Soft + Easy Halloween Sugar Cookies With Whole Wheat Flour

Inside: Get an easy recipe for whole wheat Halloween sugar cookies. Bonus: You don’t need to chill the dough before rolling it out.

Whole wheat Halloween cookies in shapes of ghosts, cats, bats, and pumpkins sit on a gray counter.

No tricks here: These whole wheat Halloween sugar cookies are soft, tasty, and yes, kid-approved.

The secret ingredient is whole wheat pastry flour, which creates a tender texture and mild flavor. (Don’t have it or can’t find it? I give you a few options below.)

Ingredients for whole wheat Halloween cookies sit on a wood table: sugar, baking powder, vanilla, two sticks of butter, an egg, and a bowl of flour.

Ingredients for Halloween Cookies

Butter: I use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.
Sugar: This recipe calls for white sugar
Egg: Ideally at room temperature
Vanilla extract
Baking powder
Flour: You have a few options here–you can use:
- Whole wheat pastry flour OR
- Half regular whole wheat flour, half all purpose flour OR
- All all-purpose flour

A plate of frosted Halloween cookies sits on a gray counter.

How to Make Whole Wheat Halloween Sugar Cookies

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (such as Silpat mats).

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

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In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) cream butter and sugar well with your mixer on medium speed. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, adding one cup of the flour mixture at a time and mixing after each addition. Be sure all the flour at the bottom of the bowl is mixed into the dough, but don’t over-mix.

Do not chill. That’s important! This dough does not work when chilled.

Dough for whole wheat Halloween cookies in a white mixing bowl.

Divide the dough in half and form two dough balls. Roll the first one onto a lightly floured surface about 1/8″ thick. This is a soft, moist dough so make sure both your surface and your rolling pin are floured. (Cover the bowl with the other dough ball using either a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.)

A ball of sugar cookie dough sits on a marble countertop with a bowl of flour next to it.

Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes in the rolled-out dough. Keep rolling out remaining dough scraps until it’s gone. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Cut-out sugar cookie shapes on a baking sheet.

Place shapes on the prepared baking sheets and bake cookies for 6-7 minutes. They may be ever-so-slightly golden brown–and may even look underdone–but if you want them to be soft, you don’t want to over-bake them! If you prefer a crisper cookie, increase the bake time by a couple of minutes, or until they are more golden brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosted Halloween sugar cookies on a gray counter.

Halloween Cookies FAQ

Can I use regular whole wheat flour?

I have tested this cookie recipe a few ways. It works best with either ALL wheat pastry flour or ALL all-purpose flour or half regular whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour.

What is whole wheat pastry flour?

Whole wheat pastry flour is made from a milder white wheat and has lower protein content than regular whole wheat flour. It’s great for cookies, muffins, and cakes (but not yeast bread). You’ll find it next to the flour in the baking section of the store or on Amazon.

What can I frost these cookies with?

I used royal icing for the cookies shown here.

How do I store these cookies?

Place cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and eat within 5-7 days for best quality.

How long do leftover cookies last?

These cookies will stay soft for days when kept in an airtight container. They’re best if eaten within 5-7 days.

Can I freeze these whole wheat sugar cookies?

Yes. Freeze the baked, unfrosted cookies in a freezer bag, pressing the extra air out before sealing. Defrost cookies, then ice with frosting.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Move top rack to top one-third of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
In a mixing bowl of bowl of a standing mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and blend well.
In a separate bowl, stir together baking powder and flour.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture, one cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Combine just until all blended. Do not chill.
Divide dough into two balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies, place on prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies for 6-7 minutes.
Let cookies sit one minute, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.