When Halloween rolls around and you need treats that are both delicious and delightfully spooky, these bat-shaped cookies are exactly what your celebration needs. These tender, buttery cookies are cut into adorable bat silhouettes and decorated with simple icing to create treats that look like they flew straight out of a haunted house. Perfect for Halloween parties, trick-or-treat bags, or just adding some festive fun to your kitchen, this recipe makes about 36 cookies that will have kids and adults alike reaching for seconds.
The beauty of these bat cookies lies in their simplicity. You don’t need fancy decorating skills or expensive tools – just a bat-shaped cookie cutter and some basic icing ingredients. The cookie base is a classic sugar cookie that holds its shape beautifully when baked, creating crisp edges that show off those distinctive bat wing details. Whether you leave them plain, dust them with powdered sugar, or add simple black icing details, these cookies are guaranteed to be the hit of any Halloween gathering.
Serving Size: Makes about 36 cookies
What You’ll Need
This recipe uses pantry staples that you probably already have on hand. The key is using room temperature ingredients so everything mixes together smoothly. Here’s your complete ingredient list:
Cookie Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Simple Black Icing (Optional):
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- Black food coloring
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Getting Started
Before you begin mixing, take your butter and egg out of the refrigerator about an hour early so they come to room temperature. Cold ingredients won’t blend properly and can make your dough tough. You’ll also want to make sure you have a bat-shaped cookie cutter ready – they’re available at most grocery stores during Halloween season or online year-round.
Clear some space in your refrigerator because this dough needs to chill before rolling. Set up your workspace with clean countertops and have your rolling pin and cookie cutters within easy reach.
Making the Perfect Cookie Dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. This step is important because it creates the tender texture that makes these cookies so good.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until everything is well combined. Add the milk and mix briefly. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Don’t overmix, as this can make your cookies tough.
Chilling and Rolling the Dough
Divide your dough in half and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or even overnight. Chilled dough is much easier to roll out and won’t stick to your work surface.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take one disk of dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. If the dough gets too soft while you’re working, pop it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Cutting Out Your Bats
Use your bat-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible, cutting them close together to minimize scraps. Carefully transfer each bat to your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies.
Gather up the scraps, roll them out again, and cut more cookies. Repeat this process with the second disk of dough. You should get about 36 cookies total, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
Baking to Perfection
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. The centers should still look slightly soft – they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling step is crucial if you plan to add icing, as the icing will melt if applied to warm cookies.
Simple Icing Decoration
If you want to add some spooky details to your bats, making simple black icing is easy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if the icing seems too thick – it should be easy to spread but not runny.
Add black food coloring a few drops at a time until you reach your desired shade. Start with just a drop or two, as black food coloring is very strong.
You can spread this icing over the entire cookie with a small knife, or use it to add details like eyes or wing patterns. For eyes, you can pipe two small white dots using regular vanilla icing, or simply press mini white chocolate chips into the black icing before it sets.
Creative Decorating Ideas
These bat cookies are delicious plain, but there are lots of fun ways to decorate them. Dust them with black cocoa powder for a dramatic look, or sprinkle them with black sanding sugar while the icing is still wet.
For a simpler approach, lightly dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar to create a ghostly, moonlit effect. You can also use a toothpick to draw wing patterns in the icing before it dries.
If you’re making these with kids, set up a decorating station with different colored icings, sprinkles, and small candies. Let everyone create their own unique bat personality.
Storage and Serving
Store your finished bat cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper to prevent the icing from sticking together.
These cookies are perfect for Halloween parties, school treats, or gift bags for trick-or-treaters. Package them in clear cellophane bags tied with orange and black ribbons for a festive presentation.
Making Ahead Tips
The cookie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling and cutting.
Baked cookies (without icing) can be frozen for up to 2 months. Just thaw them at room temperature and add icing before serving.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If your cookies spread too much during baking, your dough was probably too warm. Make sure it’s properly chilled before rolling, and don’t leave cut cookies sitting at room temperature for too long before baking.
If the dough is too sticky to roll, dust your work surface and rolling pin with more flour, or chill the dough for another 30 minutes.
These bat-shaped cookies prove that Halloween treats don’t have to be complicated to be spectacular. With their buttery flavor and spooky shape, they’re sure to become a yearly tradition that brings smiles to faces both young and old.
