Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (2024)

COOKIES DESSERT DISHES HOLIDAYS VALENTINE'S DAY

posted by Ashley on February 12, 2022

Beautifully decorated cut-out cookies for every celebration and holiday are totally attainable at home with this easy sugar cookie royal icing recipe and a few instructions, tips & tricks to give you the confidence you need to try this technique yourself!

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (1)In the past, I shared some of my very favorite sugar cookie recipes (Christmas Sugar Cookie Bites, Cut-Out Sugar Cookiesand Frosted Swig Sugar Cookies)but I simply cannot just give you a cookie recipe without sharing an easy royal icing recipe to go on the cookies, now can I? Be sure not to miss any of my cookie recipes! They are my favorite thing to bake because they’re EASY.

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (2)

Sugar cookies are the cookie I would choose anytime over any other kind. Think back to being a child when you use to make cookies over the holidays with your mom or Grandmother. What was your favorite part about the baking process? Besides devouring them, mine was most definitely decorating them!

This royal icing recipe is great and so much more doable than I previously thought! Don’t be intimidated by making royal icing. If I can do it, you can do it! The notion that you need to be an artist to create a beautiful sugar cookie decorated with royal icing is simply not true. I have not one artistic bone in my body.

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (3)

I used this royal icing recipe for my Minnie Mouse Sugar Cookies and they turned out beautifully. This royal icing recipe would also work great for making gingerbread houses at Christmas time!

In case you’re wondering, the biggest difference between royal icing and a just regular frosting like buttercream is in the texture. Buttercream frosting is creamy, easily spreadable, and soft. Royal icing hardens to an edible candy-like shell. Royal icing dries out completely and makes sugar cookies look absolutely perfect – almost fake sometimes!

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (4)

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (5)

Decorating instructions:

Line around the edge of the cookie with icing and fill in the middle. Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow each area you frost to dry before moving on. The icing should completely dry, at room temperature for AT LEAST four hours, before adding piping details to the top.

For Polka Dots: before the flooded area dries, add dots of different colored icing.

For Hearts: before the flooded area dries, add dots of different colored icing, drag a toothpick through each dot, creating a heart.

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (6)

For Zig zag design: before the flooded area dries, add stripes of different colored icing and then drag a toothpick through the stripes.

Sprinkles: before the flooded area completely dries, add sprinkles.

Candy: “glue” to the cookie with a drop of icing.

If using edible marker: before using on the icing, allow the icing to completely harden for at least four hours.

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (7)

Tip: Getting just the right consistency is very possible. Too much water could cause your icing to run everywhere. Thickness is important when decorating sugar cookies with royal icing. You are striving for the thicker consistency of toothpaste or really soft cream cheese

My family has been enjoying this royal icing recipe for years, and I am so excited to finally share it with all of you! Decorating cookies with royal icing is just so fun and creative for big kids, little kids, and adults too!

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (8)

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (9)

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe

Ashley

Beautifully decorated cut-out cookies for every celebration and holiday are totally attainable at home with this easy sugar cookie royal icing recipe and a few instructions, tips & tricks to give you the confidence you need to try this technique yourself!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough such as Pillsbury
  • Gel food coloring

Royal Icing Recipe:

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 TBSP meringue powder
  • 8-12 TBSP room temperature water
  • Gel food coloring

Instructions

  • Combine dough and flour. Roll to ¼” thickness. Cut out ½” x 3” rectangles.

  • Bake at 350 on a baking sheet for 8 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Royal Icing Recipe:

  • In a stand mixer (or hand mixer is fine) combine sugar and meringue powder. Add 8 tablespoons of water, using the whisk attachment on your mixer, beat for 1 minute on low.

  • Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is a good consistency.

  • Once it is all mixed, add more water if icing is too hard, a little at a time.If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar.

  • Separate the icing into small mixing bowls and add the food coloring until you reach desired color. Mix well. Scoop the icing into piping bags or plastic icing bottles (read notes below for instruction).

Notes

Decorating instructions:

Line around the edge of the cookie with icing and fill in the middle. Use a toothpick to poke bubbles or direct icing into holes. Allow each area you frost to dry before moving on. The icing should completely dry, at room temperature for AT LEAST four hours, before adding piping details to the top.

For Polka Dots: before the flooded area dries, add dots of different colored icing.

For Hearts: before the flooded area dries, add dots of different colored icing, drag a toothpick through each dot, creating a heart.

For Zig zag design: before the flooded area dries, add stripes of different colored icing and then drag a toothpick through the stripes.

Sprinkles: before the flooded area completely dries, add sprinkles.

Candy: "glue" to the cookie with a drop of icing.

