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Deselect All 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Royal icing, for decorating, recipe follows
Basic Royal Icing:
"Flooding" is a technique used to cover a cookie completely with royal icing. Here's how to do it: Transfer about 1/2 cup of the royal icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner. Use this icing to pipe a thin border around the edge of each cookie. Let set for a few minutes. Thin the remaining icing with a few drops of water until it's the consistency of syrup. Place half of the thinned icing in a resealable plastic bag and tint the rest with red and/or green gel food coloring. Transfer the colored icing to bags. Snip a corner of the white icing bag and pipe a generous amount inside the border of each cookie. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the icing to cover the cookie. Decorate with the colored icing while the white icing is still wet. Let the cookies set at room temperature, at least 1 hour. Photograph by Andrew Purcell Courtesy of Food Network Magazine December 18, 2021 | Author: Ashley McCrary These classic sugar cookies with royal icing are perfect for decorating any time of year! Complete with foolproof tips, this recipe truly is the BEST! This post contains affiliate links The Perfect Sugar CookieRegardless of the season, baking and decorating sugar cookies is an unforgettable pastime. Bringing families together for decades, the perfect sugar cookie is a reason itself to celebrate! I have labored over this recipe, testing and re-testing to make sure that the fond memories I hope you create are enjoyed with delicious, scrumptious cookies, and decorated to the nines with my famous royal icing. My family has been enjoying these recipes for years, and I am so thrilled to share them with all of you! Decorating cookies with royal icing is just so fun and creative, and perfect for big kids, little kids, and adults too! Now pick up your favorite holiday cookie cutters, and get your camera ready- it’s time for cookie making!
How to Make Sugar Cookies with Royal IcingThe best sugar cookies don’t actually have a ton of ingredients. In fact, while the ingredients matter a ton, it’s the process that really counts this time. These sugar cookies are easy to make with a few pro tips to help you out! I have thought of every last detail to help you re-create this recipe like a pro in your kitchen! I can’t wait to see your sugar cookies with royal icing decorations in such cute holiday cookie cutter shapes! Make sure you tag me on Instagram or comment below so I can see your works of art! My recipe for royal icing is in the printable recipe below, but for more tips & tricks, and an awesome how-to video, click here for the full royal icing recipe! What You’ll NeedSugar Cookies
Royal Icing
Note: Icing your cookies is totally optional, but if you want to see the super helpful how-to video for this icing recipe to decorate your sugar cookies and so many other treats, click here for my famous Royal Icing! Easy Sugar Cookies Step-by-Step GuideAs always, more detailed instructions are in the printable recipe below, but here’s a quick overview of the steps to make these sugar cookies! Make the Dough | Remember, it’s super important to make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature for this step! Also, be careful not to overmeasure any flour as this will dry out your cookies. Roll out your dough | Knead the dough together, and use a little extra flour here if it’s too sticky. Cut the dough in half and place each one on top of a large sheet of parchment paper. Additionally, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top and begin to roll out using a rolling pin. This method will help prevent it from sticking. Remember, the more the dough is rolled, the more it will warm and become soft. Feel free to throw it in the fridge if it’s too soft. Chill your dough | After you’ve rolled out your dough, chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Cut out shapes | Remove from the fridge or freezer and cut desired shapes using a cookie cutter of choice. Bake your dough | Place all of your beautiful shapes about 1 inch apart on a lined baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes! Let cool completely. Decorate | Get your family together and decorate your sugar cookies with my Royal Icing recipe! Tips for the Perfect Sugar CookiesMaking the Dough
Shaping the Dough with Cookie Cutters
Baking the Cookies
