Learn how to make this Easy Sugar Cookie Icing with our go-to recipe for decorating Christmas sugar cookies, cut out cookies, and fun holiday cookies with kids. It's smooth, glossy, easy to work with, and hardens beautifully without being difficult like traditional royal icing.
Why This Recipe is the Best
While we love royal icing, it is pain to make and requires very specific ingredients. This sugar cookie icing recipe is the best because you get the same results but it's much easier! It's perfect for beginners.
We love that you can use this recipe for Christmas cookies, birthday cookies, Valentine's Day cookies, or Easter sugar cookies!
For more sugar cookie inspired recipes try our Sugar Cookie Truffles, Italian Christmas Cookies, and Sour Cream Cookies.
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Key Ingredients
With a basic, but delicious cookie base, and our favorite add-ins, you'll crave this tasty cookie recipe.
- Corn Syrup- The corn syrup helps give the icing a glossy finish and makes decorated cookies look extra pretty. You can leave it out if desired.
- Milk or water- Milk gives the icing a slightly creamier flavor while water creates a lighter glaze-style icing.
- Powdered Sugar- Create a sweet and smooth base of most traditional icing recipes.
- Extract- While we traditionally use vanilla, you can also substitue for lemon, peppermint, or almond extract depending on what flavor you want your cookies to have.
How to make Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
Use these step-by-step instructions as a guide to get the best results. You'll love how simple this recipe is.
- Combine powdered sugar, milk or water, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl.
- Stir until smooth, adding more liquid a little at a time until the icing reaches the right consistency.
- Divide into bowls and color with food coloring if desired.
- Transfer to piping bags or zip-top bags and decorate cookies.
- Add sprinkles immediately before the icing sets.
- Allow cookies to dry flat for about 24 hours until the icing hardens.
Helpful Hint: Be sure to use room temperature liquids. Room temperature liquid blends much more smoothly into the powdered sugar.
Common Mistakes
Getting that just right consistency is key. Too runny and it's hard to decorate. Start with less liquid than you think you need. It's much easier to thin icing than to thicken it back up. If the icing is too thick, it won't spread smoothly across the cookies.
Top tip
The icing consistency is perfect when a ribbon falls from the spoon and sits on top of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing back in.
Recipe
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar 375g
- 4-4.5 Tablespoons milk or water, at room temperature, see note 1
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup see note 2
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond for bright white frosting, see note 3
- 1/16 teaspoon salt optional, helps balance the sweetness
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine, starting with 3.5 Tablespoons milk. It will be thick and hard to stir at first. If frosting is too thick, add milk until desired consistency is reached. The best consistency will happen when you lift your spoon out of the bowl and a ribbon will come off it and stay for a few seconds before melting into the rest of the icing. See pictures above for a visual.
- To add coloring: place in separate bowls and add a drop of food coloring at a time until desired color is achieved.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto cookies. A ziploc bag may also be used by snipping off a corner, but be careful because they are likely to split. Add sprinkles immediately after icing!
- Lay cookies flat to dry for about 24 hours to set the icing. Cookies can be enjoyed before icing is set, if desired.
Notes
- Use either milk or water for this recipe, it doesn't really matter which. Milk gives it a creamier, richer flavor and water makes for a lighter more basic glaze. You will likely need more milk than you do water.
- You don't have to use corn syrup, but it makes it a lot prettier and gives it a beautiful sheen.
- You may also use any extract you desire such as peppermint, lemon, etc. When using other extracts, start with ¼ teaspoon and add more until desired flavor is reached.
- This recipe yields enough icing for around 24 sugar cookies.
- To make icing in advance, store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed against the icing, making sure the entire surface is covered. It can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few days, but will need to be stirred before use.
Nutrition
Storing
Store leftover sugar cookie icing in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface to keep it from drying out. The icing can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few days, which makes it easy to make ahead.
Before using again, stir well until smooth.
Variations and Substitutions
Not only is this recipe simple to make, it's also customizable!
- Without Corn Syrup- Simply leave out the corn syrup for an easy sugar cookie icing without corn syrup.
- Without Milk-Use water instead of milk for a dairy-free version.
- Almond Icing-Swap the vanilla for almond extract for a classic old fashioned bakery-style flavor.
- Peppermint Christmas Icing-Add a little peppermint extract for festive Christmas sugar cookies.
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Icing-Use lemon extract or fresh lemon juice for a bright citrus flavor.
- Two Ingredient Glaze- For a super simple quick glaze, combine just powdered sugar and milk.
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