Halloween Bone Cookies
These Halloween Bone Cookies are easy to make without cookie cutters! It is an easy, unique, fun, homemade Halloween cookie recipe for kids - Safe for humans!
Servings 14 Cookies
Calories 78kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 5 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons milk
- red gel food coloring as needed
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugar. Add ½ cup butter, ½ cup + 2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ⅛ teaspoon salt to a medium bowl and beat with an electric beater for two minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Finish dough. Add 1 cup + 5 tablespoon flour and 2 teaspoon milk, then beat on low speed until the dough comes together. Gently knead the dough a few times by hand until smooth. It should feel firm but pliable—not too soft or stiff. If the dough feels too soft, knead in 1 tablespoon of additional flour.👉 When measuring the milk, fill each teaspoon to the brim without adding extra. Too much milk will make the dough softer, which can cause the bone shapes to spread while baking.
- Shape. Take a level 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Then roll it into a 3-inch log to form the bone's center.
- Finish shaping. Take another level tablespoon of dough and divide it in half. Roll each piece into a thick log for the ends. Attach them to each end of the center log, gently pinching and pressing the seams together to secure.👉 Don’t worry about making them perfectly smooth—cracks and little imperfections make the bones spookier! 👉 When shaping the bones, keep both the center and the ends no more than ½-inch thick. If they’re too thick, they won’t crisp up properly while baking.
- Chill. Repeat with the remaining dough, then place the bones on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate the baking sheet for several hours or overnight before baking.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake the cookies for 23 to 28 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until they turn a deep golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely. 👉 Achieving that deep golden color is key for a crisp texture—if you remove them too early while still pale, they won’t crisp up properly.
- Make icing. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup confectioners’ sugar with about 1 teaspoon of water and a dash of red food coloring to create a blood-colored icing with a dripping consistency. Adjust the water and food coloring as needed to achieve a deep, rich red—I used more than half of a small bottle for the best effect.
- Decorate. Place the cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch any drips. Using a small spoon, randomly drizzle the icing over the cookies to create a spooky effect. Let them sit for a couple of hours, or until the icing is completely set.
Video
Notes
Food coloring – Use Gel food coloring (I used Wilton’s Red Gel) and not liquid.
Use gel food coloring: For a deep blood-red icing, use gel food coloring rather than liquid. You’ll need about ½ ounce, or roughly half a container, depending on the brand and how intense you want the color.
Chill the dough: After shaping the bone cookies, refrigerate them for several hours or overnight. This firms up the dough and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Imperfect is perfect: Don’t worry about making perfectly smooth bones. Cracks, uneven edges, and slightly “broken” bone ends make them look even spookier!
Storage: Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. Baked cookies without the icing can be frozen for about 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.02mg