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Easy Black Cat Halloween Cookies with Royal Icing

Black Cat Halloween Cookies - featured image
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These Black Cat Halloween Sugar Cookies are not about perfection — they are about personality. A tender, buttery sugar cookie base with cream cheese is paired with a foolproof royal icing that sets firm but still has a soft bite, making them perfect for Halloween parties.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces (113g) full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder (Wilton brand recommended)
  • 5–6 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or clear vanilla)
  • Black gel food coloring (Americolor Super Black recommended)
  • White and pink gel food coloring (optional, for details)
  • Black sanding sugar or black sprinkles (optional)
  • Edible glitter in black or silver (optional)
  • Candy eyes (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add granulated sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; beat on low until combined. Gradually add flour mixture on low until just incorporated. Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic, an…
  2. Roll and Cut the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut with a cat-shaped cookie cutter (or 3-inch round cutter with hand-cut ears). Transfer to baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Refrigerate cut cookies for 15-30 minutes.
  3. Bake the Cookies: Bake chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Edges should be just barely golden; centers set but not browned. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  4. Prepare the Royal Icing: In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine sifted powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 5 tablespoons warm water and vanilla. Mix on low, then beat on medium-high for 5-7 minutes until thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks. Adjust consistency with water or powdered sugar as needed. Divide icing into three bowls; color largest portion black, a small portion white, and an even smaller portion pink. Transfer to piping bags with #2 round tips.
  5. Decorate the Cookies: Pipe black outline around each cookie. Let dry 10 minutes. Thin remaining black icing to 10-second consistency; flood inside outlines. Use toothpick to spread and pop bubbles. Let dry 4-6 hours. Once dry, pipe white eyes and pink nose. For whiskers, use white icing with #1 tip. Let details dry 1 hour before handling.

Notes

Chilling the dough and cut cookies is non-negotiable to prevent spreading. Royal icing takes 4-6 hours to dry completely; plan ahead. Use high-quality black gel food coloring to avoid bitter taste. Imperfect cats are charming—embrace the wobble. Cookies store well at room temperature for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: black cat cookies, Halloween sugar cookies, royal icing cookies, cat-shaped cookies, Halloween baking, easy sugar cookies, cream cheese sugar cookies

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