If you plan on a lot of cookie decorating in the future, pin or bookmark this page. Here you’ll find the BEST cookie decorating recipes, including cut-out sugar cookies, royal icing (sugar cookie icing), and buttercream frosting.
COOKIE DECORATING RECIPES
This collection features the best cut-out sugar cookie recipes for decorating, as well as my (I think, perfect) royal icing recipe. I also include a buttercream frosting recipe, which is great on cupcakes and cakes.
what are the best sugar cookie recipes?
You won’t get too far in cookie decorating without trusty, no-fail, awesome cookie decorating recipes. Here are my top secret recipes that everyone else had to pay for when they bought Sugarlicious. My favorite, go-to, made-a-jillion-times cut-out cookies, royal icing and frosting are collected here in one place. I’ve used these for years.
Now that you have your recipes, be sure to check out these tutorials for basic cookie decorating how-tos, all about food coloring, and where to find cookie decorating supplies. For tips on preventing cookies from spreading, click here.
CUT-OUT sugar COOKIES
basic sugar cookies
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and blend well. Add extracts and blend. Mix flour and salt and gradually add. Cover dough with plastic wrap (I usually put mine in a gallon size Ziploc bag) and chill dough for about 2 hours. Don’t skip this. You must chill the dough. Working with about 1/3 of the batch at a time, briefly knead the chilled dough and roll about 1/4 inch thick. Cookies on a stick are rolled out 3/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes. Insert a lollipop stick about half way into the cookie, if using. Bake cookies on parchment paper-lined baking trays at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Thicker cookies may need up to 20 minutes. Just watch for edges that are nicely golden.
MAKE AHEAD Notes: You can also freeze dough. After mixing, put dough in a gallon size Freezer ziploc bag (or wrap well) and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour until it’s workable. Chilled is good, though, don’t let it get too mushy. To freeze cookies that have been cut-out and decorated, let the cookies dry overnight. Package in freezer-safe ziplocs in a single later and freeze. To thaw, remove from the freezer but keep in the ziplocs. Let the cookies thaw totally before removing from the ziplocs.
Chocolate Rolled Cookies
(use this for cookie cutter cookies)
Cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and blend. Mix together the dry ingredients and gradually add to the wet. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. When chilled, roll out on a floured surface, cut out shapes, and bake on a parchment paper-lined baking tray in a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 8 to 10 minutes for small cookies, 10 to 12 minutes for larger cookies, or until edges are crisp. Thick cookies may need a few extra minutes. TIP: In lieu of flour, which may show up on the surface, you can roll cookies between two pieces of wax paper.
NEW Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
(use this for cookie cutter cookies)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix the flour, salt and spices together in a bowl with a whisk and set aside. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a standing mixer fitted with a flat beater, mix together the butter, brown sugar and molasses on medium speed well blended. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the flour and spice mixture. Wrap the dough and chill for at least 2 hours. (You can make the dough the day ahead and keep in the refirgerator.) Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out your shapes. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies, or until edges start to brown. Let cool completely before decorating.
Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
(use this for cookie cutter cookies)
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
¾ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
circle cookie cutters
parchment paper
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl with a whisk and set aside. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a standing mixer fitted with a flat beater, mix together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Blend in the spices. Blend in the egg, molasses and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the flour mixture. Wrap the dough and chill for 1 to 2 hours. Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. To make rings, use two different sized circle cookie cutters, sizes 3-inch and 1 1/4 –inch circles used here. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Let cool completely before decorating.
How to make Cookies-on-a-Stick:
To make cookie pops, roll out chilled sugar cookie dough about 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out your shape, insert a lollipop stick into the cookie at the base, centered in the cookie’s thickness. Press the stick about half way into the cookie. No stick should poke through the front or back of the cookie. Pat the cookie’s shape back in place with your fingers, if necessary. Place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, and bake according to the recipe. Cookies may need a couple extra minutes of baking time, since they are thicker. Make sure the sticks don’t touch each other or other cookies when placed on the baking tray.
Brownies
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
Combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In saucepan, heat together butter, sugar and water and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and the vanilla. Transfer to bowl and beat in eggs, one at a time. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9″ baking dish and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
ROYAL ICING AND FROSTING RECIPES:
Royal Icing (Sugar Cookie Icing)
Note:This sugar cookie icing is similar to traditional royal icing, but I add shortening and flavoring to make it taste delicious. Thus, it dries hard enough to handle and pack when left overnight, but not rock hard, like traditional royal icing. The consistency is NOT the runny kind used for flooding. It’s stiffer. Take a spoonful, turn it over the bowl. The frosting should cling to the spoon and slowly fall into the bowl. That’s the right consistency. You may thin this icing with water to make it the right consistency for flooding. Use royal icing (sort of) for cookie decorating. For more details on working with royal icing, visit this royal icing recipe post.
