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This is truly the easiest and the most perfect sugar cookie icing recipe! The icing is delicious, it does not overpower the flavor of the cookies, it’s opaque and can be made thick, hardens without becoming too crunchy, and it’s great for decorating too.
Making homemade cookie icing is incredibly easy, it sets up nicely, does not require any special equipment or ingredients, and tastes better than the store-bought stuff. I also love that you can adjust the consistency to your liking depending on how you’d like to decorate your cookies.
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this easy cookie icing, plus food colorings and sprinkles if using.
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Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions islocated in the recipe cardbelow
- Powdered Sugar: The main ingredient in cookie icing! It’s also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar. Sift it if you’re worried about lumps.
- Corn Syrup: A little bit of light corn syrup will help the icing harden and become shiny when it sets. If you don’t have it, it can be left out and substituted with more milk.
- Milk: Use any type of milk here, even vegan milk works! If you don’t have any, substitute with water.
- Flavoring: You can use a few drops of your favorite extract. I usually do almond or vanilla extract, but you can do coconut, lemon, etc.
- Food Coloring: I always recommend using gel food coloring for the best results. They’re brighter and won’t dilute your icing. Pick up a pack of 12 colors online.
How to Make Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
- In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar with corn syrup, and the extract of choice. Use a whisk or a spoon to mix.
- Add milk about 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Divide into bowls (depending on how many colors you want to make), and add food coloring to each.
To Ice Cookies (2 Ways):
- Dip one side of the cookies right in the icing in the bowl, shake off any excess and transfer to a wire rack to set. If using sprinkles, decorate right away before the icing sets.
- Make 2 different consistencies for the icing, a thicker one for outlining the cookies and a thinner one for flooding the cookies. Add to pipping bags, then outline the cookie and wait for 10 minutes so the outline sets. Then flood the inner section of the cookie with a thinner consistency. Decorate with sprinkles if using, then transfer to a wire rack until the icing sets completely (I leave the cookies overnight for the icing to fully set).
Recipe Tips
- Details: Keep in mind that with this cookie icing you won’t be able to create a lot of detail as you would have if you were using Royal Icing.
- Instead of a piping bag, you can add the flood-consistency icing to your cookies using a squeeze bottle, or you can add a dollop of icing and spread it out using a small spatula, spoon, or brush.
- Consistency: I make my icing for outlining the cookie to have a similar consistency to peanut butter, and for flooding the cookies it should be similar to heavy cream.
How To Store Easy Cookie Icing
This easy cookie icing can be stored at room temperature for about 2 weeks.
Because this icing will dry out eventually, it’s important to keep it sealed up airtight. I recommend that you place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing so that no air gets to it.
When you’re ready to use your stored icing, mix it up with a hand mixer so that it’s smooth again.
Cut Out Cookie Inspiration
We’re making newcut-out cookiedesigns to share with you all the time!Here are a few that will get your imagination working for the next festive occasion:
- Classic Gingerbread Men
- Iced Meltaway Cookies
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Maple Icing
- Caramel Apple Decorated Cookies
- Christmas Shortbread Cookies with Icing
- Halloween Skull Sugar Cookies
- Easter Bunny Cookies
- Easter Egg Cookies
- Easy Valentines Day Cut Outs
Other Christmas Cookies You Should Try
All Christmas Recipes
-
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
-
Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies
-
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
-
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
FAQs
Can I freeze iced cookies?
Yes, these iced cookies freeze very well. You have to make sure that the icing has fully set and dried, then place in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to defrost frozen iced cookies?
I usually leave them uncovered on the counter for a few hours until they’re fully thawed.
I hope that you love this easy cookie icing recipe as much as I do, and use it for icing your Christmas cookies every year! Be sure to Pin the recipe for the holidays!
Recipe
Recipe
5 from 29 votes
click the stars to rate!
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
Created by: Fun Cookie Recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
50 medium iced cookies
This is truly the easiest and the most perfect sugar cookie icing recipe! The icing is delicious, it does not overpower the flavor of the cookies, hardens without becoming too crunchy, and it's great for decorating too.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar with corn syrup, and the extract of choice. Use a whisk or a spoon to mix.
Add milk about 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Divide into bowls (depending on how many colors you want to make), and add food coloring to each.
To Ice Cookies (2 Ways):
Dip one side of the cookies right in the icing in the bowl, shake off any excess and transfer to a wire rack to set. If using sprinkles, decorate right away before the icing sets.
Or make 2 different consistencies for the icing, a thicker one for outlining the cookies and a thinner one for flooding the cookies. Add to pipping bags, then outline the cookie and wait for 10 minutes so the outline sets. Then flood the inner section of the cookie with a thinner consistency. Decorate with sprinkles if using, then transfer to a wire rack until the icing sets completely.
Notes
- Details: Keep in mind that with this cookie icing you won’t be able to create a lot of detail as you would have if you were using Royal Icing.
- Instead of a piping bag, you can add the flood-consistency icing to your cookies using a squeeze bottle, or you can add a dollop of icing and spread it out using a small spatula, spoon, or brush.
- Consistency: I make my icing for outlining the cookie to have a similar consistency to peanut butter, and for flooding the cookies it should be similar to heavy cream.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 11kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.01g | Fat: 0.01g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 0.04mg | Sodium: 0.4mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 0.5IU | Calcium: 0.4mg | Iron: 0.001mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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Reader Interactions
Christine says
This looks really good please send me the website thank youReply
Thamima says
Can I use water based colours to colour the icing or only jel colours?
Reply
Margie Lohr says
Does this icing get hard or does it stay somewhat soft.
Reply
Diana says
It hardens but takes around 24 hours to fully set.
Reply