Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
These Candy Corn Sugar Cookies are the perfect Halloween treat for all ages. Delicious sugar cookies are decorated with an orange and yellow cream cheese frosting and topped with candy corn to create cookies that are as delicious as they are adorable.
We love to make sweets all year long, but when any holiday rolls around, it’s even more fun. Holidays are a chance to get creative with cookies, frosting, and all sorts of sweet treats. Halloween is no exception. While many people think of frosted cookies and colorful confections when they think of holidays like Christmas, we contend that Halloween is also the perfect holiday for creative sweets. That’s why we love these candy corn sugar cookies.
These Candy Corn Sugar Cookies are so good, and they’re so easy to make, but look like a bakery made them. They’re really a pretty cookie to serve, and so festive they’ll dress up any party or buffet table. They’re crunchy and a little chewy, and the frosting just really sets them off. It melts in your mouth, and is such a pretty finish to this cookie. Make sure you put this one in your favorites, it sure to be asked for again.
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
These candy corn sugar cookies are one of our favorite recipes to make when Halloween comes around. They use a simple sugar cookie dough and cream cheese frosting that’s been colored yellow and orange. That means that they only look like they have candy corn in them. We know candy corn is a hot topic of debate – either loved or despised – so these cookies are perfect.
Ingredients
This recipe has several ingredients, but they’re all basic kitchen staples. In fact, you probably have almost all of them in your kitchen right now. The only things you might have to buy specifically for this recipe are a bag of candy corn and some food coloring.
For the Cookies
- Butter – softened
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Flour
- Baking powder
For the Frosting
- Butter – softened
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Orange food coloring
- Yellow food coloring
- Candy corn
**See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities and cooking times.
Instructions
This recipe uses a simple sugar cookie recipe and an equally simple cream cheese frosting recipe. It’s a breeze to make, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.
Step 1: Combine the Wet Cookie Ingredients
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Cookie Ingredients
In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, stirring to blend completely.
Step 3: Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little at a time until all the flour is added. Continue to blend the dough until it’s completely combined and a smooth ball starts to form.
Step 4: Bake the Cookies
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies begin to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About halfway through baking the cookies, dip the flat bottom of a glass into sugar and smash the cookies very gently to give them a crinkle look.
Step 5: Let the Cookies Cool
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Step 6: Make the Frosting
While the cookies are cooling cream the butter and cream cheese until well combined in a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, blending after each addition until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Step 7: Color the Frosting
Separate the frosting into two bowls, adding orange food coloring to one and yellow food coloring to the other.
Step 8: Create the Frosting Swirl
To create the swirled frosting, tear off a 10-inch piece of plastic wrap and spoon out both frostings in a line next to each other – yellow on one side and orange on the other. Wrap the plastic around the posting and snip off the end of one side of it. Then, transfer it to a pastry bag with a large star tip.
Step 9: Frost the Cookies
Starting from the outer edge of the cookies, frost them, working inward in a swirl pattern, and bring the center to a point. Top with a piece of candy corn.
Hint: If your frosting is too thin after adding the food coloring, simply add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it back up.
Variations
If you want to personalize these candy corn sugar cookies or simply mix things up a bit, I have a few ideas that you might like.
Black Food Coloring – Add black food coloring to the cookie dough to create a dark base for your orange and yellow frosting.
Yellow or Orange Food Coloring – Add yellow or orange food coloring to the cookie batter to create even more color.
Add Candy Corn – If you’re a person who loves candy corn, try chopping some up into pieces and putting the pieces in your sugar cookie batter for little melty chunks of candy corn.
Storage
These cookies will keep well in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a week. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to a month.
Tips
Although this recipe is super easy, there are still a few things to note that can help make the recipe even easier on you. These are simple tips that can really help, so be sure to read them over.
Use a Stand Mixer – Use a stand mixer if possible. This is a thick dough, and it requires a lot of mixing.
Fully Softened Butter and Cream Cheese – Be sure your butter and cream cheese are completely softened to ensure a smooth texture when creaming them. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lumpy mixture.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
If you love sugar cookies, we have a few more that we think you’ll enjoy.
FAQ
How long will these cookies last?
These will keep well in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Do I have to refrigerate these cookies?
Yes. Although cookies don’t have to be refrigerated, the cream cheese frosting in this recipe does.
How do I freeze these cookies?
To freeze the cookies, let them chill completely in the refrigerator, then place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to freeze them individually. After the cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
How do I defrost the cookies?
To defrost the cookies take out the desired amount of cookies and defrost them overnight in the refrigerator.
Can I use different frosting?
Sure. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, you can use buttercream. It works just as well.
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
Ready to get started? Remember that you can print this recipe if you’d like. Enjoy!
PIN IT!!
OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
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Slow Cooker Raspberry Zinger Cake
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Rocky Road Cheesecake
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For The Cookies:
- 2 Sticks Butter – softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 4 Tablespoons Butter – softened
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- Orange Food Coloring Gel
- Yellow Food Coloring Gel
- 1 small bag of Candy Corn
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, (or with a hand mixer)add the Butter, Sugar, Vanilla, and Egg, and blend until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Baking Powder, and stir well to blend. Add the Flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend, until all the Flour is added. Remove the Whisk attachment, and use the paddle. Continue to blend the Cookie dough until it's completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form. Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
- Line two cookie sheets with Parchment paper, and roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the Parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven, and the cookies may have started to crack a little. Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in Sugar before lightly applying to each cookie – smash the cookies very gently, and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more. This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
- When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely. While cookies are cooling, make the Frosting.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened Butter, and Cream Cheese, and blend to combine. Add the Powdered sugar a little at a time, blending after each addition, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Divide the Frosting evenly into two bowls. Add a few drops of the Orange Food Coloring Gel, and stir to blend until the Frosting is bright Orange. If the Frosting thinned a bit add a Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar and stir to blend.
- In the other bowl, add a few drops of the Yellow Food Coloring Gel, and stir to blend. If the Frosting thinned a little, add a Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar, and stir well to blend.
- In the other bowl, add a few drops of the Yellow Food Coloring Gel, and stir to blend. If the Frosting thinned a little, add a Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar, and stir well to blend.
- Using Plastic wrap (Glad wrap) tear off a piece about 10 inches wide, and place the Frosting length-wise in the middle of the plastic wrap; it will look like two long ribbons of Frosting. Then, roll the plastic wrap around the Frosting, making sure to keep it long, or length-wise like a long ribbon. SEE PHOTO
- Snip the end off of the Plastic wrap, on one end only, and place it in a Pastry bag with the large Star Tip. Pipe the Frosting onto the cookies, using a swirl, and bring it up to a point. Place a Candy Corn on the top of each cookie. Allow the Frosting to set or firm up a bit, about 30 minutes. Serve, and Enjoy!
