time to frost them.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the icing and dye it black with food coloring.
Using 1/2 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.
Using the Edible Markers draw on Jack’s face. Put the black royal icing into a piping bag or plastic bottle and trace the face drawn with the royal icing.
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!
Want delicious cookies that come out perfect every time? Check out some of our favorite tools to make super easy cookies with fun decorations!
Jack Skellington Cookies
Material
- Rolling pin
- Rolling pin bands
- Parchment paper or Silpat
- Sheet pan
- Circle cookie cutter
- Scriber needle or toothpick
- Piping tips
- Couplers
- Pastry bags or squeeze bottles
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie 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.
- Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies.
- 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 Jack Skellington Cookies
- When the cookies are cooled completely, it is time to frost them.
- If you want to make the face with royal icing instead of the edible markers before doing any thinning of the icing, set aside 1/4 cup of the icing after making the icing.
- Using 1/2 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.
- Using the Edible Markers draw on Jack’s face. If you want to make the face with royal icing instead of the edible markers before doing any thinning of the icing, set aside 1/4 cup of the icing at the beginning of making the icing and dye it black with food coloring and use that.
More Sugar Cookies to Check out:
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- Minion Cookies
- Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
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