The BEST Sugar Cookies Recipe (with Royal Icing)
These homemade sugar cookies with royal icing are perfect for decorating any time of year! Whether you’re making sugar cookies to frost for Valentine’s Day or Christmas, this will be your go-to recipe. Complete with foolproof tips, these soft frosted sugar cookies truly are the BEST!
Servings: 26 1/4 inch Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 385 grams
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 250 grams
- 2 1/2 4 oz sticks salted butter* room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder for flatter cookies, only use 1/4 teaspoon
Royal Icing
- 1/4 cup meringue powder
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat and Measure Flour: Heat the oven to 375F. Mix the flour and baking powder in a big bowl. Don't press the flour when measuring. It's better to use a scale for accuracy. Wrong measurements can make cookies spread too much.
- Cream The Butter: Put the soft butter and sugar in a big bowl. Use a mixer (standing or handheld) to beat until it's light in color, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to beat too much because it can make the butter too soft.
- Make The Dough: Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Mix until it turns into dough.
- Roll The Dough: Knead the dough. If it's sticky, use a bit of powdered sugar on the surface. Cut the dough in half. Put each half on parchment paper. Roll it out with a rolling pin. This prevents sticking. Remember, the more you roll, the warmer and softer the dough gets. To avoid this, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on the surface.
- Chill The Dough: Transfer the rolled dough to the fridge for 30 minutes. You can transfer the dough on parchment paper to a baking sheet. It makes cutting easier after chilling.
- Cut & Bake: Take the chilled dough out. Use cookie cutters to make shapes. Put the cookies on a baking sheet, leaving space. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the edges start turning brown. If you want softer cookies, take them out at 7 minutes.
- Ice The Cookies: Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute after baking, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Ice cookies as desired. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Royal Icing
- Beat The Meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl, beat meringue powder and warm water until frothy on medium-low speed for about 1 minute.
- Add Powder Sugar: With the mixer on low, gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Once fully combined, increase the speed to medium and whip with the whisk attachment until a glue-like consistency forms. Whip on medium-high for an additional 1 to 2 minutes to achieve stiff peaks for a thicker icing.
- Add Water For Desired Consistency: This is now the base icing, and it's naturally stiff. If it's too rigid, add water gradually (start with 1 teaspoon at a time) until the desired consistency is achieved. Alternatively, you can use a spray bottle for a more controlled thinning process. If the icing is too thin, incorporate powdered sugar in small increments until the desired consistency is restored.
- Add To Piping Bag: Once desired consistencies are reached, add the white icing to a piping bag or place it in bowls and color using gel food coloring.
Consistency Types
- Stiff Consistency: This type of consistency is comparable to buttercream icing. It is used for leaves, detail designs, flowers, and much more. This consistency will hold its shape.
- Piping Consistency: This type of consistency is comparable to toothpaste. It is used for outlining and lettering. This icing count is 25 seconds.
- Flood Consistency: This type of consistency is comparable to honey or shampoo. It is used for filling large areas. This icing count is 8-10 seconds.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
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- Don't overmix. As soon as it begins to clump together into a dough, it is ready.
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- Don't over-knead. This will make the cookies spread and not hold their shape. If you over-knead, you will melt the butter, and the dough will become too soft when baking.
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- Use parchment paper when rolling out. This will help with sticking. Additionally, add a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the dough to ensure no sticking to the rolling pin.
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- Re-roll the dough only once. As you roll, it will begin to warm up and become too soft to work with.
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- Roll the dough evenly so you get the same-sized cookies throughout.
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- Chill the dough for 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer before cutting.
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- Dip the cookie cutters into flour so they won't stick and make a mess if you choose not to chill the dough before cutting.
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- Don't Overbake. I always pull my cookies out of the oven at around 7 minutes. I watch the edges and take them out before they start turning golden brown because I like my cookies to be a little softer and cake-like.
- For a flatter cookie: only use 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. I always like mine to have a little puff to them so I add 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Butter: I use salted butter. However, if you are not a fan you can use unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp salt to the ingredient list.
- Don't Pack Flour: When measuring, make sure you are not packing the flour. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and use the back of a knife to scrape the flour level.
- Powder Sugar: Use powdered sugar instead of flour on a surface when rolling to prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven.
- Frosting: Remember, you don't have to frost your sugar cookies! They are delicious as is!
- Nutrition Facts: The nutritional facts below only account for the sugar cookie, not the icing.
Storage Tips
Sugar cookies will last up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter or pantry. You can also freeze in an airtight container for 6 months. You can freeze sugar cookies decorated with royal icing. Simply place parchment paper between each layer of cookies in an airtight container or freezer-safe ziplock bag. Thaw on the counter on top of parchment paper until room temperature. Sugar cookie dough will last up to 3-5 days in the fridge before cooking. You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze it for 5-6 months. Be sure to write the date on the wrap. You will know the cookie dough has gone bad by observing the edges. If they are darker than the interior, it's gone bad. It may also have a bad smell.Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg