A fun Disney Halloween cookie recipe, these Cauldron Cookies are inspired by my favourite Disney Halloween movie – Hocus Pocus!

Disney’s Hocus Pocus Dessert Recipe

If you’ve never watched the Disney classic Hocus Pocus – first, you need to drop whatever it is you’re doing tonight and find a copy of the movie (it’s usually on Netflix around this time of year).

I don’t want to give away too much, but this cult classic is suitable for children who are not afraid of Disney’s other movies featuring magical villains (i.e, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty). There is a reference to a boy being a virgin (hence why he was able to “bring the witches back to life” by lighting the Black Flame Candle) but there isn’t any explanation as to what that means.

(All the innuendo goes right over kids’ heads, just like in any other Disney movie with moments of adult humour.)

At Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the main performance is a concert hosted by the Sanderson Sisters – and that’s what finally got my daughter interested in watching the movie.

I’m so excited to be able to watch the movie with her again this year, and we’ll definitely be having a over-the-top themed movie night to kick off the Halloween season. These cookies would be perfect for a Hocus Pocus movie night, or for a Halloween party.

To make your own “Hocus Pocus” inspired sprinkle mix, combine:

1 container of ghost confetti sprinkles
1 container of halloween nonpareils sprinkles
1 container of halloween confetti sprinkles
1 container of orange pearl sprinkles
1 package of small edible eyes

Ingredients for Hocus Pocus Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Royal Icing ingredients:

4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 cups powder sugar
Black and leaf green gel food coloring

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful:

Cauldron cookie cutter
2 disposable piping bags fitted with a number 2 tip
1 squeeze bottle
Measuring cups and spoons
Electric mixer
Cutting board
Rolling pin
Cookie Sheets
Cooling racks

How to Make Hocus Pocus Cauldron Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat to incorporate, about 2 minutes.

In a small separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar-butter mixture, combine, and then add the remaining half.

Lightly flour a cutting board and knead the cookie dough a couple of times

Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut out your cauldron cookies, re-rolling out the dough as needed, and place onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the edges.

Royal Icing Directions:

Using the standing mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tarter, vanilla and powdered icing sugar and mix until stiff peaks form

Scoop 1 cup of icing into a small bowl and mix in a few drops of leaf green gel coloring until you achieve your desired “witches brew” color.

Add a few drops of black gel food coloring into the large bowl of icing and mix until combined.

Scoop about 1 cup black icing into a piping bag fitted with a number 2 Wilton tip (or just a small tip cut out).

Add a few drops of water into the remaining black icing and mix until combined and thinned.

Pour thinned icing into the squeeze bottle.

Using the black piping bag, pipe a outline around the cooled cauldron cookies.

Fill in with the thinner black icing.

Let cookies dry overnight or until the thin black icing is completely set/dry.

Using the green piping bag, pipe out the outline of witches brew/slime in the top middle of the cookie

Fill in with the green icing.

Pour your sprinkles onto a plate and overturn all of the eyes so they are facing down on the plate. Dip the wet green icing on the cookie into the sprinkles

Using the green icing again, pipe a few dots on top of the sprinkles to make bubbles.

Allow the green to dry for 20 minutes before piping a few more dots to fill in the space on the bubbles.

Repeat steps until the black space where the foam bubbles go is filled.

Using the green icing again, pipe “Hocus Pocus” onto the bottom center of the cookies, if desired.

Let cookies dry for an hour before enjoying or packaging.

Pin this Easy Halloween Sugar Cookie recipe:

Grab your free printable for our Hocus Pocus cookies recipe:

Hocus Pocus Cauldron Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Royal Icing ingredients:

4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 cups powder sugar
Black and leaf green gel food coloring

For the Cauldron Sprinkles:

1 container of ghost confetti sprinkles
1 container of halloween nonpareils sprinkles
1 container of halloween confetti sprinkles
1 container of orange pearl sprinkles
1 package of small edible eyes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat to incorporate, about 2 minutes.
In a small separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar-butter mixture, combine, and then add the remaining half.
Lightly flour a cutting board and knead the cookie dough a couple of times
Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out your cauldron cookies, re-rolling out the dough as needed, and place onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the edges.
Royal Icing Directions:

For the royal icing:

Using the standing mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tarter, vanilla and powdered icing sugar and mix until stiff peaks form
Scoop 1 cup of icing into a small bowl and mix in a few drops of leaf green gel coloring until you achieve your desired "witches brew" color.
Add a few drops of black gel food coloring into the large bowl of icing and mix until combined.
Scoop about 1 cup black icing into a piping bag fitted with a number 2 Wilton tip (or just a small tip cut out).
Add a few drops of water into the remaining black icing and mix until combined and thinned.
Pour thinned icing into the squeeze bottle.

To decorate the cookies:

Using the black piping bag, pipe a outline around the cooled cauldron cookies.
Fill in with the thinner black icing.
Let cookies dry overnight or until the thin black icing is completely set/dry.
Using the green piping bag, pipe out the outline of witches brew/slime in the top middle of the cookie
Fill in with the green icing.
Pour your sprinkles onto a plate and overturn all of the eyes so they are facing down on the plate. Dip the wet green icing on the cookie into the sprinkles
Using the green icing again, pipe a few dots on top of the sprinkles to make bubbles.
Allow the green to dry for 20 minutes before piping a few more dots to fill in the space on the bubbles.
Repeat steps until the black space where the foam bubbles go is filled.
Using the green icing again, pipe "Hocus Pocus" onto the bottom center of the cookies, if desired.
Let cookies dry for an hour before enjoying or packaging.

This Hocus Pocus sugar cookie recipe is super simple and such a fun addition to just about any Halloween event – from family movie nights to themed lunch boxes or parties!

For more delicious Halloween dessert recipes, check out our Snow White Poison Candy Apples or our Magical Pumpkin Cake.