There are few better October afternoons than baking Halloween biscuits with the kids — flour everywhere, spooky shapes, and that unbeatable smell from the oven. The secret to keeping it fun rather than fraught is good cutters: sharp-edged shapes that release the dough cleanly, in sizes little hands can manage. Our 6-piece Halloween cookie cutter set is £10.00, and it is currently 10% off until 1 November. Here is how we do Halloween baking with kids.
Keep the shapes simple
Ghosts, pumpkins, bats, moons — classic shapes that read as Halloween even before any icing goes on. That matters, because with kids the decorating stage is where chaos peaks. If the biscuit already looks like a ghost straight out of the oven, a couple of chocolate-chip eyes are all it needs. Let each child pick their two favourite shapes and stick to those; fewer shapes means less dough re-rolling and fewer tears.
Dough tips that actually help
Chill your dough for at least 30 minutes before cutting — cold dough holds its shape and releases from the cutter cleanly. Roll it a good 5mm thick so little hands can lift the shapes without them tearing, and dip the cutters in flour between cuts. Line your trays with baking paper and you will thank yourself at washing-up time. Any plain sugar-cookie or gingerbread recipe works; gingerbread dough is especially forgiving and very October.
Decorating without the stress
Forget piping bags and royal icing ambitions. Melted chocolate in a squeezy bottle, a few tubes of writing icing, and some sprinkles will keep everyone happy. Set up a decorating station with newspaper underneath, give each child their own little bowl of toppings, and accept that the biscuits will look gloriously wonky. Wonky is charming. It is also worth baking a few extra for "quality control" — bakers need snacks too.
Gift the results
Homemade Halloween biscuits make brilliant little gifts: stack a few in a cellophane bag tied with orange ribbon for neighbours, teachers or grandparents. They are the kind of present people genuinely love receiving. And if the afternoon turns into a full cosy evening in, our cosy Halloween night guide has film and atmosphere ideas. Find the cutter set and more in our Halloween collection.