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Upgrade your sugar cookies with this easy sugar cookie icing recipe for a glossy and beautiful finish. So much easier than royal icing, this frosting dries hard for stacking and makes decorating a cinch.
Sugar Cookie Icing that Hardens
While royal icing decorated cookies are beautiful, making the icing isn’t easy. Plus you need special ingredients to make it (meringue powder or raw egg whites) – but not this sugar cookie frosting! It’s simple to make, easy to double the batch, and dries hard for stacking! It’s perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s, or anytime you want perfect dried frosting for sugar cookies!
Ingredients Needed
- Powdered Sugar– a few cups of confectioners’ sugar is the bulk of the icing
- Milk– to bring the frosting together
- Corn syrup– light corn syrup to add texture
- Food coloring– if you want different colors of icing, or leave it white. I used gel food coloring for this cookie icing recipe.
How to make Sugar Cookie Icing
- Add few cups powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add milk and corn syrup. Whisk until combined, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency for piping the outline and flooding.
- Divide the cookie icing into bowls and tint with food coloring. I used gel but you can also use liquid food coloring.
- Place in piping bags fitted with #2 or #4 tips or use squeeze bottles.
- Decorate sugar cookies as desired.
- Let sit at room temperature for several hours for the cookie frosting to set before stacking.
Best Icing Consistency
The perfect consistency for outlining and flooding is thin enough that it drizzles off the whisk but takes a few seconds to disappear into the back into the mixture. This way you only need one consistency icing for both – no need to add more liquid – one and done!
Expert Tip
- For an enhanced flavor and a frosting that tastes so good, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to your cookie frosting mix. You can also add a few drops of almond extract or lemon extract or any flavor.
- If the frosting is too sweet for your liking, add a pinch of salt.
- The right consistency should be thin enough that it drizzles, but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
- For best results, use gel food coloring and don’t add too much. The more you add (especially if using water-based food coloring) the more your icing will thin.
- If the icing is too thick for piping, add a bit more milk.
- Store icing covered so it doesn’t dry out.
FAQs
That depends on the recipe. Sugar Cookie Icing like this one is not royal icing. Royal icing has meringue powder or egg whites, whereas cookie icing uses corn syrup to help it dry.
If the icing is too thin for piping, add more powdered sugar.
Takes several hours for the cookie icing to harden. You can leave then to dry overnight.
Yes the cookies are stackable once the icing sets.
You can freeze the iced sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to one month.
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- Food coloring if desired
Instructions
- Add powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk and corn syrup.
- Whisk until combined, adding more milk 1 TEASPOON at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- It should be thin enough that it drizzles but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
- Divide icing into bowls and tint with food coloring. Place in piping bags fitted with #2 or #4 tips or use squeeze bottles.
- Decorate cookies as desired. Let sit at room temperature for several hours for the frosting to set before stacking.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- For an enhanced flavor, add vanilla extract to your cookie frosting mix. Or use any extract for new flavors!
- The right consistency should be thin enough that it drizzles, but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
- For best results, use gel food coloring and don’t add too much. The more you add (especially if using water-based food coloring) the more your icing will thin.
- If the icing is too thick for piping, add a bit more milk.
- Store icing covered so it doesn’t dry out.
Recipe Nutrition
Other Sugar Cookie Recipes
Last Updated on February 18, 2024
