Last week, I lamented over my lack of creative ability when it comes to holiday crafts and I reached to you for some help. Well, you came through with flying colors, linking up your wonderful Halloween recipe and craft ideas. There are so many of them that I plan to try and the first on the list were the mummy cookies from Lana of Never Enough Thyme. Lana's post includes the mummy cookies, as well as several other fun Halloween treat ideas.
I provided the directions for making your own frosting, but store-bought icing and sugar cookies will work, too. The most important thing is having fun, which is impossible to avoid when you mix kids and icing bags.
How to do it:
The cookies:
One of the tricks to decorating cookies is starting with a good cookie recipe. You want something that tastes good, but want to avoid cookies that puff up, which makes decorating challenging. This sugar cookie from Martha Stewart or this shortbread cookie from Joy of Baking are both good options.
The icing:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, milk, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Mix on low to combine, then turn to medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Scoop half of the icing into a bowl and set aside. To the icing in the mixer, add unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until combined.
Stir in drops of black icing color (found in most large craft stores, such as Michael's and cake decorating stores) into the chocolate icing until it turns black. This will make enough icing for 16 cookies.
Decorating the cookies:
The easiest way to decorate cookies is with a selection of piping bags, decorating tips and couplers, which can be bought inexpensively at many craft stores, such as Michael’s. If you are not planning to decorate often, you can buy a package of the disposable piping bags. Alternatively, you can scoop the icing into a ziploc bag and cut off a small corner of the bag to squeeze out the icing.
Using an offset spatula, cover the cookies with black icing.
For the eyes, we used #3 and #1 tips for the white and black parts of the eyes, respectively.
Switch the tip on the white icing to a #5 for the mummy cloth strips. Make various strips across the cookies, surrounding the eyes.
The boys diligently decorated each cookie, thoroughly covering themselves in icing - the sign of a good cookie-making session. The boys picked out their favorite pictures for the photo.
And then...the best part. They were very proud of their handiwork and more than happy to take the honor of eating the first cookies.
For more ideas on decorating cookies, head to How to: Decorate Cookies.
Cookie Icing
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup milk room temperature
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, milk, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
- Mix on low to combine, then turn to medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Scoop half of the icing into a bowl and set aside.
- To the icing in the mixer, add unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix until combined.
- Stir in drops of black icing color (found in most large craft stores, such as Michael’s and cake decorating stores) into the chocolate icing until it turns black. This will make enough icing for 16 cookies.
Nutrition
cecilia
I am not a baker, throw me a life jacket haha Anyhow is there a cookie a person can purchase at the store that can do. I can make the frosting though, plz help
Katherine Martinelli
These (and your kids!) are too cute! Thanks for linking up at my Halloween blog hop 😀
Donna
So, so darling - and looks easy!
Nichol
I am not at all creative when it comes to decorating and baking. These however look so fun and perfect for kiddos!
Linda
How fun!! And I love seeing the boys decorate the cookies!! I so miss having my kids at that age! Halloween is still my favorite time, but so very different now!
Liz
These are the best Halloween cookies I've ever seen! So darn cute. And I think even I might be able to pull off this decorating technique 🙂
megan @ whatmegansmaking
These are so fun!! Love that kids can do them too. 🙂
Angie
TOO cute!
Nutmeg Nanny
How fun! The kids look like they are having a blast decorating these cookies.
SMITH BITES
i'm not sure which is cuter . . . the cookies or your kids!!!
Sandy
Dara! These are soooo adorable! Not the cookies, your boys. Well, the cookies too. The pictures of making these with your sons are real treasures.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
omg love these!!
Suzanne
cute a simple perfect for kids 🙂
Sue
Such adorable cookies! Beautiful photos too! Your baking apprentices are so cute~love the tinted teeth after eating the cookies:)
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet
Cute cute cute!! I think the boys looked like they enjoyed themselves! 🙂 Great post.
Marla
Dara, LOVE this post. Totally pinned. Great job on the cookies 🙂
Curt
Those are very cool looking. You did a great job! You're right, there are a lot of creative ideas out there!
Angela and Marilena
Love the idea, so creative! They look so cute!
Island Vittles
These are great -- kids will love them, but they're simple enough for even non-artists like me to pull them off. Great idea! Theresa