Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe for Decorating
This sugar cookie icing dries soft enough to bite but firm enough to stack. It's made from pantry staples in about 5 minutes. I've made it (literally!) hundreds of times, and it turns out perfect every single time.
The short story: this sugar cookie icing is a simple glaze of powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and extract whisked until smooth. This one dries in 2 to 3 hours to a finish that's soft to bite but firm enough to stack. For a corn syrup-free version, swap in honey. It works, but the icing stays stickier, so those cookies won't stack as well.
featured review
"This is absolutely the best sugar cookie icing recipe! I have used this recipe over and over to decorate cookies with fabulous results every time. Delicious and easy!"
- CAROLE -
This is the perfect icing recipe for decorating my cut out cookie recipe. It's creamy, sweet, and packed full of flavor, plus it ends up drying solid enough to pack the cookies in a tin but still soft enough to bite into. And it shines so bright and glossy in the light. It makes for some obnoxiously pretty cookies!
The best part of all? It takes just a couple minutes to whip up using ingredients you already probably have in your pantry. Let's make some frosting!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This easy, peasy sugar cookie frosting recipe is going to be your go-to for every holiday!
I think the icing can make or break a good cut-out sugar cookie. Too hard and it feels like you're going to break a tooth. Too runny and it's a mess to eat. This recipe is right in between- it's the magical unicorn of sugar cookie icings!
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- It comes together in minutes using ingredients you already have around. No fuss here! This icing comes together in a flash in a single bowl.
- It's dries hard enough to stack but still soft enough to enjoy. It's the magical unicorn of sugar cookie icings! Soft enough to be tender when you bite into it, but solid enough to make these cookies stackable.
- The flavor is up to you! For classic vanilla sugar cookies, stick to vanilla extract. But peppermint, coconut, and almond are all amazing options as well.
- Super duper extra pretty. Want shiny, smooth, and absolutely perfect looking sugar cookies? This icing will give them to you every time.
Step-by-Step how to MAKE SUGAR COOKIE ICING
1
Combine ingredients in bowl
Mix together powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar), milk, corn syrup or honey, and the extract of your choice until smooth. I really like almond extract, but you can flavor it however you like! Start with two tablespoons of milk and add more until the icing is thick enough to stay on top of the cookie but thin enough to settle and dry with a smooth, bump-free top.
A tip on the corn syrup-free icing: I've made it with honey tons of times, and it's delicious and beautiful, but it stays stickier than the corn syrup version, so save it for cookies you won't be stacking.
2
Add in food coloring
If using food coloring, whisk it into the icing until well-distributed. I recommend using gel food coloring if available. It gives you the boldest colors and doesn't water down the icing. But, be warned, it does stain like the dickens! If kids are helping, liquid food coloring may be the safer bet. If you want more than one color, divide the batch into smaller bowls before you add any.
3
Decorate your sugar cookies
Squeeze, spread, or dip the icing onto your fully cooled rolled sugar cookies. Wait until they're completely cool, because warm cookies make the icing run everywhere.
When kids are helping, a squeeze bottle is the way to go. When it's just me, I usually spread it with a popsicle stick. You can also dip the cookies if you thin the icing a little, just do it over parchment paper because it gets messy. If you'd like to use sprinkles, add them before the icing dries.
4
Let the icing dry
The icing will harden to a soft but stackable glaze within 2 to 3 hours of sitting out at room temperature. Once it's set, stack the cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to a week. Skip the freezer once they're iced. I've tried it, and this icing cracks and loses its shine. It's still tasty, just not pretty.
SuGar Cookie Icing protips
WATCH Me Make Iced Sugar cookies
📖 Recipe
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, almond, peppermint, or coconut extract
- Food coloring
Instructions
- Mix the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, corn syrup or honey, and extract until smooth. Add more milk until the icing reaches the consistency you want. For piping and spreading, you want it thicker. For dipping, make it a little thinner.
- Color the icing. If using food coloring, whisk it in until well distributed. For more than one color, divide the icing into smaller bowls first.
- Decorate the cookies. Pipe, spread, or dip the icing onto completely cooled cookies. If you'd like sprinkles, add them before the icing dries.
- Let the icing dry. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until the icing is set.
Video
Notes
- Using corn syrup in the cookie icing recipe will result in an icing that dries soft, but stackable. Using honey will result in a softer icing that should not be stacked because it stays sticky.
- Let the cookies cool completely before icing, or the icing will run.
- For dipping, make the icing thinner. For piping, thicker, since it loosens as it warms in your hand. For a squeeze bottle, just thin enough to flow through the tip without running freely. For spreading, quite thick.
- Gel food coloring gives bolder color and doesn't thin out the icing.
- The icing hardens in about 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.
- This icing doesn't keep well, since it's made to harden. Mix it when you're ready to decorate or keep it in an airtight container.