Step-by-Step Royal Icing with Meringue PowderIn just a few steps, you will have the most delicious Royal icing for sugar cookies, cakes, muffins, decorations, etc! *Please note that these pictures below show a basic overview. For more detailed, printable instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below or click here for my royal icing how-to video! Gather all the ingredients together.Beat together the meringue powder and warm water until frothy.Add in confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla and whip using the whisk until a glue-like consistency forms. If the icing is too stiff, add more water until desired consistency is reached. If icing is too thin, add powdered sugar until desired consistency has been reached.Once desired consistency is reached, add the white icing to a piping bag or place in bowls and color using gel food coloring.Pipe away!Royal Icing vs. Other Icing Recipes for Sugar CookiesIt’s all about the drips! Other icing recipes for sugar cookies are often made thinner and softer than royal icing and don’t set as hard, or take at least 24 hours to set, sometimes leaving you with drippy, messy frosting. While royal icing does take a bit more patience, it holds up much better, and dries in just 1-2 hours! Ingredients like meringue powder help the royal icing harden to make your beautiful decorating stay put, which helps with the mess! Because it hardens on the cookie, Royal icing is much easier to travel with too. So keep a small batch of sugar cookies for yourself, and put together a few tins for your neighbors and friends, without worrying about any mess or drips! I have the most amazing royal icing recipe to decorate these cookies. It’s a keeper, and will totally come in handy for other baking recipes too! Common Reader QuestionsThe BEST Sugar Cookies | with Royal Icing: FAQsHow long do sugar cookies last? Sugar cookies will last up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter or pantry. You can also freeze in an airtight container for 6 months. Can you freeze decorated cookies? Yes, you can freeze sugar cookies decorated with royal icing. Simply place parchment paper between each layer of cookies in an airtight container or freezer-safe ziplock bag. Thaw on the counter on top of parchment paper until room temperature. How long does cookie dough last in the fridge and freezer? How do you know if it’s bad? Cookie dough will last up to 3-5 days in the fridge before cooking. You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze it for 5-6 months. Be sure to write the date on the wrap. You will know cookie dough has gone bad by observing the edges. If they are darker than the interior, it’s gone bad. It may also have a bad smell. How to keep sharp edges with no spreading? Make sure to incorporate the butter at room temperature and have accurate measurements for the other ingredients. Also, cooking the cookies at a higher temp such as 375F will allow them to set quicker. Also, no opening the oven and peeking. When you open the oven door, it will lose heat and affect the shape of the cookies. How thick should the rolled dough be? Most people say 1/4-3/8 of an inch. I like my cookies a little thicker so I usually go with 1/2 inch or 3/4. I find that they have a more u0022cake-like consistencyu0022 when thicker. Can I change the flavor with different extracts? Yes, you can use almond extract, lemon extract, or any of the flavors you would like. I would suggest less is more in this case as you don’t want the extract to overpower your batter! The dough is sticky and/or crumbly. What can I do? If the cookie dough becomes sticky or crumbly when mixing, there is an easy fix. Simply add in a little cornstarch. Start slowly by adding a teaspoon at a time and then combining. You only want to add this in if the dough is a little sticky, not a hot mess sticky. Related RecipesRoyal Icing for Sugar Cookies (& More!) Shop My PostSugar Cookies
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Keywords: sugar cookies, sugar cookies with royal icing About MeWelcome to Healthy Little Peach. I’m Mac, the lady behind the recipes. I believe in living a healthy lifestyle that consists of a mix of healthy whole foods, and full-fat comfort meals. Life is too short not to enjoy good food while maintaining a healthy body and mind. Here you will find gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, keto, and even full-fat comfort recipes. Let’s have fun in the kitchen together! What is a trick for royal icing?To achieve flood consistency, start with stiff icing and add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time. To test it, take a spoonful of icing and drop it back into the bowl. It should take between 15-20 seconds for the icing to smooth itself out. This is known as 15 or 20-second count royal icing.
Do you ice sugar cookies before or after baking?The first step to making beautifully decorated cookies is making sure the cookies are completely cooled when you begin adding the icing. Play it safe by making it a two-day process: Bake the cookies one day, then decorate the next day.
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