How to Make Hocus Pocus Party Cookies
The three Sanderson sisters are back....in the form of these colorful Hocus Pocus party cookies! Create them as a colorful addition to a Halloween celebration, a fall festival, or a Hocus Pocus, themed party (like the one we threw last October.) They will be devoured before you can say "Amok, amok, amok!!"
These cookies will "put a spell on you"
- Use my tried and true Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookie dough as the base for these cookies. It's the recipe I've used for years, and the primary recipe from my cookbook, 100 Best Decorated Cookies. These sweet, crisp, butter cookies with hints of vanilla and orange pair beautifully with my lemony royal icing.
- Even if you're a novice decorator, these cookies are within your reach. They follow a fairly simple pattern, shown via my step-by-step photos, below. And they can be completely decorated within an afternoon, allowing just a few short breaks for cooling and drying.
- Hocus Pocus party cookies a great project for kids to help with and gain some decorating experience. My daughter assisted with some of the detail work...and of course the taste testing.
Ingredients and special tools
Hocus Pocus cookies: Ingredients
- One recipe Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookies dough
- One recipe Royal Icing for Decorating Cookies
- Lemon juice: for thinning royal icing: Feel free to substitute a different flavoring and water instead. Read my Royal Icing recipe for suggested flavor variations.Â
- Ivory (or peach), black, yellow, orange, purple (or blue) and red gel paste food colorings
- White sugar pearls: Look for a size that would be a good fit to mimic Winifred's teeth. These can usually be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
Hocus Pocus cookies: Special tools
To learn more about each of these tools, read my post about royal icing
- Sanderson Sisters cookie cutters (optional): I found my Sanderson Sisters cookie cutters on Etsy, where there are plenty of options. If you don't have the time to order one, or don't want to invest in specially shaped cutters, simply use a 4-inch (10 cm) round cutter and pipe the shapes within the borders. Using a food safe marker (see below) can be very helpful to guide you in this case.
- Piping bags
- Couplers
- Piping tips: #2 and #3 round tips
- Squeeze bottles
- Food safe marker (optional): These markers have edible ink are safe to use for writing on cookies. I find them useful for drawing patterns on the cookies, which I then trace with my royal icing. Look for them in specialty craft stores.
How to make my Hocus Pocus Party Cookies: Step by step photos and instructions
Part 1: Bake the cookies and prepare the icings
- Cut out and bake sugar cookies using the Sanderson Sisters cutters, according to the instructions in my Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Prepare one batch of my Royal Icing Recipe for Sugar Cookies.
- Color the icings: Place about ¾ cup of icing into each of four small bowls. Tint one black, one yellow, one orange and one ivory or light peach. Using lemon juice, thin the icings to "two step" consistency (see post for Royal Icing for Cookie Decorating) and carefully transfer each color to a squeeze bottle. Top each bottle with a coupler. Place a #3 round tip on top of each bottle.
- Divide the remaining icing among four clean small bowls. Tint one yellow, one orange, one purple and one red. Using lemon juice, thin the icings only slightly to piping consistency, so that they are less stiff but still not runny and will hold their shape when piped. Transfer the icings to piping bags fitted with a coupler and #2 round tips.
Part 2: Decorate!
5. Using the ivory icing in the squeeze bottle, pipe and fill the shapes of the sisters' faces. If you have a food-safe marker, use it to draw the shape to guide you.
6. Use the orange icing in the squeeze bottle to outline and fill Winifred Sanderson's hair.
Use the black icing in the squeeze bottle to outline and fill Mary Sanderson's hair.
Using the yellow icing in the squeeze bottle, outline and fill Sarah Sanderson's hair. Let icings dry at least 30 minutes to set.
7. Using orange icing in the piping bag, pipe hair texture details on Winifred's hair, as shown above. Use purple icing in the piping bag to pipe hair details on Mary's hair, as shown. Using yellow icing in the piping bag, pipe hair details on Sarah's hair.
8. Use black icing in the squeeze bottle to pipe eyes onto each cookie and eyebrows on the Sarah cookies.
9. Use red icing in the piping bag to pipe lips onto the Winifred cookies. Top the lips with two sugar pearls to mimic her teeth.Â
10. Use red icing to pipe lips onto the Mary cookies, as shown above. Allow cookies to dry at least 5 hours or overnight.
Video tutorial: Watch these Hocus Pocus cookies from start to finish!
More Hocus Pocus party ideas
Throwning a Hocus Pocus themed party, like I did last October? Here are a few more ideas to get you started....no magic required!
Hocus Pocus charcuterie board
Featuring all three Sanderson sisters, this Hocus Pocus charcuterie board was a huge hit with both parents and kids. It was surprisingly easy to put together. Just start by positioning the three wheels of Brie and fill in the other sections. To keep the rolled salami in place, simply secure a few rolls together with toothpicks!