Whip the meringue powder and water on high speed for a looooong time, several minutes, until it’s fluffy and peaks form (use an electric hand beater or the wire whisk of your standing mixer). Gradually add the rest of the ingredients to desired consistency. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month.
Buttercream Frosting
(Use this for cakes and cupcakes, or for sandwich cookies.)
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Cream the butter with a mixer. Add 3 cups confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup at a time, blending well with each addition (mixture may be dry and crumbly). Add 3 tablespoons milk and vanilla and blend. Blend in remaining confectioner’s sugar. Add more milk (about 3 tablespoons) until desired consistency is reached. Add more milk to thin and more sugar to thicken.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Use recipe above, but add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and a few additional tablespoons of milk, as needed for desired consistency.
Vegan cut-out cookies
For a vegan version of cut-out cookies and cookie decorating icing, click HERE. Really, they were good. Really good. And I tried a lot of vegan cut-out cookies that were not good.
Metric Conversions
Below find some metric conversions after a reader wisely requested them. But some disclaimers: I made these conversions based on internet research (with the understanding that recipe conversions are not straightforward mathematics, and different ingredients translate differently). I don’t cook with these measures, so they’ve not been tested. I have no concept of metric amounts. I need to see them to understand them and know how they relate to US amounts. Preferably if a reader were to invite me to their English countryside castle home to help them bake? I studied a wee bit at Oxford, and I do adore the area. A London suite would work as well.
some conversions for folks elsewhere! (again, not tested, based on internet research):
2 sticks butter = 1 cup = 8 ounces = 227 g
1 cup confectioners (or icing/powdered) sugar = 128 g
1 teaspoon extract = 4.2 g = 5 mL
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour = 312 g
1 teaspoon salt = 4.2 g
4 tablespoon meringue powder = 56 g
1/2 cup water = 4 ounces = 60 mL = 113 g
6 cup confectioners sugar = 768 g
1/4 cup vegetable shortening = 56 g
1 cup granulated sugar = 200 g
2 cup flour = 240 g
1/2 cup cocoa powder = 62.5 g
1/2 teaspoon baking soda = 2.1 g
1/2 teaspoon salt = 2.1 g
375 degree F = 190 degree C
When I get a scale (hint, mom), I’ll test these, I promise.
Frida says
This was such a wonderful idea. I just had to post it on my blog (Swedenst largest interior design blog with over 30 500 scandinavian readers every week) to show my readers the link and picture of your lovely work!
Susan R. in Austin TX says
I love your book and use it for inspiration all the time. I especially like your idea of adding vegetable shortening to royal icing so that you get a creamier product. But I have two questions about this; one, how do you handle transporting cookies with softer icing? I have made dozens of cookies with your icing and moving them to the party is always a problem, or just displaying them at home. I have to buy a large coat box so I can put all the cookies on one layer. How did you all move cookies with soft icing? Do you have any suggestions? Second question; Crisco was reformulated a couple of years ago to omit trans fat (TF). But TF is what makes vegetable shortening work so well in frosting. I bought some high-ratio shortening at my local bakery supply store for my buttercream needs, but wonder if you think it’s necessary in your royal frosting. Thanks! Sorry for all the questions. I really do USE your book!!
Chic Cookies says
Thanks Susan R. for your great feedback! So glad you’re making good use of the book! Makes me happy to hear. Hopefully you’ll read this reply… VERY good questions. I do use this recipe (with the new Crisco), and handle the cookies, even wrap and ship them tightly packed with no problem, so hopefully we can crack down on why yours aren’t drying. Are you letting the cookies sit at room temperature overnight before handling? You can even let them sit 2 days (the cookies will still taste fresh) and put a fan on them, but they MUST sit overnight at least. I’ve never handled or packed cookies the same day I decorate. If that doesn’t help, or in addition, you can easily cut the amount of Crisco. Only use a couple tablespoons, and add a little light corn syrup, too, for consistency. It might be worth trying just a little (again, only a couple tablespoons) of your special shortening on a test batch, but I do think the issue might be the length of drying time. Hope this helps and keep me/us updated!!
