Pass the Sugar My Sweet: Poisoned Apple-Shaped Cookies Fit For a Queen

It’s officially Fall. That awesome time of year when the leaves turn brilliant colors, the air gets crisp and apple season blends into Halloween. It’s also the time of year I feel like firing up the oven and baking some kind of seasonal treat. Since I couldn’t quite decide between apples or Halloween, I blended both ideas into one. Today’s post shares ideas for poisoned apple-shaped cookies inspired by Snow White’s Evil Queen.

Ingredients

The ingredients list is pretty short, and fortunately doesn’t include a big black pot of bubbling goo.

For the cookies, I just used a Betty Crocker sugar cookie bag mix, a stick of butter and one egg. I’ve tried several other scratch recipes but these are so easy and consistently good.

For the frosting, I used about three cups of powdered sugar, a few tablespoons of milk and gel food coloring (red and green).

The only other tool I needed was a apple-shaped cookie cutter I found on an end cap display at the grocery store this week. Maybe it really was a magical apple because it inspired this whole post.

Rolling, Cutting, Baking

I like variety on my cookie plates, especially if I can get it without having to make several different types of cookies. (Score!) So today I decided to make the poisoned apple-shaped cookies in a variety of styles and color combinations. Hopefully you’ll see something you like or find some inspiration for trying something new.

I started with the basic dough and cut out several apples. There’s something very calming about rolling and cutting cookies on a chilly Fall day.

While transferring some of the apples to the cookie sheet I accidentally tore one of them. It looked a little like a bite mark in the apple to me, so I cut a little more dough out of the shape to make it look more intentional. You can judge for yourself if I was successful. Snow White’s bitten apple or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?  You decide. My kids enjoyed them, but they like 1950s science fiction movies too!

I added food coloring to the rest of the dough to make some of the apples red. Gel coloring works best for a true red, just like Snow White’s famous snack.

Decorating

Once I had my fresh baked apples in a row, I pulled up some images of the Evil Queen’s version for inspiration.

I used a very basic glaze, which consisted of powdered sugar and just enough milk to make the frosting the desired thickness. You can add a touch of butter and/or vanilla if you want too. I started with white frosting. Then repeated the steps with small batches of red and green.

Frosting the cookies was easier than I thought it would be, which is hardly ever the case for me in the kitchen! I used a knife to outline the eyes first, then filled in the space around the top of the apple. Then I outlined the skinny nose, which kind of looks like an upside-down heart, and added the drip marks around the bottom. Make sure the frosting is thick enough to stay in place while you’re working. I used a toothpick a few times to clean up any mistakes and add some “holes” to the drip marks like the one shown in the inspiration image. Once I got the hang of it, it didn’t take too long per cookie.

Here’s a first look at the different options.  I think green on red was my favorite of the bunch. (pun intended) If you want to skip the food dye, plain white on white worked well too.

I kept some of the apples plain too, with a simple red frosting and a dusting of red sugar for sparkle. Did I mention I like variety?

Here’s another look while I let the frosting set. I like how the natural shadows from my kitchen gave the cookies an eerie hue.

And here’s a final image of all the options on one plate. They’re likely to tempt the fairest one of all, or anyone else who wanders into your kitchen this season. Fortunately the only side effect of these Evil Queen inspired apple-shaped cookies is a possible sugar buzz.

Want to give it a try? Already have? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Or, if you’re looking for other Disney-inspired Halloween treats, check out my previous posts on Mickey-shaped caramel apples or Maleficent Waffle Cones.

Until next time, add a little (Halloween) magic to your world!