This simple yet versatile sugar cookie icing recipe, your one-stop shop for flawless spreading and beautiful piping!
We use this every year for Christmas cookies, in the spring for easter cookies, and for pumpkin cookies in the fall! Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or just dipping your toes in the world of cookie art, this recipe is your ticket to stunning creations bursting with flavor.
Why We Love this Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: No need for a shopping spree! This recipe relies on common ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Spread or Pipe, you decide: Achieve a flawlessly smooth finish or pipe intricate designs with beautiful precision. This icing adapts to your decorative desires! ️
- Easy enough for Beginners: Even novice bakers can produce professional-looking results with this clear and concise recipe.
Key Ingredients
These simple pantry staple ingredients are all things I keep on hand, they don’t go bad (except milk) making this recipe super easy to whip up anytime:
- Powdered sugar: This is the base! Its ultra-fine nature dissolves perfectly to give you the desired smooth, non-gritty icing texture.
- Milk (or water): This ingredient controls your flow. You’ll use it to thin the icing, ensuring you hit that perfect consistency for easy spreading or basic piping.
- Light corn syrup: Don’t skip this! A little corn syrup is my secret for giving the dried icing a beautiful, professional shine.
- Extract: I use vanilla, but this is where you customize! Swap it out for peppermint, lemon, or orange to match your cookie flavor.
- Salt: Just a dash helps balance the intense sweetness of the powdered sugar.
- Cooled sugar cookies or chocolate sugar cookies for decorating!
Consistency Tips
For a smooth, even spread, the icing should be slightly thicker than a thick syrup. If it’s too thin, it may run and pool on the cookies. If it’s too thick, it will be difficult to spread.
- To thicken: Add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well until you reach the desired consistency.
- To thin: Add a few drops of milk at a time, mixing well until you reach the desired consistency.
- For Piping: For delicate piping, the icing should be thick enough to hold its shape but still flow smoothly. If it’s too thick, it will be difficult to pipe. If it’s too thin, the lines will be blurry and uneven.
- Mix thoroughly: Ensure that the powdered sugar and milk are fully incorporated to prevent lumps.
- Start with a small amount: It’s easier to add more powdered sugar or milk than to try to take it away.
- Test the consistency: Pipe or spread a small amount of icing on a cookie to see if it’s the right consistency.
Sugar Cookie Icing & Royal Icing
These simple ingredients make a sugar cookie icing rather than true royal icing. Here’s the difference:
Sugar cookie icing: Is thinner consistency, ideal for spreading and basic piping on sugar cookies. Sets to a soft texture that hardens slightly but remains somewhat flexible… And it’s made with ingredients like milk, which prevents it from hardening completely like royal icing!
Royal icing: Has a thicker consistency, ideal for detailed piping and precise designs. It sets hard and dries to a rock-like finish… And is made with powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. If you want a harder icing for detailed piping, check out my true royal icing recipe that includes meringue powder!
This recipe can be used for piping, but it might not hold super intricate details as well as royal icing… But, it’s perfect for general piping and spreading and covering cookies smoothly! The best choice of icing depends on what you want. This recipe is great for creating beautiful sugar cookies with classic spread and basic piping, and royal icing is best to intricate designs and have that hard, crisp finish;)
I want to know what You think, Please review the recipe card!
Decorative Sugar Cookie Icing
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla peppermint, or orange extract
- Dash of salt
- *Optional food coloring Place small amounts of icing into separate bowls to make multiple colors
- Plain cooled sugar cookies for decorating
Instructions
- Add Powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, corn syrup, and extract of your choice in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together till well combined.
- If coloring the icing with different colors, divide it into bowls and color as desired at this point.
- Put icing in a piping bag with a piping tip.
- Decorate! If using sprinkles add them before the icing starts setting.
- Allow icing to completely harden for 3 hours. Share & Enjoy!
Notes
- Sifting the powdered sugar: This is crucial to remove any lumps and ensure a smooth, silky icing.
- Adding milk gradually: Start with less milk than the recipe calls for and gradually add more until you reach the desired consistency. You want the icing to be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to spread and pipe easily.
- Corn syrup vs. invert sugar: While corn syrup works in this recipe, using invert sugar (available online or at some baking stores) will prevent the icing from crystallizing and give it a more professional shine.
- Extracts: Choose an extract that complements the flavor of your cookies. Peppermint extract pairs well with chocolate cookies, vanilla is classic, and orange extract goes well with lemon or citrus-flavored cookies.
- Food coloring: Use gel food coloring for vibrant, concentrated colors. Avoid adding too much, as it can thin the icing.
- If you want a thinner consistency for spreading over large areas, add a little more milk until it flows easily but doesn't drip off the spoon.
- Use a spatula or offset knife to spread the icing evenly over the cookies.
- If you want a thicker consistency for piping designs, add less milk until the icing holds its shape and doesn't run.
- Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small tip ( Wilton #2 or #3). Practice piping on a piece of parchment paper before decorating your cookies.
- This icing will set to a soft texture that hardens slightly but remains somewhat flexible. If you prefer a harder icing, consider adding more powdered sugar until it reaches the desired consistency.
- The icing can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. If it hardens, whisk in a few drops of milk to return it to its original consistency.
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