If using edible marker: before using on the icing, allow the icing to completely harden for at least four hours.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (10)

COOKIES DESSERT DISHES HOLIDAYS VALENTINE'S DAY

posted by Ashley on February 12, 2022

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One comment on “Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe”

  1. John+/+Kitchen+Riffs February 23, 2022 @ 9:59 AM Reply

    Such a terrific icing! And takes so well to color. Nice, easy recipe, too. Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Recipe | Wishes and Dishes (2024)

FAQs

What can I use royal icing for? ›

Royal icing can be used for piping, outlining, or flooding. Each technique uses the same icing recipe—just the consistency (thickness) changes. Royal icing can be flavored! Just make sure to use an oil-free extract or flavoring.

What is the difference between royal icing and sugar cookie icing? ›

Cookie icing can be used in the same way that royal icing can; however, it doesn't dry as hard as royal icing does. It's great for flooding cookies or piping designs into wet icing. To thin the consistency of cookie icing, just pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

How long do sugar cookies last with royal icing? ›

Decorated Sugar Cookies

If you leave them on the counter, at room temperature, they should be good to go for about two weeks. If you decide to leave them in the fridge, they will last about a week, but keep in mind that it's best to eat them within the first three days.

What are the disadvantages of royal icing? ›

Disadvantages: Royal icing can crack. This makes it ill-suited for covering large surface areas (for instance an entire cake) or curved surfaces. Royal icing is rarely the most nuanced of flavors, with a somewhat bland (albeit sweet) flavor.

Does royal icing melt easily? ›

Royal icing doesn't melt in the same way as buttericing because it's just sugar and egg whites. Moisture will make it very slack so it's possible you are piping in a humid environment or it may not have been to the correct piping consistency.

What are the three types of royal icing? ›

There are three main types of royal icing: stiff consistency, piping consistency, and flood consistency. They are used for different decorating techniques, although sometimes you can use different consistencies to achieve the same result.

How do you make royal icing shiny? ›

One of the main keys to shiny icing is getting that icing to dry quickly. The faster the icing dries, the shinier it will be. One simple method to faster drying is to just aim a fan at your drying cookies. I like to aim the airflow so that it passes evenly over my cookie sheet, not directly down at a particular cookie.

Is royal icing or buttercream better for sugar cookies? ›

In my opinion, buttercream sugar cookies are the way to go. If I am going to spend my time decorating cookies (noted it takes less time to decorate buttercream than it takes to decorate royal icing) I want my cookies to taste as good as they look.

How do you use royal icing for beginners? ›

How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing
  1. Add food coloring. Once you've made the icing, transfer the mixture to bowls and add food coloring if desired. ...
  2. Outline the cookie. ...
  3. Add the flood icing. ...
  4. Spread and smooth the icing. ...
  5. Let cookies dry.

How do you stick royal icing to cookies? ›

Apply a small amount of royal icing to the back of the fondant decoration using a piping bag, small spatula, or a toothpick. Press the decoration firmly onto the cookie, holding it in place for a few seconds to ensure it sticks.

How to layer royal icing on cookies? ›

Decorate your sugar cookies by first outlining the border, then filling in the middle with flood icing which should settle into itself. Use a toothpick or scribe tool to fill in any gaps by spreading the icing around, then tap the cookie on the counter a few times to help the icing settle into a smooth, even layer.

Can I refrigerate sugar cookies with royal icing? ›

No, cookies decorated with royal icing should typically not be refrigerated. Store decorated cookies in a cool dry place, sealed in an airtight container. For long-term storage, freeze decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Can you leave sugar cookies out overnight? ›

Curious how long cookies last at room temperature? Most homemade cookies will maintain their taste and texture for up to 3 days. If you leave them out for too long, the cookies begin to harden or dry out. To prevent cookies from becoming stale, cover them with plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container.

How do you reuse leftover royal icing? ›

DIY Sprinkles

Another way to do it is to grab a scraping tool and any cookie stencil you have, and spread detail consistency royal icing through the stencil onto a parchment paper sheet or acetate. Once dry, you can peel the royal icing off and you'll have homemade sprinkles in whatever shape you choose!

How long does royal icing last? ›

How Long Royal Icing Lasts. Royal icing can last up to three days when refrigerated. Royal icing can last longer than three days when stored in the fridge, but for best results, try to use or eat it within those three days. If not, you may find an unpleasant texture change in your icing.

Why use royal icing instead of buttercream? ›

If you want a neat and clean, beautiful/cute design on your cookies, go with royal icing. Most people who are decorating cookies in the first place are going for the eye appeal, so it's a popular choice. But if you value taste over looks, go with messy, delicious buttercream frosting.

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