Susan R. in Austin TX says
Meaghan, thanks so much for your response! Hmm… maybe I’m not letting them dry long enough before covering them. In Austin we have significant humidity most of the year. Uncovered baked goods become stale pretty quickly so maybe I’m just too quick with the Saran wrap out of habit. I’ll try a test batch of icing with a reduced amount of Crisco and the corn syrup and maybe put a fan on them but definitely leave them uncovered overnight. Thank you again for your suggestions. I’ll give an update and send a photo.
Vicky B. in De Pere, WI says
Hi,I bought your book 2 cookie seasons ago. I make all my Holiday gifts – cookies and candy and cookies. I ship them to family all over the world. This is the second time I tried using thefrosting recipe in your book. I used Crisco the first time and yesterday I used High Ration Shortening. The same thing happened both times. I whip the meringue powder and water for a looong time until it is light and fluffy. Then I add vanilla, shortening and powdered sugar in that order. When I do this my light fluff goes down to a separated liquid. It does fluff back up but then as I am using the frosting, in bags, the frosting eventually separates and sometimes it runs out like a milky liquid. My cookies do not look like your cookies in your book. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong is greatly appreciated. I am on my third batch of frosting and I still have over 1/2 of my cookies to decorate.
Chic Cookies says
Hi Vicky,I’m so sorry you’re having trouble with your frosting…must make decorating so frustrating, as that’s the key to a good decorated cookie! Clearly something’s off, because you shouldn’t have any separation at all. Sounds like you’re whipping up the meringue perfectly so it’s fluffy. I would whip the meringue powder and COLD water (1/2 cup water and 4 T powder), gradually blend in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time (about 6 cups total) at low to medium speed. The whipped part WILL go down and lose it’s fluffiness at this step, but still should blend into a nice frosting. There should never be any separation at all at any step. Then blend in 1 tsp vanilla and blend only about a rounded tablespoonful of Crisco. You don’t need the full amount. Then, if you still feel like the frosting doesn’t have that pliability that Crisco gives, you can add a tablespoon of light corn syrup, too. Drastically cutting back the shortening should help with the separation. And traditional royal icing has no shortening. I only add shortening because it makes a better consistency and makes it more paletteable, but you can eliminate it if you keep having separation issues. Also, I know heat can cause separation. May sound odd, but summer months are tough on frosting (I mention in case you’re south of the equator and it’s summer where you are). Hope this helps! Please keep me updated!! meaghan
Katie says
Hi there, I'm having trouble finding meringue powder, can I substitute egg whites? if so what measurement should I use?
Katie says
I also should note I live in NYC and we do not have any craft stores such as Michaels, Jo Ann's etc.
Chic Cookies says
Hi Katie! Great question, so I posted the answer with other questions I've received so others can see it. If you click on the question mark in the right side column over there, you'll see your answer on the top of the entry. Thanks!
Angeline says
I made the chocolate cookies last week and have just taken a batch of the sugar cookies out of the oven. They are so good it is hard to get the family not to eat them before I can decorate them. Some are in sticks and others are odd shapes my daughter made. Have also added dried ginger, cinnamon, etc for some gingerbread men. Thank you and yum.
Kathy says
I tried your royal icing sort of recipe, and it was a huge success! The icing was slightly glossy and made the cookies so tasty looking–and they indeed tasted delicious too!! They dried perfectly and withstood a trip to school with my daughter to share with her classmates. It’s wonderful to have a yummy “soft” royal icing that tastes good and dries hard. Thank you! It will be my go to recipe every time!
meaghanmountford says
Yay! So glad it worked out!! And I have to agree :). Seriously, I haven’t changed my cookie/icing recipe combo in years because it just works so well for me every single time. Thanks for letting me know!
Shannon M says
I wanted to let everyone know I get my meringue powder from Walmart. They have a cake area that has the dye for frosting as well.. tips are pretty cheap too.. I hope this helps someone:)
Kelly says
Thank you so much for the conversions….this is a great help..since I’m not from the States I have no idea how much a stick of butter would weigh….So again, Thank you!!
Holly says
I know this was asked nearly 7 years ago, but I though I’d give it an answer. Here in the U.S. most butter is sold in one pound boxes made up four, 4 ounce sticks of butter. Each stick is 1/2 cup. Our recipes usually go by the number of sticks needed. I hope this helps.
Kathy says
I just wanted to say THANKS again for this wonderful icing recipe! It’s perfect every time. My daughter and I made St. Patricks Day cookies with your recipe for cookies and royal icing. Superb! Thank you, thank you!
