Mummy Sugar Cookies

Why you’ll love it

• Kid-friendly: fun to make and decorate together.
• Party-ready: easy to make ahead and share.
• Cute, not scary: perfect for school parties and trick-or-treat night.

Quick facts

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the icing

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons meringue powder
• 4–5 tablespoons water
• 48 candy eyes

Step-by-step method

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap, and chill 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter. Cut with a 3-inch gingerbread-person or round cutter and place on parchment-lined sheets.

3. Bake 9–11 minutes until edges are barely golden. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then completely on a rack.

4. Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 4 tablespoons water 3–4 minutes until thick and glossy. Add water by the 1/2 teaspoon if too stiff to pipe.

5. Spoon icing into a piping bag with a small round tip (or a zip-top bag with a tiny snip). Dab icing near the top of each cookie and press on two candy eyes.

6. Pipe crisscrossing, slightly crooked lines across each cookie for bandages, leaving gaps around the eyes. Let dry 4 hours or overnight before stacking.

Pro tip

Let some bandage lines run off the edge and overlap at angles. Messy wrapping looks more like a mummy than neat stripes.

Make ahead

Dough keeps 3 days refrigerated; iced cookies keep 1 week airtight.