Name: Jack Skellington Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 6 h 38 min
Yield: 36
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups granulated sugar; 4 large eggs; 1–2 teaspoons vanilla extract (suggested; amount not specified in the original recipe); 2 egg whites, preferably pasteurised; 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed; ½ teaspoon cream of tartar; Black gel food colouring; Water, as needed to thin the icing

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Make Jack Skellington cookies with this easy recipe and royal icing. These fun Nightmare Before Christmas cookies are perfect for Halloween!

These Jack Skellington cookies are a fun way to bring a little spooky charm to your Halloween baking. Made with homemade sugar cookies and decorated with black royal icing, each cookie features Jack’s signature skull face, complete with his expressive eyes and stitched smile.

Whether you’re planning a Halloween party, a movie night, or a The Nightmare Before Christmas themed celebration, these decorated sugar cookies are sure to stand out. The dough can be made ahead of time, making it easier to fit the baking and decorating into a busy day. All you need is a round cookie cutter, a piping bag, and a little patience to create Jack’s unmistakable face.

Recipe Highlights

Perfect for Halloween: These Jack Skellington cookies are a fun addition to Halloween parties, themed movie nights, and spooky dessert tables.
Classic sugar cookies: The buttery sugar cookie base makes a great canvas for royal icing decorations.
Make-ahead friendly: Chilling the dough for several hours helps make it easier to roll out and cut into neat circles.
Simple decorating design: Jack’s face uses black icing to create his eyes, nose, and signature stitched smile.
Fun baking project: Get the family involved in cutting out the cookies and decorating them once they have cooled.

Tips for Best Results

Chill the dough thoroughly. Refrigerate it for at least 6 hours or overnight. Firm dough is easier to roll and cut, and it helps the cookies hold their shape.
Work with manageable portions. Keep the remaining dough chilled while rolling and cutting the first batch.
Use a light dusting of flour. Too much flour can make the cookies dry and tough. Add only enough to prevent sticking.
Watch the baking time. Begin checking the cookies at 8 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on their size and thickness.
Let the cookies cool completely. Warm cookies can cause royal icing to melt or slide.
Separate outlining and flooding icing. Use thicker icing to outline each face, then thin a portion slightly with water to fill the outlined areas.
Practise the design first. Use a reference picture of Jack Skellington and practise his eyes, nose, and stitched smile on parchment paper before decorating the cookies.
Allow plenty of drying time. Leave the finished cookies undisturbed for at least 5 hours, or longer if the icing is still soft.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Sugar Cookies

All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the cookies. Measure carefully to avoid a dry dough.
Baking powder: Gives the cookies a little lift.
Salt: Balances the sweetness.
Unsalted butter: Adds richness and a buttery flavour. If using salted butter, reduce or omit the added salt.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cookies and helps create their classic texture.
Eggs: Bind the dough and provide structure.
Vanilla extract: The original directions mention adding vanilla, but no amount is listed in the ingredients. Add 1–2 teaspoons if vanilla was intended.

Royal Icing

Egg whites: Provide structure and help the icing set. For food safety, consider using pasteurised egg whites or pasteurised liquid egg whites suitable for royal icing.
Powdered sugar: Also called icing sugar, this sweetens and thickens the icing.
Cream of tartar: Helps stabilise the egg whites.
Black gel food colouring: Creates Jack’s signature facial features. Gel colouring is preferable to liquid colouring because it adds less moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! You can make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. You can also bake the cookies in advance and decorate them once they have cooled completely.

Allow at least 5 hours for the icing to dry, although thicker decorations or humid conditions may require more time. Make sure the icing is completely set before stacking or storing the cookies.

Chill the dough thoroughly and lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator until firm again.

You can use store-bought sugar cookie dough to save time. Choose a dough suitable for rolling and cutting, and follow the package directions for baking.

Once the royal icing is completely dry, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Place parchment paper between layers to protect the decorations.

Plain, baked sugar cookies can generally be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them completely before decorating. Decorated cookies may also be frozen, but the icing can become damaged by condensation, so test the method with a small batch first.

36 Cookies

Jack Skellington Cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Additional Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 38 minutes

No Ratings

Ingredients

For the sugar cookies

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1–2 teaspoons vanilla extract (suggested; amount not specified in the original recipe)

For the royal icing

2 egg whites, preferably pasteurised
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Black gel food colouring
Water, as needed to thin the icing

Instructions

Make the dough. Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined.
Add the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until a dough forms.
Chill. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 325°F. Let the dough soften slightly at room temperature so it is easier to roll.
Cut the cookies. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to an even thickness and cut into circles. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, checking for doneness. Let the cookies cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the icing. Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar on medium speed for about 4 minutes, until thick. Add black gel food colouring and mix well.
Prepare the piping icing. Transfer some thick icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip for outlining and details. Thin a separate portion with water, a few drops at a time, until it can be spread or piped to fill the desired areas.
Decorate. Use a picture of Jack Skellington as a guide. Pipe his eyes, two small nose marks, and a curved smile with short stitch marks. Allow the outline to dry briefly before filling any outlined areas.
Let the cookies set. Leave the decorated cookies undisturbed for at least 5 hours, or until the icing is completely dry.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 Cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 105mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g

This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although rosemaryandmaple.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.