Sugared Halloween Cookies

Just in time for the little trick-or-treaters in your life, these melt-in-your-mouth orange, green, purple, and black cookies are about to become everyone’s favourite Halloween treat! Sugared Halloween Cookies are made with just five ingredients, and they’re quick and easy too!

Every year, I try to share at least one or two recipes that are either black or orange for Halloween. This year, I went a little overboard and made these Sugared Halloween Cookies. There are four colours that are often associated with Halloween, and even though the green in the photos is not the ride shade, I’m using it anyway, because that’s the only shade of green sanding sugar I could find.

In essence, this is very similar to a classic butter cookie recipe, but with lots of colourful sanding sugar and with fewer ingredients. Some of the ingredients in this cookie dough will have you doubting the recipe, but trust me, you really do need four and a half teaspoons of baking powder!

The great thing about recipes like this is that not only are they easy, delicious, and festive, but they can be prepared to fit just about any celebration. You don’t have to stick to Halloween for these. I made them once for the 4th of July using red, white, and blue sugar. If it is a national holiday you are celebrating, consider using the corresponding colour of sanding sugar. For example, those of you from Germany might consider black, red, and yellow sanding sugar.

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will hold up, but not as well as sanding sugar. And, your version of these Sugared Halloween Cookies will most certainly not look as festive.

If you can only find granulated sugar, I’m afraid this recipe is not right for you. You can find sanding sugars online, but they tend to be more expensive online. If you’re in Canada, go to your local Bulk Barn or your local baking supply store. They have lots of different colours and the price is much, much lower.

As a last resort, I do have other Halloween-themed recipes that you can try instead. Let’s see… how about my Copycat Lofthouse Cookies or these Halloween Stamp Cookies?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is the sugar, the milk, and the binder of the recipe. Basically, it holds the cookie together. Please note that in some instances, a can of sweetened condensed milk in Canada can differ from the size of the can in the US. You will need 14 ounces, which is 397 grams.
• Butter – Use softened salted butter for this recipe.
• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is great.
• Baking Powder – You will need the full 4 1/2 teaspoons! Yes, it’s certainly a lot in comparison to other cookie recipes, but it works every time.
• Sanding Sugar – Obviously, I used orange, green, purple, and black.

HOW TO MAKE SUGARED HALLOWEEN COOKIES

This cookie recipe practically makes itself. It’s really easy to do and it doesn’t require any special skill or talent. Also, you don’t need to make a lot of dishes dirty. The cookie dough all comes together in one bowl. Here’s how to make it!

In a mixing bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat the butter until light and fluffy. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and beat it into the butter until well incorporated. Next, add the flour and the baking powder. Beat into the butter and condensed milk mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Afterwards, portion the dough using a cookie scoop. You will want a slightly rounded teaspoon of cookie dough. Roll it into a ball and then roll it generously in the sanding sugar. Set onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each ball.

Bake for exactly 12 minutes at 325 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Once cooled, cookies can be bagged for gift-giving, or stored in a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep on your kitchen counter for up to five days. Also, cookies can be frozen for up to three months.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone unfamiliar with gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

HEY – WHAT ABOUT ADD-INS?

You can add things to the cookie dough to make these cookies just a little bit different or less plain – if that’s your thing! Extracts will work in this recipe, but please keep in mind that the cookies you see in the photos do not have any extract. Adding extract will change the consistency of the cookie dough, so depending on how much you use, your cookie might be flatter when it has finished baking. In any case, never add more than two teaspoons of extract.

You can also add chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolates, like M&Ms, for example. You might also consider adding nuts. If you add any nuts, like peanuts or pecans, for example, be sure to toast them first to get the maximum flavour. I would even consider adding coconut to these cookies. Again, toast the coconut first.

Finally, something chewy would also work well. What about dried cranberries or raisins? What about candied cherries? They’re always a great choice and always make cookies look extra festive and colourful! There really are so many options. If you decide to add anything to your cookies, pay attention to the recipe card below so that you know when to add it and how much to add.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Sugared Halloween Cookies, you certainly can! Once cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!