I’m not much of a cookie aficionado, but Halloween brings out the baker in me. (It also brings out the witch in me, but that’s for another post.) In honor of my favorite cookie-making holiday, we’ve found the cutest, yummiest Halloween treats ever. So feast your zombie eyes on these. The kids are going to freak out!
I’m telling you, Halloween cookies are easy, and there isn’t all that Christmas-y pressure. These days, finding Halloween-themed cookie cutters is a cinch (like the “gingerdead” men cookie cutters, heh). The color palette can be more limited to orange, black and green–and if your cookie comes out looking all wonky and creepy, all the better!

COLORFUL PAINTED PUMPKIN COOKIES

Let’s start with bright, happy and gorgeous. These colorful painted pumpkin cookies (above) by Glory of Glorious Treats are all that…and then some. To get started, you’ll need a batch of sugar-cookie dough (store-bought will do), royal icing, food coloring and a pumpkin cookie cutter. Bonus: Glory shows her cookies in progress and–hold on to your witch’s hat–the process doesn’t look as hard as you’d expect.

CHEVRON PUMPKIN COOKIES

I also love these chevron pumpkin cookies from Lizy B Bakes. I know: my name is Stacie, and I am a chevron addict. But look at how irresistible these are! The step-by-step tutorial lets any of you crafty mamas follow it easily. (Then send me a batch, okay?)

BONE MERINGUES AND BLOOD-RED HOT CHOCOLATE

Want something just as festive, but a little easier? And maybe a little spookier, too, for the tweens and teens? Serve up some creepytastic Blood and Bones, from Joy the Baker. Simple bone-shaped meringues (made with two ingredients, people) and a deep red hot chocolate might just be the best Halloween snack ever. Seriously.

NUTTER BUTTER GHOST COOKIES

I like making Halloween cookies with my kids, but I find that yelling “You ruined the chevron pattern again!” is not exactly the fast track to Mom of the Year. That’s when it’s time for me to chill out and do simpler projects with the kiddos, like these adorable ghost cookies. Buy a box of Nutter Butters, then have the little ones dip the cookies in melted white chocolate and add two chocolate chip eyes. Awesome Halloween cookies, faster than you can scream boo at your kids (to scare them away from your precious chevrons, of course).

MUMMY COOKIE POPS

If you’re more of a mummy mama, you’ll love these super cute mummy cookie pops by Meaghan of The Decorated Cookie. I’ll admit that they are more involved than the ghost cookies, but they’re fairly straightforward once you buy all the ingredients, which include royal icing, candy eyeballs and white fondant (available at baking supply stores or our Amazon affiliate).

ZOMBIE COOKIES

These zombie cookies by Elise at A Beautiful Mess have more of a handmade feel than the mummies. See what I mean about the glory of imperfect Halloween cookies? It just works. These are so easy that there’s no recipe: just slather your favorite sugar cookie with colored icing and pimp out your zombie with peach jelly rings, peppermint candies, candy corn and anything else you can think of.

CANDY CORN COOKIES

These simple slice-and-bake candy corn cookies from Sweet Sugarbelle may not be as flashy as the rest, but they are the easiest of the bunch, and festive, too. My favorite thing about them is that they are anatomically correct. (Yes, candy corn has a fixed anatomy.) If you take your candy corn seriously like perfectionists Sugarbelle and I, this is the recipe for you. No trick, just pure treat. –Stacie