This easy recipe for Sugar Cookie Icing makes decorating a breeze! Made with only 4 ingredients in 5 minutes, this smooth and creamy icing recipe is basically failproof when it comes to frosting and coloring. Make bright, beautifully decorated cookies with perfect icing and a few simple techniques.
I absolutely love making sugar cookies. Ever since I was a kid, baking and decorating sugar cookies has been all about making memories (and eating a little sugar along the way).
We’ve always had two types of frosting for our family’s favorite cookie recipe: buttercream and this icing. While Vanilla Buttercream will always have a place in my heart, this sugar cookie icing is also a classic. It comes out perfectly pourable, pipable, and spreadable without much fuss. It’s very similar to Royal icing, without meringue powder, and hardens up just as nicely. Below, I’m sharing how to make it, plus all my best icing tips and tricks for you to use this season!
I use this easy sugar cookie icing on my favorite holiday-worthy recipes, from Classic Cut Out Sugar Cookies to Gingerbread Men Cookies. You could even use them for my easy no-roll sugar cookies. You’re going to love it.
What Makes This the Best Sugar Cookie Icing?
- Only 4 ingredients. I’m all about an easy icing recipe, and nothing beats this one. You need just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes, with no fancy bells, whistles, or equipment.
- Sets up perfectly. You don’t have to worry about smudging and denting with this icing. Once it sets fully, it doesn’t budge, making Christmas cookies easy to store and share.
- Adaptable. You can color this icing, thicken the consistency, thin it out, and more. It’s so easy to handle, you can even get the kids involved!
Icing Ingredients
Now, let’s get into the four basic ingredients that make up this ultra-simple icing recipe.
Be sure to SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS POST for the full amounts and details.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar. You’ll want to sift your powdered sugar before you start, to break up any lumps. This is key to silky smooth sugar cookie icing.
- Corn Syrup – Adding corn syrup gives icing an attractive sheen, and also helps provide a thicker, more controllable consistency. I’ve included substitutions below.
- Milk – To thin out the consistency as needed. Any kind of milk will work – whole milk, 2% milk, or even cream. For a dairy-free option, use a non-dairy milk or water.
- Flavoring – Flavor your icing with basic vanilla extract, or mix it up with peppermint, almond, or even lemon extract. I highly recommend using pure flavor extracts versus artificial ones wherever possible.
Corn Syrup Alternatives
Over the years, I’ve received many questions about corn syrup alternatives. In places outside the US, this might be known as golden syrup. In the below example, I used traditional vanilla extract for all 3 recipes, which is shifting the color a little yellow. You can get some white icing color to make it a brighter white.
- Corn syrup gives these a light sheen when dried and also helps to thicken the frosting, allowing you to have control over the consistency without having to add more powdered sugar. When dried, the corn syrup dried the hardest, while still maintaining a soft bite.
- No corn syrup. Without corn syrup, this icing still performs very well and can be piped. It dries solid, but not quite as firm as the corn syrup. You can still stack them. You’ll have to add additional milk (1/2 teaspoon at a time) until you reach the desired consistency. The only way to make this thicker is to add more powdered sugar.
- Honey: Many of you have suggested you can use honey, I tried it with a 1:1 replacement of the corn syrup. This will tint the icing slightly yellow, similar to the milk. Consistency-wise, it’s very close to the corn syrup and still dries firm.
How to Make Perfect Sugar Cookie Icing
Ready to make some frosting? Making smooth and pipable sugar cookie icing couldn’t be easier. Be sure to read on for more icing tips as well as ways to use your fresh batches of sugar cookie icing.
- Sift the powdered sugar. First, pass the powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve, breaking up any lumps.
- Combine the ingredients. Whisk together the sifted sugar with corn syrup and milk until smooth. You can adapt the consistency of your cookie icing depending on preference and/or what you’ll be using it for. See below.
- Add flavoring and coloring. This part is optional, but if you’d like to flavor your frosting, mix between ¼ to ½ teaspoon of your choice of extract into the icing. You can also divide your icing and color it using gel food dye. See the section further on for details.
What Consistency Should My Icing Be?
The general consistency of icing should be thinner than corn syrup, but thicker than maple syrup. A good way to check is to let it run off the spoon: the icing should hold together and drip slowly, and not run off completely or stay stiff in place.
Adapting your icing consistency is as easy as adding more milk or powdered sugar, a little at a time. For a thinner consistency, add a teaspoon of milk at a time. For thicker icing, add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
What Is the Best Food Coloring for Icing?
Adding color to icing is easy, the key is to use quality gel colors, like the ones from Amerigel or Wilton’s Color Right Color System. Gel dyes are my favorites for coloring icing, and a little goes a long way.
