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Homemade Black Cat Sugar Cookies decorated with black royal icing, white eyes and piped whiskers for Halloween.

Cozy Black Cat Sugar Cookies with Easy Royal Icing

Buttery Halloween black cat sugar cookies decorated with smooth black royal icing and simple white cat faces. The chilled cutout dough holds its shape beautifully for an adorable Halloween baking project.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Sugar Cookies
  • 1 cup 226 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 oz 56 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup 200 g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2¾ cups 345 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • Royal Icing
  • 4 cups 480 g powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 5 –6 tablespoons warm water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Black gel food coloring

Method
 

  1. Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  2. Add sugar and beat for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt separately.
  5. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until dough forms.
  6. Divide into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  8. Line baking sheets with parchment.
  9. Roll chilled dough approximately ¼ inch thick.
  10. Cut with a 3-inch cat-face cookie cutter.
  11. Transfer cookies to prepared sheets.
  12. Refrigerate cut cookies for 15–20 minutes.
  13. Bake for 8–10 minutes until set with barely golden edges.
  14. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
  15. Cool completely.
  16. Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder.
  17. Add 5 tablespoons warm water and vanilla and beat until thick and glossy.
  18. Reserve a small portion of white icing.
  19. Color the remaining icing black.
  20. Prepare thicker black outlining icing and thinner flooding icing.
  21. Outline each cat with black royal icing.
  22. Flood the centers and smooth with a toothpick.
  23. Allow the black icing to begin setting.
  24. Pipe white eyes, noses, and whiskers.
  25. Let the royal icing dry completely before storing.

Notes

Keep the dough cold to preserve the pointed cat ears. Don't overbake; the edges should only barely begin turning golden. Cool cookies completely before decorating. Use concentrated gel rather than liquid coloring for deep black royal icing. Adjust flood icing with only a few drops of water at a time. Allow decorated cookies to dry completely before stacking.