Bat sugar cookies are a tasty and fun Halloween dessert that's perfect for baking with the kids during the scariest time of the year! These rolled-out spooky cookies are chilled, cut out into bats, then decorated with black royal icing. Try my easy bat sugar cookie recipe to share with crowds this Halloween season!
Halloween Bat Sugar Cookies
Baking and decorating holiday sugar cookies like these Halloween bats is always the best time to grab your kids and get them involved! Let your kids get creative with the icing and decorating, or keep things simple with some black sprinkles!
Want to get these tasty bat sugar cookies in the oven faster? Try my no-chill sugar cookie recipe for baking up some fun black bat cookies right after mixing!
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🥘 Bat Sugar Cookies Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for the bat sugar cookies and icing are kitchen staples! If you keep these ingredients on hand, you can customize these cookies for many holidays!
Sugar Cookie For Bat Cutouts
- Butter - ¾ cup of butter (1 ½ sticks softened, at room temperature).
- Sugar - 1 cup of sugar.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or extract of your choice).
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt (use 1 teaspoon of salt with unsalted butter).
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour.
Black Royal Icing
- Confectioners Sugar - 4 cups of confectioners sugar (powdered sugar).
- Meringue Powder - 3 tablespoons of meringue powder.
- Water - ½ cup of water.
- Cocoa Powder - ⅓ cup of cocoa powder (optional).
- Food Coloring - 2-4 teaspoons of black gel food coloring.
White Icing For Bat Eyes
- Powdered Sugar - ½ cup of powdered sugar.
- Milk - ½ tablespoon of milk (or more as needed to reach desired consistency).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Bat Sugar Cookies
The instructions may seem lengthy, but it is so worth it to make these cookies from scratch! You will need a Kitchenaid Professional 600 Stand Mixer or large mixing bowl, a pastry mat, a Halloween cookie cutter set, and a baking sheet to get started!
This bat sugar cookie recipe makes 36 servings which is great for sharing with large crowds or enjoying at home for a few days! You can easily double or triple for your next Halloween party or potluck!
Make The Sugar Cookie Bats
- Mix wet ingredients. Cream together the ¾ cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add flour. Stir in the 2 ½ cups flour until it is evenly distributed throughout your sugar cookie dough. *If you plan to roll out your sugar cookies soon, you may place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Chill cookie dough. If you don't plan on rolling your cookies out for a while (up to 3 days), wrap the cookie dough in cling wrap to refrigerate and chill.
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- Roll out dough and cut. Once your dough has chilled, separate small portions of the dough to work with on a floured surface. Roll out the dough until ¼-½ inch thick and cut into bats with your bat cookie cutter.
- Bake. Transfer your cookies to your prepared baking sheet and bake for 6-9 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Rest cookies on baking sheet. Remove the cookies from the oven before the bottom edges become golden. Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5-6 minutes before you transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool off completely.
Make The Black Royal Icing
- Mix ingredients. Add the 4 cups of confectioner's sugar, 3 tablespoons of meringue powder, and ⅓ cup of optional cocoa powder, to a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk to combine.
- Add water. Pour the ½ cup of water into the bowl and mix (on low speed if using a mixer) until combined.
- Test icing. Drag a knife through the icing to test the consistency. If the gap in the icing closes quickly (in less than 10 seconds) continue to mix until it thickens.
- Add more water if needed. If it takes more than 20 seconds for the gap to close, it is too thick. Add a small amount of water (a few drops) and mix briefly. Repeat the testing process until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Add black food coloring. Add the 2-4 teaspoons of black gel food coloring to the icing and mix it together by hand. If the icing is grey, add more black food coloring and mix until it is dark black in color.
Ice Your Cooled Sugar Cookies
- Place icing in bag. Add the icing to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner cut off. Begin by outlining your bats in black icing before filling in the inside.
- Dry cookies and add eyes. Allow the bat sugar cookies to dry overnight before adding the white eyes, if desired.
Make The White Icing For Eyes
- Mix ingredients. Combine ½ cup powdered sugar and ½ tablespoon milk in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. If icing is too thick, add small amounts of milk as needed until it reaches desired consistency.
- Dot the bat eyes. Use a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a very small corner cut off to pipe the tiny eyes onto the face of each bat. You may also use a toothpick to dab and dot the eyes.
You can serve these cookies by themselves or with any other spooky Halloween dishes at your next party! Check out my easy mini mummy pizzas and mummy dogs recipes for more inspiration! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Black-out food coloring is available at most Wal-Mart stores and can be ordered there, on Amazon, or Wilton, as well as cake decorating stores and Hobby Lobby.