Other Hocus Pocus party food ideas
In addition to the charcuterie board (and of course my Hocus Pocus Party Cookies), no party would be complete without a Hocus Pocus themed cake. I used purple and orange colors as my inspiration, and I found the perfect "I put a spell on you" cake topper on (where else?) Amazon.
Other fun ideas include spiced cider "witch's brew," caramel apples, popcorn balls, and chili or soup served in a "cauldron."
Hocus Pocus party decor and activities
Kids will have fun decorating their own mini pumpkins with paint, decals, gems, yarn....you name it. I also found some cute Hocus Pocus themed wooden signs as craft. Create a festive balloon garland out of orange, green and purple. Encourage guests to dress up in costume.
And don't forget the piñata!
Frequently asked questions
Decorated sugar cookies can last for varying lengths of time depending on how they are stored and the weather conditions where you live.
Room Temperature: Decorated sugar cookies last at room temperature for about 1 to 2 weeks, stored properly. Place them in an airtight container or with wax paper or parchment between layers to prevent sticking. Store them in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.
Refrigeration: If refrigerated, cookies can last for 2 to 3 weeks. Use an airtight container to keep out moisture and prevent cookies from absorbing odors.
Freezing: For longer-term storage, you can freeze decorated sugar cookies for 2-3 months. Once the icing has dried, place the cookies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Thaw them in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
The following factors can cause your royal icing to become runny:
Too Much Liquid: Too much added liquid (water or flavoring) can cause icing to become too thin. Start with a small amount and gradually add more until you reach the desired consistency.
Humidity: Royal icing is sensitive to humidity. If you work in a humid environment, the moisture can affect icing consistency. Use less liquid in such conditions.
Older Icing: Royal icing can separate as it sits. If you prepared the icing ahead of time and stored, remix it to get your desired consistency.
To fix runny icing, try adding more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Conversely, if your icing is too thick, add a bit more liquid to thin it out. Make gradual adjustments to avoid overdoing it and ending up with the opposite problem.
The three witches from the Hocus Pocus movies are named Winifred Sanderson, Mary Sanderson, and Sarah Sanderson. Winifred is played by Better Midler, Mary is played by Kathy Najimy, and Sarah is played by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Try a few more of my favorite decorated cookie designs!:
Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!
Hocus Pocus Party Cookies
Equipment
- Sanderson sisters cookie cutters (optional, see Ingredients and special tools section, above)
- 4 squeeze bottles
- 4 piping bags
- 4 sets of couplers (see Ingredients and special tools section, above)
- #2 and #3 round piping tips
- food-safe marker (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookies Recipe
- 1 batch Royal Icing for Decorating Cookies
- Black, ivory (or peach), yellow, orange, purple (or blue) and red gel paste food colors
- White sugar pearls
Instructions
- Cut out and bake sugar cookies using the Sanderson Sisters cutters, according to the instructions in my Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Prepare one batch of my Royal Icing Recipe for Cookie Decorating.
- Place about ¾ cup of icing into each of four small bowls. Tint one black, one yellow, one orange and one ivory or light peach. Using lemon juice, thin the icings to "two step" consistency (see post for Royal Icing for Cookie Decorating) and carefully transfer each color to a squeeze bottle. Top each bottle with a coupler. Place a #3 round tip on top of each bottle.
- Divide the remaining icing among four clean small bowls. Tint one yellow, one orange, one purple and one red. Using lemon juice, thin the icings only slightly to piping consistency, so that they are less stiff but still not runny and will hold their shape when piped. Transfer the icings to piping bags fitted with a coupler and #2 round tips.
- Using the ivory icing in the squeeze bottle, pipe and fill the shapes of the sisters' faces, as shown in the Step by Step Photos, above. If you have a food-safe marker, use it to draw the shape to guide you.
- Using the orange icing in the squeeze bottle, outline and fill Winifred Sanderson's hair. Using the black icing in the squeeze bottle, outline and fill Mary Sanderson's hair. Using the yellow icing in the squeeze bottle, outline and fill Sarah Sanderson's hair. Let icings dry at least 30 minutes to set.
- Using orange icing in the piping bag, pipe hair texture details on Winifred's hair, as shown above. Using purple icing in the piping bag, pipe hair details on Mary's hair, as shown. Using yellow icing in the piping bag, pipe hair details on Sarah's hair.
- Use black icing in the squeeze bottle to pipe eyes onto each cookie and eyebrows on the Sarah cookies.
- Use red icing in the piping bag to pipe lips onto the Winifred cookies. Top the lips with two sugar pearls to mimic her teeth.
- Use red icing to pipe lips onto the Mary cookies, as shown above. Allow cookies to dry at least 5 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to refer to my post on Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies for detailed information on icing consistencies, decorating tools, and ingredients.
- This recipe makes a large amount of cookies. Â If you don't need quite so many, you can halve the recipe both my Vanilla Orange Sugar Cookie dough and my Royal Icing.Â
