Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies

These Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies are spooky, colorful, and buttery soft — the perfect treat to celebrate Halloween! Made from scratch with vanilla sugar cookie dough, vibrant black and purple swirls, and a fun surprise pattern inside, these cookies are as delicious as they are festive. Perfect for Halloween parties, cookie swaps, or a fun baking day with the kids!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

If you love cookies that are easy to make but look like you spent hours decorating them, these Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies are your dream recipe. There’s no rolling, cutting, or frosting needed — just chill, slice, and bake! The swirl of spooky black and purple colors makes them the ultimate Halloween treat, combining buttery sweetness with a festive flair.

Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies

Halloween is the perfect excuse to play with your food — especially when it comes to baking! These Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies are the kind of fun, festive, and family-friendly treat that turns an ordinary October afternoon into a mini celebration. With their hypnotic swirls of purple and black, buttery vanilla flavor, and crisp yet tender texture, these cookies capture the spirit of Halloween in every bite.

The best part? They look fancy but are surprisingly simple to make. Slice-and-bake cookies are a baker’s secret weapon — a classic technique that lets you prepare dough ahead of time, chill it, and simply slice when you’re ready to bake. No cookie cutters or piping bags required! That makes them perfect for busy families, holiday prep, or anyone who loves beautiful cookies without the extra effort.

For this recipe, we’re starting with a buttery sugar cookie base — a timeless favorite that’s rich, tender, and perfectly sweet. The dough gets divided and colored with gel food coloring (black and purple work beautifully here) to create bold Halloween hues that won’t fade during baking. The two colors are layered together, rolled into a log, and chilled until firm enough to slice into clean, colorful rounds.

When you cut through the dough, you’ll see the mesmerizing swirl pattern — each cookie looking like a little Halloween galaxy! Once baked, the edges are coated with black sugar sprinkles for extra sparkle and texture. Every bite delivers a buttery crunch with a hint of vanilla and just the right amount of festive fun.

And because these cookies are so easy to customize, you can use different cookie cutters or color combinations to fit any occasion — orange and black for classic Halloween, green and purple for a witchy vibe, or even candy corn colors for a playful twist.

This recipe also works wonderfully for make-ahead baking. You can prepare the dough up to a week in advance, keep it in the fridge or freezer, and bake fresh cookies whenever you want. That’s especially useful if you’re planning a Halloween party or cookie exchange and need time to prepare multiple desserts.

Beyond being festive, these cookies are simply delicious. The texture is somewhere between shortbread and sugar cookies — crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery. The hint of vanilla gives them that nostalgic homemade flavor, while the colors make them fun for both kids and adults.

Serve them with hot cocoa, apple cider, or a pumpkin spice latte for the ultimate fall treat. You can even package them in little Halloween treat bags for classroom parties, bake sales, or edible gifts. They’re as photogenic as they are tasty — ideal for sharing on Instagram, Pinterest, or your next Halloween dessert table.

Whether you’re baking with kids, throwing a spooky soirée, or just love adding seasonal flair to your kitchen, these Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies are the perfect addition to your Halloween dessert lineup. They’re festive, foolproof, and guaranteed to disappear fast!

Servings & Time

Servings: 24–30 cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Bake Time: 12–14 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 18 oz all-purpose flour (4 ¼ cups)

• ½ tsp salt

• 8 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed

• 12 ¼ oz granulated sugar (1 ¾ cups)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• Black gel food coloring (e.g. Americolor Super Black)

• Purple gel food coloring (e.g. Americolor Electric Purple and Regal Purple)

• 1 egg white

• Small Halloween cookie cutters (optional, for shapes)

• Black sugar sprinkles

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients:

   • In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar:

   • In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes).

   • Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add dry ingredients:

   • Gradually mix in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.

4. Divide and color:

   • Split the dough in half.

   • Tint one portion with black gel food coloring and the other with purple. Mix until evenly colored.

5. Form the log:

   • Roll out each colored dough into a rectangle.

   • Layer one on top of the other and gently roll into a log shape for a swirl pattern.

   • Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) until firm.

6. Preheat oven:

   • Set to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Slice and decorate:

   • Unwrap the dough and slice into ¼-inch thick rounds.

   • Lightly brush the edges with egg white, then roll in black sugar sprinkles for sparkle.

8. Bake:

   • Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

   • Bake 12–14 minutes, until set but not browned.

   • Cool on wire racks completely before serving.

Tips

• For sharp designs: Use very cold dough and a sharp knife when slicing.

• Color intensity: Use gel food coloring, not liquid — it keeps the dough firm and colors vibrant.

• Flavor variation: Add almond extract or orange zest for a fun twist.

• Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.