- You will need ½ to 1 teaspoon of gel food coloring per 1 cup of icing.
- I prefer to let my baked sugar cookies set overnight before icing with black royal icing. The soft cookies tend to absorb the wet icing right after baking. When left to set overnight, the cookies form a film of sorts that prevents them from absorbing the icing.
- You may use pre-made sugar cookie dough or cookie mix to make these sugar cookie bats, if desired.
🥡 Storing
Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag between layers of wax paper. They will last at room temperature for up to 1 week.
To freeze your dough for later, double wrap your sugar cookie dough in cling wrap then place it in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 6 months.
❓ Recipe FAQs
It is a lot better to freeze your cookie dough than baked cookies. Plus, it is an easy hack to freeze this dough to save time for your next round of holiday baking!
Your cookies should be at least a quarter inch so that the cookie is tough enough to decorate but thin enough to stay crunchy. However, thicker cookies (⅜ to ½-inch in thickness) will tend to stay softer for longer.
If this happens then it means that the sugar cookies were rolled too thin or overcooked. Allow cookies to get some color in the oven, but not too much!
😋 More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies- A boozy and delicious homemade cookie using Baileys Irish cream!
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies- If you are in a rush and want a tasty treat, try my easy-to-make peanut butter cookies!
- No-Bake Haystack Cookies- A sweet and salty dessert that is great for sharing with the family during the Christmas season!
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies - A simple yet so delicious peanut butter cookie ready in only 15 minutes!
- Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies- If you love chocolate and raisins, you have to try these oatmeal raisinet cookies next time you are craving sweets!
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies- A classic, chewy, and crunchy family-favorite cookie perfect to make for any occasion!
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📖 Recipe Card
Bat Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Recipe For Bat Cutouts
- ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks softened, at room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or extract of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (use 1 teaspoon salt with unsalted butter)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Black Royal Icing
- 4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
- 3 tablespoon meringue powder
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (optional)
- 2-4 teaspoon black gel food coloring
White Icing For Eyes (Optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon milk (or more as needed to reach desired consistency)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Make The Sugar Cookie Bats
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the flour until it is evenly distributed throughout your sugar cookie dough. *If you plan to roll out your sugar cookies soon, you may place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- If you don't plan on rolling your cookies out for a while (up to 3 days), wrap the cookie dough in cling wrap to refrigerate and chill.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- Once your dough has chilled, separate small portions of the dough to work with on a floured surface. Roll out the dough until ¼-½ inch thick and cut into bats with your bat cookie cutter.
- Transfer your cookies to your prepared baking sheet and bake for 6-9 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Remove the cookies from the oven before the bottom edges become golden. Let them sit on on the baking sheet for 5-6 minutes before you transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool off completely.
Make The Black Royal Icing
- Add the confectioner's sugar, meringue powder, optional cocoa powder, to a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the water into the bowl and mix (on low speed if using a mixer) until combined.
- Drag a knife through the icing to test the consistency. If the gap in the icing closes quickly (in less than 10 seconds) continue to mix until it thickens.
- If it takes more than 20 seconds for the gap to close, it is too thick. Add a small amount of water (a few drops) and mix briefly. Repeat the testing process until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Add the black gel food coloring to the icing and mix it together by hand. If the icing is grey, add more black food coloring and mix until it is dark black in color.
Ice Your Cooled Sugar Cookies
- Add the icing to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner cut off. Begin by outlining your bats in black icing before filling in the inside.
- Allow the bat sugar cookies to dry overnight before adding the white eyes, if desired.
Make White Icing For Eyes (Optional)
- Combine powdered sugar and milk in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. If icing is too thick, add small amounts of milk as needed until it reaches desired consistency.
- Use a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a very small corner cut off to pipe the tiny eyes onto the face of each bat. You may also use a toothpick to dab and dot the eyes.
Notes
- Black-out food coloring is available at most Wal-Mart stores and can be ordered there, on Amazon, or Wilton, as well as cake decorating stores and Hobby Lobby.
- You will need ½ to 1 teaspoon of gel food coloring per 1 cup of icing.
- I prefer to let my baked sugar cookies set overnight before icing with black royal icing. The soft cookies tend to absorb the wet icing right after baking. When left to set overnight, the cookies form a film of sorts that prevents them from absorbing the icing.
- You may use pre-made sugar cookie dough or cookie mix to make these sugar cookie bats, if desired.
- To store: Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag between layers of wax paper. They will last at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Double wrap your sugar cookie dough in cling wrap then place it in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 6 months.
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