Grilled Halloween Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

How to Make Grilled Halloween Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

1. 1

   Step 1: Make the quick no‑chill sugar cookie dough

   Active 10 min

   In a large bowl, cream the salted butter and granulated sugar together until pale and slightly fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Add the large egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Stir in the all-purpose flour and baking powder just until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms — don't overmix. If dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 1 tablespoon additional flour, a little at a time. This dough is designed to be rolled and cut immediately (no chilling).

   For this step

   • 2 1/4 cupsall-purpose flour
   • 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
   • 1/2 cupsalted butter, softened
   • 1 unitlarge egg
   • 1 tspvanilla extract
   • 1 tspbaking powder
   
2. 2

   Step 2: Roll, cut, and transfer for grilling

   Active 10 min

   Divide the dough in half and place each half between two sheets of parchment; roll to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut shapes and lift the cut cookies with the top parchment onto a clean sheet of parchment (or a baking tray) for easy transfer. Aim to cut approximately 18 cookies total from the combined dough. Keep scraps, press together briefly, and re-roll once if needed.
   
3. 3

   Step 3: Grill the cookies until lightly charred

   Active 12 min · Passive 10 min

   Preheat the grill to medium (about 350–375°F / 175–190°C) and oil the grill grates lightly with a paper towel if desired (tool, not required). Place the parchment with cookies onto a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a perforated grill tray and set on the grill over indirect+medium heat. Close the lid and grill 4–6 minutes until the bottoms show light grill marks, then open and carefully flip each cookie; grill another 4–6 minutes until edges are set and bottoms have a faint char. Remove and let cool on the parchment for 10 minutes so cookies firm up (this cooling time also gives you time to make the icing).
   
4. 4

   Step 4: Make the easy royal icing

   Active 8 min

   While cookies cool, whisk powdered sugar and meringue powder in a medium bowl. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until you have a thick yet pipeable consistency — it should hold shape briefly but smooth out (about 3–4 tablespoons total; I used 4 tbsp). Divide a small portion (about 1/3 cup) into a separate bowl for the black details. Tint the larger portion with the orange gel food coloring and the small portion with black gel food coloring, mixing until color is even. Transfer icings to small piping bags or zip-top bags and snip a tiny corner for piping.

   For this step

   • 3 cupspowdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
   • 2 tbspmeringue powder
   • 4 tbspwater (for icing)
   • 2 tubesgel food coloring (orange and black)
   
5. 5

   Step 5: Pipe jack‑o'‑lantern faces and let icing dry

   Active 15 min · Passive 30 min

   Outline each cookie with orange icing and then flood the center; use a toothpick or skewer to spread to the edges if needed. Immediately pipe jack-o'-lantern faces and spooky accents with the black icing; work in batches and clean tips between details. This recipe yields about 18 decorated cookies. Allow decorated cookies to sit undisturbed for at least 30 minutes to set (longer for thicker flood). Once icing is dry to the touch, serve the cookies at your outdoor Halloween party.
   

1. In a large bowl, cream the salted butter and granulated sugar together until pale and slightly fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Add the large egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Stir in the all-purpose flour and baking powder just until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms — don't overmix. If dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 1 tablespoon additional flour, a little at a time. This dough is designed to be rolled and cut immediately (no chilling).
2. Divide the dough in half and place each half between two sheets of parchment; roll to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut shapes and lift the cut cookies with the top parchment onto a clean sheet of parchment (or a baking tray) for easy transfer. Aim to cut approximately 18 cookies total from the combined dough. Keep scraps, press together briefly, and re-roll once if needed.
3. Preheat the grill to medium (about 350–375°F / 175–190°C) and oil the grill grates lightly with a paper towel if desired (tool, not required). Place the parchment with cookies onto a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a perforated grill tray and set on the grill over indirect+medium heat. Close the lid and grill 4–6 minutes until the bottoms show light grill marks, then open and carefully flip each cookie; grill another 4–6 minutes until edges are set and bottoms have a faint char. Remove and let cool on the parchment for 10 minutes so cookies firm up (this cooling time also gives you time to make the icing).
4. While cookies cool, whisk powdered sugar and meringue powder in a medium bowl. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until you have a thick yet pipeable consistency — it should hold shape briefly but smooth out (about 3–4 tablespoons total; I used 4 tbsp). Divide a small portion (about 1/3 cup) into a separate bowl for the black details. Tint the larger portion with the orange gel food coloring and the small portion with black gel food coloring, mixing until color is even. Transfer icings to small piping bags or zip-top bags and snip a tiny corner for piping.
5. Outline each cookie with orange icing and then flood the center; use a toothpick or skewer to spread to the edges if needed. Immediately pipe jack-o'-lantern faces and spooky accents with the black icing; work in batches and clean tips between details. This recipe yields about 18 decorated cookies. Allow decorated cookies to sit undisturbed for at least 30 minutes to set (longer for thicker flood). Once icing is dry to the touch, serve the cookies at your outdoor Halloween party.