Susan says
thanks for sharing your recipes – I am surprised to see NO baking soda in the sugar cookie recipe, but there IS baking soda in the chocolate cookie recipe. Is that a mistake? Or is there really no soda in the plain sugar cookie recipe???
thanks for clarifying!!!
meaghanmountford says
Thanks Susan! We already talked about this over at facebook, but I’ll answer here, too, in case anyone else has the same question! Most traditional sugar cookies DO have a leavening (like the chocolate cookie recipe, more traditional). However my “sugar cookies” are technically more like shortbread cookies. I loooooove the taste, but it is more buttery and shortbready and less sweet than a traditional sugar cookie. But the bonus is that they keep their shape beautifully, so perfect for cut-out cookies. I should really come up with a chocolate version of the non-traditional-sugar cookie, because I just love that sugar cookie recipe.
Brenda says
Wow. I love to decorate sugar cookies, but don’t eat them. Your sugar cookie recipe is so delicious and I couldn’t stop eating cookies last night! Thank you for sharing!! =)
Louise says
Hi,
I have the same question as another reader.
“I’m having trouble finding meringue powder, can I substitute egg whites? if so what measurement should I use?” and can’t seem to locate the question mark that you mention… Can you post the answer or the link to the answer? Thank you so much for your insperation!
meaghanmountford says
Hi Louise,
Yes, I’ve been asked this quite a bit, and I’ve answered before and have no recollection where 🙂 ! Great question. While I prefer meringue powder because I don’t worry about the raw egg/storage bit (though icing has been made with egg whites for centuries, and the salmonella risk is very small), you definitely can sub. egg whites. I know meringue powder is not widely available in many places. Instead of the 4 T meringue powder and 1/2 cup water, I would sub 3 egg whites. You can also add a bit of lemon juice to the icing. Add your powdered sugar slowly until the consistency is reached, so 2 cups, then another, then 1 more cup and 1/2 cup at a time, in case the ratio isn’t exactly the same.
Hope this helps!! Thanks so much.
Lisa says
Hi! I was just wondering about how many cookies you get out of one batch of sugar cookie dough? I know the size matters of the cookie, say about a 2inch or so round cookie? We love shortbread and am looking forward to trying this recipe for our cookies. Thanks for your help!
meaghanmountford says
Hi Lisa! Good question… I realize I put this in Sugarlicious, but not here. You’re right, it depends on the size of the cookies and how thinly you roll them. If you add sticks, you have to roll thicker so you’ll get less. But for about 2-inch cookies you should get b/w 30 and 40. Bigger than 2 inches, closer to 25 or 30. But if you need around that much, I would make 2 batches just in case, then if you don’t use one, freeze the dough.
malu says
hola, gracias por compartir tus recetas, querÃa preguntarte, yo no consigo merengue en polvo, es lo mismo si pulverizo un merengue comprado?
gracias nuevamente, no puedo dejar de leerte, muy buenas las recetas
un abrazo desde Buenos Aires, Argentina
meaghanmountford says
Hi Malu!
Instead of the meringue powder and water, you can use the whites of 3 or 4 eggs! JUST the whites, though, not the yellow yolks. 🙂
MIchelle says
Hi!!! I have a question…when I pipe on a dark color over a light background on the cookie over night it starts to bleed and has a tie dye afect on the lighter color. Like if I flood white and let dry then put black lines the next day it sinks in to the white in a mater of hours after it dries. Is there a way to prevent this?
meaghanmountford says
Hi Michelle! The bleeding icing thing is a problem that plagues many, sigh. Black is the worst culprit, especially in humid climates. I don’t have the problem too often, but I’m not entirely sure of the science as to why it escapes my cookies. Some things that may help: 1. Use good black food coloring, preferably Americolor Soft Gel Paste Super Black (and Bright White for the white icing), though this has also happened to those that use Americolors. 2. Unless you’re going for the sink-in effect, let the white flooded icing dry overnight before adding the black lines, and if your house is hot, you can even put a fan on it. The more dry the separate colors, the less bleeding. Which means it can take a couple days to decorate cookies. 3. I tend to go for thicker icing than most, for both my flooding icing and my stiffer, outline and detail icing. Using less water I think helps with the bleeding. If your icing is sinking into the white in a matter of hours, it may just have too much water or is in too hot an area. When I flood, my icing is thick enough I usually have to use a toothpick to encourage it to spread to the corners, it doesn’t flood there on its own.
Hope this helps!!