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Upgrade your sugar cookies with this easy sugar cookie icing recipe for a glossy and beautiful finish. So much easier than royal icing, this frosting dries hard for stacking and makes decorating a cinch.

sugar cookies with various colored icing and sprinkles on top


While royal icing decorated cookies are beautiful, making the icing isn’t easy. Plus you need special ingredients to make it (meringue powder or raw egg whites) – but not this sugar cookie frosting! It’s simple to make, easy to double the batch, and dries hard for stacking! It’s perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s, or anytime you want perfect dried frosting for sugar cookies!

ingredients in sugar cookie icing

Ingredients Needed

  • Powdered Sugar– a few cups of confectioners’ sugar is the bulk of the icing
  • Milk– to bring the frosting together
  • Corn syrup– light corn syrup to add texture
  • Food coloring– if you want different colors of icing, or leave it white. I used gel food coloring for this cookie icing recipe.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How to make Sugar Cookie Icing

  • Add few cups powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add milk and corn syrup. Whisk until combined, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency for piping the outline and flooding.
  • Divide the cookie icing into bowls and tint with food coloring. I used gel but you can also use liquid food coloring. 
  • Place in piping bags fitted with #2 or #4 tips or use squeeze bottles.
  • Decorate sugar cookies as desired. 
  • Let sit at room temperature for several hours for the cookie frosting to set before stacking.

Best Icing Consistency

The perfect consistency for outlining and flooding is thin enough that it drizzles off the whisk but takes a few seconds to disappear into the back into the mixture. This way you only need one consistency icing for both – no need to add more liquid – one and done!

white, red, pink, and purple bags of frosting

Expert Tip

  • For an enhanced flavor and a frosting that tastes so good, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to your cookie frosting mix. You can also add a few drops of almond extract or lemon extract or any flavor.
  • If the frosting is too sweet for your liking, add a pinch of salt.
  • The right consistency should be thin enough that it drizzles, but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
  • For best results, use gel food coloring and don’t add too much. The more you add (especially if using water-based food coloring) the more your icing will thin.
  • If the icing is too thick for piping, add a bit more milk.
  • Store icing covered so it doesn’t dry out.
stacked christmas cookies in shapes like trees and snowmen with correlating frosting.

FAQs

Is cookie icing the same as royal icing

That depends on the recipe. Sugar Cookie Icing like this one is not royal icing. Royal icing has meringue powder or egg whites, whereas cookie icing uses corn syrup to help it dry.

My sugar cookie icing is too thin what do I do?

If the icing is too thin for piping, add more powdered sugar.

How long does sugar cookie icing take to dry?

Takes several hours for the cookie icing to harden. You can leave then to dry overnight.

Can I stack the cookies after the icing is dry?

Yes the cookies are stackable once the icing sets.

Can I freeze sugar cookies frosted with icing? 

You can freeze the iced sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to one month. 

stacked christmas cookies in shapes like trees and snowmen with correlating frosting.

Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe

5 from 2 votes
This icing is so fun and leave so much room to be super creative! Only four ingredients that everyone will love!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 16 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons corn syrup
  • Food coloring if desired
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Instructions

  • Add powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk and corn syrup.
  • Whisk until combined, adding more milk 1 TEASPOON at a time until you reach the right consistency.
  • It should be thin enough that it drizzles but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
  • Divide icing into bowls and tint with food coloring. Place in piping bags fitted with #2 or #4 tips or use squeeze bottles.
  • Decorate cookies as desired. Let sit at room temperature for several hours for the frosting to set before stacking.

Recipe Notes

  • For an enhanced flavor, add vanilla extract to your cookie frosting mix. Or use any extract for new flavors!
  • The right consistency should be thin enough that it drizzles, but thick enough that it takes a few seconds to disappear back into the mixture.
  • For best results, use gel food coloring and don’t add too much. The more you add (especially if using water-based food coloring) the more your icing will thin.
  • If the icing is too thick for piping, add a bit more milk.
  • Store icing covered so it doesn’t dry out.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.02mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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