DESSERT

These are not your average cake mix cookies. These Zombie Cookies are creepy and ghastly – just like the undead who want to eat your brains.

Zombie cookies are super cute and spooky treats to make for your friends and family this Halloween. They are deliciously soft and chewy, made from cake mix, tinted with fun zombie colors, and are the perfect Halloween treat because they are both sweet and frightening.

You better make a double batch because these cookies are a FAN FAVORITE! What could be better on the scariest day of the year?

Halloween is the most frightful time of the year. If you are thinking about something sweet to make for your Halloween party, these cookies will be perfect to share with your friends.

I always love to bake goods for the holiday season. I think one of the best times of year is Halloween. It is dark and creepy, but with so many fun things to do like carving pumpkins, costumes, and collecting candy.

I love to make all different kinds of Halloween cookies. My mind is always bursting with ideas this time of year – from cute Halloween cookies to creepy ones too.

Halloween Cookies Easy

Here are some commonly asked questions

Can you freeze zombie cookies?

Yes, but just not after baking. To freeze, just roll the cookie dough into balls & do not dip them in the sugar. Then place the dough balls on a plate or cookie sheet & flash freeze them. Once they’ve been flash-frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag & freeze for up to 1 month. When you want to make the cookies, just thaw the dough for 20-30 minutes, roll into the sugar and bake!

Do I really need to chill the dough?

YES- please, as hard as it is to wait- don’t skip the chilling process. It is key to making sure your dough is firm enough to hold together. Otherwise, you won’t get that beautiful crinkle-look you want with these cookies.

You only need 30 minutes for this recipe – so it isn’t too bad like other cookies that require a 4-hour minimum chill time. You can always make the dough after dinner the night before & then bake in the morning.

What I have found is that I can pop the dough in the fridge, get the oven preheating and then wash any dishes I have made and maybe sort the mail. By then the 30 minutes have passed and I’m ready to get baking.

Why do my cookies go flat?

Cookies typically go flat when the dough isn’t the right temperature at the time of baking OR when they are missing the right ingredients that help them to rise- such as eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. Please make sure you are measuring those ingredients correctly and that they are at room temperature when you start the mixing.

Also – something to keep in mind- make sure you are placing the dough on a cool baking sheet. The cookies will bake differently if you are placing the dough on the hot baking sheet you just removed from the oven. Make sure you have a rotation of baking sheets so you can always place the unbaked dough on a cool tray.

Zombie Cookies Recipe

What food color do you recommend?

I really love using a soft gel food color because the pigment is more intense and makes the dough less watery. For these cookies, I use electric purple and electric green.

Why do the ingredients need to be at room temperature?

Room temperature ingredients help to ensure that everything blends together perfectly. You don’t want any pockets of unblended butter. You want everything evenly disbursed for the perfect texture.

When your dairy products are at room temperature, they can create an emulsion. It’s essential to have an emulsion because air gets trapped, so the baked goods expand and get fluffy as it bakes.

What is the best way to store leftover zombie cookies?

The easiest way is to place them in an airtight container & store them at room temperature. Keep in mind that the confectioner’s sugar might get a bit moist in that airtight container & soak into the cookies a bit by day 2. So, please enjoy within 2-3 days.

Can these cookies be made ahead of time?

You bet. This cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days prior to baking. Make sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before rolling and baking.

Zombie Halloween

Ingredients for Zombie Cookies

• cream cheese – room temperature
• butter – room temperature
• egg
• vanilla extract
• white cake mix
• food coloring – in purple and green
• sprinkles – optional
• confectioner’s sugar
• candy eyeballs

How to soften the butter to room temperature?

First

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.

I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.

But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.

Second

I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.

This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.

Third

My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.

Cookies Halloween Recipe

How to Make Zombie Cookies

1. Combine the cream cheese, butter, egg and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl. Beat together until light and fluffy.
2. Add the cake mix and stir slowly until just combined.
3. Divide the batter into two bowls.
4. Add the food coloring and any desired sprinkles to each bowl and mix until the color is uniform throughout and the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
5. Cover and chill each color of dough for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Roll 2-3 tablespoon-sized portions into balls and then roll those in the confectioner’s sugar to coat.
8. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press them down slightly but don’t completely flatten.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
10. Add the candy eyes to each of the cookies immediately after removing from the oven before they cool – pressing them in just deep enough so they don’t fall out.
11. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Can this recipe be doubled?

Yes, absolutely. This recipe makes about 24-30 cookies depending on how large you make them. So if you need more – maybe for a Halloween party – doubling is super easy.

Cute Halloween Cookies

---

DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!

---

**If you love these, you’ll want to check out our adorable Halloween Oreo Balls too!

Products I love when making zombie cookies…

This zombie cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made cake mix cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.

• vanilla extract
• white cake mix
• food coloring – in purple and green
• sprinkles – optional
• confectioner’s sugar
• bloodshot eyeballs
• green/yellow candy eyes
• mini candy eyes
• candy eyes
• 3/4 sheet pans
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons

---

If you love these Easy Zombie Cookies, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Cake Mix Recipe Ideas

Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

Oreo Cake Mix Donuts

Red Velvet Cake Mix Crinkle Cookies

Patriotic Cake Mix Cookies

Frosted Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

Funfetti Cake Mix Bars

St. Patrick’s Day Cake Mix Cookie Bars

Birthday Cookies

Andes Mint Cookies

Gooey Butter Cookies

Snowman Cookies

---

---

If you love this recipe for Zombie Cookies as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!

---

---

---

Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies are a soft, pinwheel sugar cookie recipe, made with fun holiday colors like green, orange, purple and black! Perfect for your Halloween celebrations.