So, which one is best? It depends on what you prefer. Amerigel offers lots of individual colors, so you’re more likely to find the one you need already available. Meanwhile, Wilton’s offers 8 basic colors that can be mixed by hand to create over 50 different shades. Both are available at craft stores, cake supply stores, or online.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies With Icing (Squeeze Bottle or Piping Bag)
This sugar cookie icing is super easy to handle, making it great for everyday decorating. Let’s go over my favorite methods for decorating cookies with homemade icing:
- Squeeze Bottle – Squeeze bottles are great for little hands to use, but they are more difficult to clean. Icing consistency is key when using a squeeze bottle. It’s important that the icing can be easily squeezed out without blocking the tip, otherwise, you run the risk of a very messy POP!
- Piping Bag – I actually prefer the piping method, as it allows for more control in terms of icing placement and the amount of pressure applied. Pro-tip for quickly filling a piping bag: Fold the top of the bag down over a cup, and pour/spoon the icing in. Find more helpful tips in my post on How to Use a Piping Bag.
When it comes to icing your sugar cookies, I recommend using a piping bag with a coupler for the best results. A size 2 or size 3 piping tip is best for outlining, meanwhile you can fill cookies with a size 5. Just be sure the filling doesn’t pour over the top of the outline you made.
Using Your Sugar Cooking Icing to Make a Marbled Design
This marbled icing technique looks fancy, but it’s actually super easy, even if you’ve never decorated cookies before. It’s the perfect way to make your cookies look bakery-worthy with almost no effort! Once you’ve made the icing:
- Add color – Pour most of your icing into a shallow bowl, then set aside about ¼ cup. Add a drop or two of gel food coloring to the bowl and gently swirl it with a toothpick. Don’t overmix—you want ribbons of color, not one solid shade.
- Dip the cookies – Hold each cookie by the edges and dip the top straight into the swirled icing. Lift it out, let the extra icing drip off, and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The marble effect appears like magic!
- Let them dry – Leave the cookies out to dry completely. Depending on the icing thickness, this could take a couple of hours or overnight. The colors will soften slightly as they set, but the swirls still look gorgeous.
How Long Does the Icing Take to Set?
This depends on the thickness of the icing layer, and a bit to do with the climate in your house. The top layer of icing will start to crust within the first several minutes, but it can take several hours for the icing to set all the way through. Plan on having plenty of space or cookie sheets available for them to dry in a single layer.
Tips for Success
Here’s a quick round-up of some last-minute tips and tricks for icing sugar cookies to perfection:
- Don’t skip sifting. Sifting the powdered sugar creates a smoother consistency in the icing. Very important!
- I use the same consistency for the outline as I do for the fill. The icing consistency is pretty forgiving in this recipe, so you can use the piping tip, a toothpick, or a gentle shake to fill in any little holes.
- You can adjust the consistency of your icing how you see fit. See the section above for details on how to adapt the thickness of the icing. A thin consistency is easier for kids to use, for example, especially if they are spreading or painting it on. Note that the thinner the icing, the more transparent it will be once it’s dried.
- Do not pipe or decorate too close to the edge of the cookie. If the icing is on the thinner side, it will run off the edges of the cookies.
- Add sprinkles and decorations shortly after applying the icing. This icing tends to set on the top layer quickly and will start to crust over after a few minutes, making things like sprinkles harder to stick. However, also consider how you plan to serve your cookies, as some larger sprinkles are prone to falling off when handled too often. For this reason, you may want to add those later and pipe some fresh icing underneath.
Storage Instructions
Iced sugar cookies are at their best within 2-3 days from when they’re frosted. The icing itself is also at its best when used right away, however, sugar cookies and icing are both easy enough to store for a later day:
- Make-ahead: You can make this up to 2 days in advance, keep stored in an airtight container on the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. You may need to adjust the final consistency before using it.
- Storing Leftover Icing: Store leftover icing airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. I recommend stirring it before you use it again, to revive the consistency.
- How to Store Decorated Sugar Cookies: Allow the iced cookies to dry and set in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When they’re completely dry, store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They’ll look their best within the first few days.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the iced sugar cookies as it changes the appearance of the glaze (this can lead to spotting, color shifting, etc.). Instead, freeze the baked sugar cookies and then decorate them after they’re thawed. You can read more about how to freeze-baked cookies in my Sugar Cookies post.
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Whisked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy Sugar Cookie Icing makes decorating a breeze! Made with only 4 ingredients in 5 minutes, this simple icing recipe is perfect for piping and coloring. Enjoy bright, beautifully decorated cookies!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) corn syrup
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon extract (optional: vanilla, almond, peppermint or lemon)
Instructions
- Combine the sifted powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a bowl and whisk until well combined, then Whisk in the corn syrup. If needed, add additional milk 1/2-1 teaspoon at a time to thin out the frosting. If too thin, add an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.
- To color the icing, divide the icing into separate bowls. Add a small drop of your gel colors to the icing. Mix thoroughly.
- Apply to cookies using a squeeze bottle or piping bag. Allow the cookies to dry flat for up to 24 hours.
Notes
- This icing goes wonderfully with my quick and easy cutout cookies and gingerbread cookie
- Use gel colors when dying icing, for bright, vibrant colors. I recommend Amerigel or Wilton’s Color Right food gel dyes.
