Halloween Pumpkin Cookies with Royal Icing

Cute decorated pumpkin cookie designs in about 1 hour active time

A crisp-tender sugar cookie that holds its shape, topped with shiny royal icing you can pipe into friendly or spooky jack-o’-lantern faces for parties, school treats, or a Halloween dessert tray.

Why you’ll love it

• Creative Halloween treats for school that pack and travel well.
• Cute Halloween cookie ideas with step-by-step icing notes.
• Pumpkin cookie designs that keep sharp edges and vibrant color.
• Royal icing method for smooth, glossy Halloween cookie icing.
• Works for holiday desserts recipes and make-ahead baking days.
• Perfect canvas for cookie Halloween decorating with kids.

Ingredients (notes only)

Sugar cookie dough

• Unsalted butter: softened for easy creaming.
• Granulated sugar: classic sweet crunch.
• Large egg + vanilla: binds and flavors.
• All-purpose flour: structure; a bit of baking powder for gentle lift.
• Salt: balances sweetness.
• Optional pumpkin pie spice or orange zest: mild pumpkin vibe without affecting dough color.

Royal icing

• Confectioners’ sugar: for a smooth finish.
• Meringue powder: no-egg, fast-drying stability.
• Water: adjust to outline vs flood consistency.
• Gel food coloring: orange, black, and a touch of green for stems.
• Optional light corn syrup: a teaspoon adds soft sheen.

Tools
Pumpkin cookie cutter or skull/pumpkin mold, rolling pin, parchment, piping bags, small round tips or cut bags, toothpicks or scribe tool, cooling racks.

Step-by-step

1. Make dough. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Combine dry. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture on low until a soft dough forms.
3. Chill. Divide dough, press into two disks, wrap, and chill 45 minutes until firm.
4. Preheat. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two sheets with parchment.
5. Roll and cut. Roll dough to 1/4 inch on lightly floured surface. Cut 3-inch pumpkins. Re-roll scraps once.
6. Bake. Arrange 1 inch apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set with just-barely golden bottoms.
7. Cool. Rest 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
8. Mix icing. Beat confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 6 tablespoons water to stiff peaks, 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust with drops of water for outline (toothpaste) and flood (honey) consistencies. Tint bowls orange, black, and green.
9. Outline. Pipe orange outlines on pumpkins; let set 5 minutes.
10. Flood. Loosen orange icing. Flood inside the line; use a toothpick to pop bubbles and nudge icing into corners. Dry 20 to 30 minutes.
11. Faces. Pipe black eyes, noses, and smiles; add green stems and vines.
12. Dry. Air-dry until surface is firm and stackable, 2 to 4 hours.

Pro tips

• Roll between two sheets of parchment for even thickness.
• Chill cut shapes on the sheet 10 minutes for extra crisp edges.
• Keep a small spray bottle of water to thin icing drop by drop.
• Use gel, not liquid coloring, so icing stays thick and vibrant.
• For sharp lines, pipe details after the flood layer crusts but before it fully hardens.
• Pack in single layers with parchment between to protect faces.

Variations

• Spiced pumpkin vibe: add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to the dough.
• Chocolate jack-o’-lanterns: swap 1/4 cup flour for cocoa powder.
• Simple glaze instead of royal icing: whisk 1 cup confectioners’ sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons milk and a little vanilla; tint and drizzle.
• Air fryer small batch: 300°F for 5 to 6 minutes; cool before icing.
• School party mini cookies: cut 2-inch shapes for 36 to 40 cookies.

How to serve

Arrange on a black or slate tray with other Halloween baking cookies. Add bowls of candy eyes, sprinkles, and extra icing for a decorate-your-own station.

Make ahead & storage

• Dough: refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge.
• Baked undecorated cookies: airtight at room temp 3 days or freeze 2 months.
• Decorated cookies: once dry, store airtight at room temp up to 1 week. Avoid humidity.

FAQs

Do these cookies spread?
The low-moisture dough, brief chill, and moderate bake keep edges sharp.

Can I use egg whites instead of meringue powder?
Yes. Replace the meringue powder and water with 2 pasteurized egg whites plus enough water to reach piping consistency.

How long should royal icing dry?
Surface dry in 30 minutes to 1 hour; fully dry for stacking in 2 to 4 hours, depending on room humidity.

Can I flavor the icing?
Use a few drops of clear vanilla, almond, or orange extract. Avoid dark extracts that tint the icing.

Simple Nutrition (estimate per 1 cookie, 24 cookies)

Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat	Fiber	Sugar
150	2 g	24 g	6 g	0 g	14 g