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The Best Easy Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe That Hardens Smoothly

A stack of tree-shaped sugar cookies topped with glossy, hardened red, green, and yellow cookie icing.
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This is the best cookie icing recipe for decorating cut-out sugar cookies. It is easy to make, dries to a smooth, glossy finish, and hardens perfectly for stacking and gifting.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 1/2 cup warm water, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder until fully combined.
  2. Add the warm water and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients.
  3. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 3 to 5 minutes until the icing is smooth and glossy. This is your stiff consistency for piping outlines.
  5. To achieve a flooding consistency for filling in areas, add more water, one teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing slowly drips off the whisk in a ribbon that disappears into the bowl after about 10 seconds.
  6. Divide the icing into separate bowls if you plan to color it. Add gel food coloring sparingly and mix until the color is uniform.
  7. Use the stiff icing to pipe outlines on your cooled sugar cookies. Let the outlines dry for 15 to 30 minutes until firm to the touch.
  8. Use the thinner flooding icing to fill in the outlined areas. Gently shake the cookie to help the icing settle into a smooth layer.
  9. Allow the cookies to dry completely at room temperature, uncovered, for several hours or overnight until the icing is hard and dry.

Notes

  • For a corn syrup free cookie icing option, you can substitute the water with an equal amount of milk or clear vanilla extract, though the texture may vary slightly.
  • If the icing is too thick for flooding, add water slowly. If it is too thin, add more sifted confectioners’ sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
  • This icing holds color well. Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant results without thinning the icing too much.
  • Store leftover icing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, stirring well before reuse.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://rosatasty.com/cookie-icing-recipe/