- Store iced cookies between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.
- Don't freeze the iced cookies. The icing cracks and loses its shine.
- Non-dairy milk works just fine in this recipe.
- Looking for a sugar cookie recipe to use this icing on? This cut-out cookie recipe is our go-to, fan-favorite recipe.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions about FROSTING SUGAR COOKIES
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Dear Cassie, I'm looking for a cookie with a slightly crisp exterior, soft interior and will stay soft inside, and keeps shape while baking. Is this the one? Why the high oven temp 400 degrees? What level should my oven rack be set so the top or bottoms don't burn? By the way, I enjoy your blog. Thanks for such helpful info for us new bakers.
This is the cookie you're looking for then! The high oven temp cooks the outside of the cookie quickly, while still leaving the inside nice and soft. Put you oven rack in the middle of the ocen, and you should be good. 🙂
Worked out Great, we loved them, I made just a basic butter frosting with confectioners sugar thin enough to sort of glaze on and sprinkle with sprinkles. The cookies were soft and yummy. thank you
How long do these cookies last after doing bake?
In an airtight container, you can get by with 5-7 days before they start going stale.
Omg just took these out of the oven and they taste great! The dough holds shape and bakes very well! This will be my go to sugar cookie recipe!
These cookies are AMAZING. I make them at least once a month and they are a hit. I'm baking them for a friends gender reveal party... EEEEK! I hope I can perfect the consistency of the icing. Any tips?
I love this recipe. I have baked them today (Friday) for a party on Sunday. They are wonderful!! Will they still be fresh for Sunday? I will be icing them this evening, what would be the best way to store the iced cookies once they have dried on the counter? I am concerned about the milk in the icing and them being left out of the fridge?
They'll definitely be fine for Sunday. I would put them in layers (with parchment or wax paper between) in an airtight container. I keep mine out on the counter, because sugar is an excellent preservative, but if that makes you nervous, the fridge is fine.
Simple and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
These cookies were AMAZING!!! I made them and my whole family loved them!! u should definitely try this recipe 🙂
I made these at Christmas minus the icing. I use melted candy melts to frost my sugar cookies. These were good even without frosting. I just made some for Valentine's and will make more at Easter. Love this recipe!! Thank you!!
I made these last night and I think you have revolutionized my sugar cookie baking...
I had NO idea that sugar cookies baked so fast. I have tried many recipes over the years and was always disappointed that the cookies turned out crunchy. My thought now is that it wasn't the recipe... it was me. I was overcooking them.
Following your advice, I watched these cookies like a hawk. Sure enough, they were done at the 5 min mark. I left some in for 7 just for comparison sake and they were way too hard.
Thank you SO much.
I'm frosting the 70 or so cookies tonight with your recipe for my son's class Valentine Party. Can you put the frosting in a piping bag? How does it hold up?
Thanks again!
Sure can! I'd maybe just add a touch more powdered sugar to it so it's thick enough not to just stream out of the piping bag. I'm so glad this post helped you! 🙂
I made a 'test' batch that made about 2 dozen cookies that turned out great! Will definitely keep your recipe for Valentines Day and every other upcoming event just to have an excuse to make more!
My daughter lives out of state and would love to send some to her. She usually gets mail from me within 2 days. I like to use royal icing so they will be decorated using that instead. How long will these last one I bake/decorate so I know how long she has to enjoy them?
If they are packaged up really nice and air-tight, I think you could get by with 5-7 days before they start to taste stale. 🙂
Do they bake flat
Yes and they don't spread to much
Can I do these as a drop cookies vs a cut out?
you cookies look great, I have been looking for the perfect sugar cookie recipe. mine always come out plain tasting and gummy. I think the gummy is from under cooking but no matter how much vanilla it still taste plain and even bitter after. any advice?
Dough was way too sticky. Had to throw it all out. Very disappointed because the dough tasted wonderful!
These cookies are delicious! Eat them with or without frosting, either way they're yummy!!
I made the dough yesterday and left it overnight in the fridge. Rolled and cut out the cookies today and it made 70 cookies. They cooked very well and evenly. Six minutes and they were perfect.
The frosting was delicious too! I did make one slight alteration by adding in 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of milk. The frosting was shiny, easy to spread on the cookie without any stickiness or breaking of the cookies.
These two recipes are a keeper in my book!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sugar cookies that actually worked for me and are absolutely delicious! My kids were trying to eat them all before they were even iced! Yay thank you ?
How would yo adjust the cookie rcipe for high altitude baking? I really want to make these!!
I don't know much about high altitude baking, but here is a great resource from King Arthur that might help you out: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
If I have a regular mixer if that okay?
Sure!
What should the dough look like when done. It is quite sticky and not forming into a ball. I need to refrigerate it still but I'm wondering how it looks for you?
You should be able to form the dough into discs—it should feel like soft modeling clay.