- How to adjust the icing consistency: To make the icing thinner, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time. You want it to be drippy but not runny. If you think your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time.
- Storing decorated sugar cookies: It can take anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight for the icing to harden, depending on how thick the icing is. Once the icing is set, you’ll be able to stack your sugar cookies. Store the iced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend placing a layer of parchment paper in between layers, to keep them from sticking.
- Make-ahead: You can make this up to 2 days in advance, keep stored in an airtight container on the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. You may need to adjust the final consistency before using it.
- Leftover icing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up 7 days from preparation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 105
- Sugar: 14.8 g
- Sodium: 31.6 mg
- Fat: 4.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
After decorating sugar cookies. can I freeze them afterwards ?
Because I have always made my icing with the Royal Icing 🍥
Hi Carolyn, the section included in the blog post talks about how it’s not recommended to freeze
Such an easy recipe! Had so much fun using the marble icing method for decorating our holiday cookies. The technique is so simple yet looks beyond impressive. Easy way to step up your cookie-decorating game!
Love that so much! The marble effect is so simple and I just love how every cookie is unique!
How do you keep colors from bleeding on sugar cookies. I let them dry throughly and the darker colors still bleed into the white.
Do you have a picture you want to email me, I can try and help troubleshoot? Are you doing wet icing on top of wet icing or are the colors bleeding into each other while you’re piping
Do you have the weight for the powdered sugar? I feel like I packed it too tight.
2 cups is about 260g, but even if you added too much you could offset it with a little extra milk
Great recipe
Thank you Patty!
What do you use for the gold accents on the cookies?
It’s luster dust!
Alternative to Corn Syrup?
I have not tested one specifically. Corny syrup helps to thicken the icing and keep it together as it sets. If you leave it out, you’ll want to add some additional milk until it reaches the desired consistency.
Do you have suggestions for a milk substitute. What about the corn syrup?
Hi Brittany- you can use water in place of milk, or another dairy free alternative. For the corn syrup, I don’t personally have a recommendation, I haven’t tested anything.
Julianne-
Wanting to let you know yesterday my granddaughters and i made your sugar cookies and your phenomenal frosting for some pumpkin cookies. I did add 1 TB of pumpkin spice to the cookie recipe – all were perfect and delicious. Still a fan and all were delicious and frosting of course is perfect- even if 4 year olds are doing the frosting. image1.jpeg
Sent from my iPad
On Oct 17, 2023, at 06:18, Julianne {Beyond Frosting} wrote:
This is so amazing! I am so happy you found both the cookie and the icing!
Thank you so much Kerri! I greatly appreciate that and I look forward to enjoying these in the future!
I love a simple, no nonsense sugar cookie icing. This one is perfect for when you don’t want to bother with royal icing!
Yeees! Thank you Stephie, so happy to hear that!
I meant corn syrup
Got it. I don’t really think it affects the taste at all, if you try it again you can try omitting it all together and maybe increase the amount of extract if you’d like a strong flavor.
Icing has a weird after taste. It mixed together well, but that cornstarch just made it yuck
There’s no cornstarch in this recipe, so if that’s what you used, that would explain the weird aftertaste.
Can you use maple syrup instead?
I have not tested that. I’d omit the corn syrup and just add a touch more milk. You’ll want it to be thicker so it doesn’t run off the sides of the cookie
Could oat milk be used in place of regular milk?
I have not tested but others have said they have used milk alternatives. Also water will work as well
The sprinkles bled easily, it was challenging to stir as it was so thick and the sprinkles has too much crunch in the fudge. I would need to make some big changes on this one to share with friends fam. Cute idea though!
Hi Janice, not all sprinkles are created equal, unfortunately, especially when it comes to nonpareils and depending on how wet your frosting is. For instance, if you mix certain sprinkles into a cake batter, they bled immediately. You can also easily adjust the consistency of your icing by simply adding more liquid to it, in small increments which is discussed in the blog post. I am also not sure what you mean when you say “sprinkles has too much crunch in the fudge.” Seems like this is more of an issue with your sprinkle than an issue with the icing.
This is exactly the kind of sugar cookie icing I was looking for! Thanks so much for sharing! I can’t wait to try it! Quick question though, have you ever made this as a chocolate icing for sugar cookies? Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Dalia, I have not, but I will work on a chocolate version, maybe for Valentine’s day!
Hi, could water be uses instead of milk?
yep!
It was perfect-thanks.
That’s wonderful Janet, thank you so much!!
Do you have to use corn syrup?
Corn syrup helps to thicken the glaze and to help it set faster. You can make it without corn syrup but you may want to make it a little thicker than normal to prevent it from running off the cookies.Also it will take longer to dry.
Hi- would this be your recommendation for gingerbread house glue? I’m wondering if it is better than royal icing for that. Thanks!
Hi there, I would not recommend for a gingerbread house. Any decoration larger than a sprinkle would slide right off something that was upright. I would stick to royal icing!
Thank you! We have use royal icing for this project since I was a kid. Not sure why I was looking to change it. Thanks again!