Oh, how I love pinwheel cookies. They are so fun to make and are so incredibly soft and chewy. I love these because they stay soft for so many days – which just makes me so happy.

You see, I have this thing – I only like cookies on the first day. Once they start to dry out – I’m not a fan. But THESE pinwheel cookies – they are just as good on the second, third, and fourth days as they are on the first. SOOOOO delicious!

But the fun part about these cookies is that the color combinations are endless. I happen to love green and purple as my preferred Halloween colors. So of course those were my first batch.

But I know that a good portion of the population loves the traditional orange and black. But while I was at it – the green and black were calling me too.

Needless to say – I was up to my eyeballs in pinwheel cookies here and no one was complaining. We could all eat our weight in these cookies because they are SO GOOD!

Halloween Pinwheel Cookies

Here are some commonly asked questions

Should I use salted or unsalted butter?

This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.

I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.

These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.

How do I properly measure the flour?

The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.

However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.

Don’t miss our Halloween Cookie Dough too!

Swirl Sugar Cookies

Can these cookies be made ahead of time?

You bet. This cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days prior to baking. You may need to let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing and baking.

What do you mean by soft butter?

You will need to take your butter out of the fridge about an hour before you would like to bake the cookies for the butter to soften but not get too soft.

Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

How to make Halloween Sugar Cookies

1. Combine flour, salt & baking powder in a bowl, mix and set aside.
2. In another large mixer bowl, cream together the softened butter & sugar.
3. Once smooth, add the eggs & vanilla and beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time. Mix until the dough is smooth and flour is fully incorporated.
5. Separate your dough into two equal parts.
6. Color one of the portions of dough orange, and one black. Use the mixer to beat the color into the dough until you have reached the desired shade of each color. Be sure to rinse out the bowl and the beater inbetween the colors so that you don’t cross the colors and end up with something other than the desired color.
7. Once the dough is tinted to the desired color – form it into a ball, then flatten it into a patty and then reshape the edges to form a rectangle.
8. Wrap each flattened rectangle in plastic, and allow the dough to firm up in the refrigerator for about an hour or two.

After Chilling

1. Roll out each ball of dough to about ⅛ – ¼” thick, and stack them on top of the other (I did orange on the bottom, then black).
2. Trim the edges with a pizza cutter so you have nice, straight edges.
3. If desired – Pour some sprinkles into your hand & brush the outside of the dough with a bit of water and then press the sprinkles into the outside of the dough log.
4. Roll the dough into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Cut the log of dough into ¼ – ½” thick cookies and place the rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet – approx 2 inches apart. The thinner the blade used to slice them, the better. A thick blade will tend to squish the dough.
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until no longer shiny on top.

Ingredients for Halloween Sugar Cookies

• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• butter at room temperature
• granulated sugar
• large eggs
• vanilla extract
• orange gel food coloring – I used electric orange  *see notes for other color combos
• black gel food coloring – I used super black  *see notes for other color combos
• Halloween sprinkles – if desired

Black/Green

• black gel food coloring – I used super black
• green gel food coloring – I used electric green

Purple/Green

• purple gel food coloring – I used electric purple
• green gel food coloring – I used electric green

How to soften the butter to room temperature?

First

There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.

I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.

But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.

Second

I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.

This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.

Third

My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.

Sugar Cookies Halloween

Why do the ingredients need to be at room temperature?

Room temperature ingredients help to ensure that everything blends together perfectly. You don’t want any pockets of unblended butter. You want everything evenly disbursed for the perfect texture.

When your dairy products are at room temperature, they can create an emulsion. It’s essential to have an emulsion because air gets trapped, so the baked goods expand and get fluffy as it bakes.

Other Delicious Cookies

Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies

Jack Frost Pinwheel Cookies

Easter Sugar Cookies

Sugar Halloween Cookies

What is the best way to store pinwheel cookies?

Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, place them in an airtight container or zip-top bag. They should stay soft for several days. I don’t recommend refrigerating them.

What are the best sprinkles for this dough?

This is important – just because the package says “sprinkles” doesn’t necessarily mean that it is in fact sprinkles.

I see a lot of people using colored sanding sugar that is labeled as sprinkles.

This will not work as well because when that sugar gets wet – like when mixed into a moist dough or when placed in the refrigerator, it will sweat & the color will bleed out.

Halloween Sugar Cookie Recipe

Do I really need to chill the dough?

Yes, Yes, Yes! Chilling the dough is important for a couple of reasons. First – while the dough is chilling the ingredients are coming together. It gives a better overall flavor to the cookie.

The second and probably even more important than the first – is that chilling helps the dough hold together during the baking process.

Without chilling, the dough would not only be too sticky to really roll it into balls. But it would also spread way too much while baking – leaving flat and not very appealing cookies in the end. Please don’t skip the chilling process.

Can this recipe be cut in half?

I understand wanting to cut this recipe in half. But it would be quite difficult to separate that small amount of dough into separate parts and then roll it into the log. You would be better off making the recipe as written and then freeze half of the dough for a later time.

Can this recipe be doubled?

You can, and we do it often. I actually find it easier to work with a larger portion of dough – but I do have to use my larger mixer to accommodate the increase in volume.

DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!

Products I love when making Halloween Sugar Cookies…

This cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made pinwheel cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.

• electric orange food color
• electric purple food color
• super black food color
• electric green food color
• Halloween sprinkles
• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• mixer

---

If you love this Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies recipe, you’re going to love these other Halloween treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

---

---

If you love this recipe for Halloween Sugar Cookies as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!

---

---

---