Bat and Cobweb Halloween Cookies (Print Version)
Spiced cookies shaped like bats and cobwebs make a festive, flavorful treat for Halloween gatherings.
# Ingredients:
01 -
6 cups all-purpose flour, sifted and measured, plus more for dusting
02 -
1 teaspoon baking soda
03 -
½ teaspoon baking powder
04 -
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
05 -
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
06 -
4 teaspoons ground ginger
07 -
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
08 -
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
09 -
1 ½ teaspoons salt
10 -
2 large eggs
11 -
1 ½ cups unsulfured molasses
12 -
Royal Icing
# Steps:
01 -
Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into a large bowl; set aside.
02 -
Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter and packed dark-brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.
03 -
Beat in ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Add eggs and molasses, beating until combined.
04 -
Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the sifted flour mixture until a dough forms.
05 -
Divide dough into 3 equal portions, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
06 -
Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
07 -
Use bat and cobweb cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Transfer cut pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
08 -
Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp but not darkened. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.
09 -
Using royal icing in a pastry bag with a small plain round tip, pipe an outline on each cookie and fill in the base color (e.g., black for bats, white for cobwebs). Smooth using an offset spatula and allow to dry slightly.
10 -
For each bat, pipe three lines in an arc over the wet base icing. Drag a wooden skewer across the icing in alternating directions to form bat wing designs. Add eyes once the icing has dried.
11 -
On the wet base icing, pipe a black spiral and decorative dots around the edge. Use a wooden skewer to draw lines from the center outward, creating a cobweb effect. Add spiders once the icing has dried.
# Helpful Notes:
01 -
Chilled dough makes cutting shapes easier and ensures cookies retain their crisp shapes during baking.