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. If you’re looking for fun ideas to keep the kids busy leading up to Halloween, be sure to check out the links. 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 Cake Journal 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
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened coca powder
- 1 tbsp milk
Directions
- 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.
This post is entered in the Kitchen Play Progressive Party, sponsored by McCormick.
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
Oct 21, 2011 at 6:07 ami love both interpretations of the mummy 🙂
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
Oct 21, 2011 at 6:24 amSuch a fun cookie to make with your cute boys!
kelley says
Oct 21, 2011 at 7:17 amGetting the kids in the kitchen is so rewarding, isn’t it? No matter what we make, Evan is always so proud of what he’s made and so excited to dive in and eat. I can’t decide what looks more edible, the cookies or the boys.
bellini says
Oct 21, 2011 at 7:34 amThese are such fun !!!!!!
KalynsKitchen says
Oct 21, 2011 at 8:53 amLove the photos of the little helpers! I’m a grinch when it comes to Halloween but I bet the kids loved making these.
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Oct 21, 2011 at 9:39 amCute. The fun part is that the kids think their cookies look just as good as yours 🙂
Jenny Flake says
Oct 21, 2011 at 9:48 amLove your cookies! My boys would LOVE decorating those 🙂 Have a great weekend!!
Lisa [With Style and Grace] says
Oct 21, 2011 at 9:59 amthese are great!
Maria says
Oct 21, 2011 at 2:47 pmWhat a fun project to do with the kiddos!
SweetSugarBelle says
Oct 21, 2011 at 4:07 pmADORABLE!!! I’d love to have helpers like yours! =)
claudia lamascolo/aka pegasuslegend says
Oct 21, 2011 at 4:21 pmlooks like fun to me!
Wenderly says
Oct 21, 2011 at 5:05 pmSo stinkin cute!!!!!
foodie @ Tasting Spot says
Oct 21, 2011 at 6:00 pmthey look really nice… great pictures
Krista {Budget Gourmet Mom} says
Oct 21, 2011 at 6:53 pmThose are adorable! My boys would love making these!
MikeVFMK says
Oct 21, 2011 at 7:56 pmThese cookies are adorable and I love that your boys are right in there helping out!
Tickled Red says
Oct 21, 2011 at 10:01 pmThese are adorable! What I love most is seeing what the kids come up with on their own. Theirs always seem to take the cake 🙂
Katrina says
Oct 22, 2011 at 5:24 amThese are so fun! I love simple cookies for occasions like Halloween. Cute 🙂
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Oct 22, 2011 at 6:57 amI’m so glad that your boys enjoyed making the mummy cookies!! They were my most favorite project from that post. Please give the kids a big “Happy Halloween” from me!
The Newlywed Chefs says
Oct 22, 2011 at 6:57 amOh how adorable!!
Nava Krishnan says
Oct 22, 2011 at 9:20 amYour sons did a good job as I can see the lovely outcome.
Island Vittles says
Oct 22, 2011 at 9:50 amThese are great — kids will love them, but they’re simple enough for even non-artists like me to pull them off. Great idea! Theresa
Angela and Marilena says
Oct 22, 2011 at 9:52 amLove the idea, so creative! They look so cute!
Curt says
Oct 22, 2011 at 10:08 amThose are very cool looking. You did a great job! You’re right, there are a lot of creative ideas out there!
Marla says
Oct 22, 2011 at 12:56 pmDara, LOVE this post. Totally pinned. Great job on the cookies 🙂
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet says
Oct 22, 2011 at 8:31 pmCute cute cute!! I think the boys looked like they enjoyed themselves! 🙂 Great post.
Sue says
Oct 22, 2011 at 8:56 pmSuch adorable cookies! Beautiful photos too! Your baking apprentices are so cute~love the tinted teeth after eating the cookies:)
Suzanne says
Oct 22, 2011 at 9:26 pmcute a simple perfect for kids 🙂
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
Oct 23, 2011 at 2:18 pmomg love these!!
Sandy says
Oct 23, 2011 at 2:28 pmDara! These are soooo adorable! Not the cookies, your boys. Well, the cookies too. The pictures of making these with your sons are real treasures.
SMITH BITES says
Oct 24, 2011 at 5:19 ami’m not sure which is cuter . . . the cookies or your kids!!!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oct 24, 2011 at 12:43 pmHow fun! The kids look like they are having a blast decorating these cookies.
Angie says
Oct 24, 2011 at 12:55 pmTOO cute!
megan @ whatmegansmaking says
Oct 25, 2011 at 1:23 pmThese are so fun!! Love that kids can do them too. 🙂
Liz says
Oct 27, 2011 at 10:08 amThese 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 🙂
Linda says
Oct 27, 2011 at 12:39 pmHow 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!
Nichol says
Oct 27, 2011 at 1:47 pmI am not at all creative when it comes to decorating and baking. These however look so fun and perfect for kiddos!
Donna says
Oct 27, 2011 at 2:13 pmSo, so darling – and looks easy!
Katherine Martinelli says
Oct 30, 2011 at 6:11 amThese (and your kids!) are too cute! Thanks for linking up at my Halloween blog hop 😀
cecilia says
Sep 9, 2015 at 6:08 pmI 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