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Bakery-Perfect Sugar Cookie Icing That Hardens

Close-up of a square sugar cookie bar topped with thick, white sugar cookie icing that hardens, held near a window.
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Learn how to make a glossy, smooth sugar cookie icing that dries rock-hard, perfect for stackable decorations and professional holiday cookies.

Ingredients

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  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons milk or water
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Gel food coloring (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and the milk or water until smooth.
  2. Add the light corn syrup and vanilla extract to the mixture. Stir until the icing is completely smooth and glossy. This step helps prevent cracking.
  3. If you want colored icing, add gel food coloring now. Mix until the color is uniform.
  4. Check the consistency. For outlining, the icing should be thick. For flooding the cookie centers, you need a slightly thinner consistency. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach a thick but pourable texture.
  5. Use the icing to outline your cooled sugar cookies first. Let the outline set for about 15 to 30 minutes.
  6. Once the outline is dry to the touch, use a spoon or a small offset spatula to fill in the center areas (flooding). Gently tap the cookie on the counter to release air bubbles.
  7. Allow the cookies to dry completely at room temperature, uncovered, until the sugar cookie icing that hardens is firm. This may take 4 to 8 hours, depending on humidity.

Notes

  • For the best results when making sugar cookie icing that hardens, use sifted powdered sugar to avoid lumps.
  • If the icing seems too thick for flooding, add liquid drop by drop until it flows off the spoon in a slow ribbon that sinks back into the bowl after counting to ten.
  • Store unused icing covered with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
  • This icing is durable and stackable once fully dry, making it the best icing for decorated sugar cookies.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://rosatasty.com/sugar-cookie-icing-that-hardens/