My sugar cookie cut-outs are making a comeback on the blog this year, but this time with a new twist! I’m going to show you how to make the perfect iced sugar cookie in just 2 easy steps. No fussy royal icing or piping bags used here… just a simple icing technique that even your kiddos can do!
One of my most popular recipes to date has been these sugar cookies, and I can definitely understand why. I struggled for YEARS trying to make pretty cookie cut-outs for the holidays, but it always ended up a disaster… the dough stuck to the rolling pin, I couldn’t get the dough out of the cookie cutter without tearing it, and when the cookies hit the oven, they would spread into giant, puffy lumps of dough that looked nothing even close to Santa or a Christmas tree.
But once I nailed down the perfect method for making flawless sugar cookie cut-outs, it felt like I had hit the jackpot, and I’ve enjoyed them every single Christmas since. And every birthday. And every Easter. And every President’s Day. And just about every Monday too, because let’s face it… Mondays deserve a good cookie. You guys gave them such rave reviews, I thought it was time to add a second version, so let’s dive right into the sugary details!
The base of this recipe is (obviously) a cookie, so go ahead and bake up a batch of sugar cookies, gingerbread men, or whatever your little heart desires, and let them cool completely.
So, I said this recipe was a 2 step process, right? Here’s how it works: You’re going to create two different icings, a border icing and a flood icing. You use the border icing, which is super thick, to create an outline around the cookies. Then you use the flood icing, which is much thinner, to fill in the inside of the cookie. Sounds pretty simple, yeah?
The icing is a simple powdered sugar mixture that I poured into small plastic squeeze bottles for SUPER easy decorating. I find piping bags to be highly annoying and the squeeze bottles were easy enough for even the boys to use. I like these Wilton Mini Squeeze Bottles
that you can find on Amazon.
This method definitely takes more time and effort than just sprinkling on a little colored sugar, but the results are SO worth it. People will think you got these from a professional bakery! Here’s a few tips I learned along the way:
- When you mix the border icing, it should be very thick and just barely pourable. I had to use a spoon to transfer it into the squeeze bottle. The flood icing is thinner and should be easily pourable. If you use a large measuring cup as your mixing bowl, you can pour the flood icing right into the squeeze bottle.
- You can decorate your cookies in a million different ways, but I like to leave the border icing white (no food coloring added) and tint the flood icing into different colors.
- You’ll need to allow the cookies to set-up for about 24 hours after you ice them, so plan a day when you’ll have plenty of space to decorate and let them dry.
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- 1 batch of sugar cookie cut-outs (also works with gingerbread and other cookies)
Border Icing:- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- food coloring, optional
Flood Icing:- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ tablespoons milk
- food coloring, optional
- Bake cookies and allow to cool completely.
- Prepare the border icing by mixing the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and food coloring (if desired) in a small bowl with a spoon. The border icing should be thick and just barely pourable. If it becomes too thick, you can add another ½ tablespoon of milk to thin the mixture. Transfer the icing to a small plastic squeeze bottle and set aside.
- Prepare the flood icing by mixing the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and food coloring (if desired) in a small bowl with a spoon. The flood icing should be slightly thinner and easily pourable. If it becomes too thick, you can add another ½ tablespoon of milk to thin the mixture. Transfer the icing to a small plastic squeeze bottle and set aside.
- To decorate your cookies, start with the border icing first. Squeeze the bottle with even pressure and use the icing to draw an outline around the edge of the cookies. You can also add designs inside the border, if desired. Allow the border icing to dry slightly, then switch to the flood icing. Fill the inside of the border lines you created with the flood icing. Once you are finished decorating, allow the icing to set up for 24 hours before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Are you making this recipe? I’d LOVE to see it! Post a photo of your creation on Instagram and use the hashtag #MyLGWRecipe. It may just get featured!
Still hungry? Try these sweet treats:
Pumpkin Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Roll
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I can bake, but I have never had any luck icing cookies. Can’t wait to try this method! Pinned! Thanks, Liz! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I’m definitely not an expert in cookie decorating, but this was simple enough even I could do! Thanks for pinning, Amy!
Liz I can’t wait to try these… my girls love making sugar cookies, but they are usually such a pain. I’m featuring your cookies tomorrow in my Friday Features! Thanks for linking up!
Thank you SO much, Maryann! I really appreciate it!! 🙂
These look so good! Perfect for kids in the kitchen activity! All month long I am featuring different holiday cookie creations for my cookie countdown to Christmas! I would love it if you stopped by to check it out! 🙂
Cathy
Thank you so much, Cathy! You’re the best! 🙂
I definitely want to try these. So pretty, but not too fussy. Have you ever tried freezing these?
Great question, Bonnie! I haven’t tried freezing them yet. If you try it, you’ll have to let me know how they turn out. And I agree… pretty but not fussy is definitely the way to go! 😉 Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I featured this in my Daily Dose of EyeLoveKnots Finds for December 8th. Thanks for the opportunity to share!
eyeloveknots.blogspot.com/2014/12/daily-dose-of-eyeloveknots-finds_8.html