How to Host a Halloween Cookie Party

Cookie crafting is the Halloween activity that keeps little hands busy and doubles as the party favor. Here are four easy, high-impact ideas with no advanced baking required.

Before you start: the craft-friendly setup

• Use pre-baked plain cookies (rounds and sugar cookies) as your blank canvas so kids go straight to the fun part.
• Cover the table and hand out aprons. This gets messy in the best way!
• Set up a decorating station: icing in squeeze bottles, candy eyes, sprinkles, pretzels, and mini candies in easy-reach bowls.
  
  

Craft 1: Bat cookies

1. Ice the whole bat shape in black, flooding the wings and body.
2. Let it set, then press two candy eyes (or pipe two white dots) near the top of the body.
3. Add two tiny white fangs below the eyes, or outline the wings in purple for extra pop. Skill level: easy — the all-black base hides any wobbly edges.

Craft 2: Pumpkin cookies

1. Pipe curved vertical lines in a orange from top to bottom to create the ridges.
2. Flood between the outlines with bright orange icing.
3. Add a green or brown stem at the top — and for a jack-o'-lantern, pipe a triangle-eyed grin in black. Skill level: easiest — kids can go classic pumpkin or spooky jack-o'-lantern
   

Craft 3: Skull cookies

1. Ice the whole skull shape in white and let it set.
2. Pipe two black ovals for eye sockets and a small upside-down heart for the nose.
3. Add short vertical lines across the lower half for teeth. Skill level: easy — go plain and spooky, or add colorful dots and swirls for a Mexican Day of the Dead sugar-skull look.

Craft 4: Spooky ghost cookies

1. Use a ghost cutter, or freehand a blob on a round cookie.
2. Cover in white icing.
3. Add two dots for eyes and one for a mouth. Skill level: beginner-friendly and endlessly cute.

Party host tips

• Prep an example of each so kids know what they're aiming for.
• Wrap finished cookies in treat bags for instant favors to take home.
• Set a "wildest creation" mini-award to keep the energy up.