Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Dough
- 3 cups 375 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup 225 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup 200 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract optional, for a bakery-style flavor
- 1 –2 tbsp milk only if dough feels too dry
- Royal Icing Option A — Firm, Dries Hard, Best for Detailed Designs
- 3 cups 360 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp meringue powder or 2 pasteurized egg whites
- 3 –5 tbsp warm water adjust for consistency
- ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract optional
- Gel food coloring in pastel shades pink, blue, yellow, green, purple
- Easy Sugar Cookie Glaze Option B — Simple, Shiny, Beginner-Friendly
- 2 cups 240 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 –4 tbsp milk or water
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup gives shine
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring in pastel shades
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using); mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients gradually; mix on low until a smooth dough forms. Add milk only if the dough feels crumbly.
- Divide dough into two discs; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
- Cut and Bake
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness.
- Cut into spring shapes (flowers, eggs, butterflies, circles). Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 10–12 minutes until edges are just barely golden — centers should look set but pale.
- Cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before icing.
- Make the Royal Icing (Option A)
- Beat meringue powder and warm water in a large bowl until foamy.
- Add sifted powdered sugar; beat on medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5–7 minutes.
- Divide into small bowls. Add a tiny speck of gel food coloring to each with a toothpick; stir until you reach soft pastel shades. Add water a few drops at a time to thin for flooding; keep it thicker for outlines.
- Make the Easy Glaze (Option B)
- Whisk sifted powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla together until smooth and pourable.
- Divide into small bowls; tint each with a tiny speck of gel food coloring for pastel shades.
- Decorate the Cookies
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (size 1–3) with outline-consistency icing. Pipe a border around each cookie.
- Thin the remaining icing slightly and use a squeeze bottle or piping bag to flood the inside of the border. Use a toothpick or scribe tool to guide icing into corners and pop air bubbles.
- Add wet-on-wet designs (dots, swirls, marbling) while the base layer is still wet.
- Let iced cookies dry completely at room temperature — at least 4–6 hours for royal icing, or 1–2 hours for glaze.
- Pastel Color Mixing Guide
- Baby Pink: White icing + tiny speck of red or pink gel
- Sky Blue: White icing + tiny speck of blue gel
- Mint Green: White icing + tiny speck of green gel (or blue + yellow)
- Pale Yellow: White icing + tiny speck of yellow gel
- Lavender: White icing + tiny speck of purple gel (or red + blue)
- Always start with less than you think you need — gel colors are very concentrated. Add more one toothpick dip at a time.
Notes
Chill the dough: This is non-negotiable for cookies that hold their shape cleanly in the oven.
Don't overbake: Pull cookies when the centers still look pale; they firm up as they cool. Over-baked cookies are too hard for icing.
Royal icing consistency:
Outline: thick, holds a stiff peak, doesn't fall off the spatula.
Flood: thin enough to settle flat within 10 seconds when drizzled back.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 80mg | Sugar: 19g
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