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Royal Iced Sugar Cookies are an impressive treat made with cut out sugar cookies and an easy royal icing recipe! Once you make the recipe, use our guide for How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing to create the perfect cookies.
Royal icing sugar cookies are my all-time favorite cookies to make for the holidays! I love baking, frosting, packaging and eating the cookies. They are slightly more labor intensive than other cookies, but are worth the time and effort. Iced sugar cookies are not very difficult to make when following this recipe and a few easy tips!
Some sugar cookies are bland and tasteless. My go-to recipe is the best because the cookies are both beautiful and delicious.
These beautiful sugar cookies are an impressive treat for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and more. You will have so much fun making them and sharing them with others!
Table of Contents
What You Need for Iced Sugar Cookies
You will need a few simple pantry ingredients to make the cut out sugar cookies. For the sugar cookies, you will need butter, powdered sugar, egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt and flour.
Ingredients and instructions to make the icing are below.
Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
We continue to use this sugar cookie recipe because it works. The cookies not only look pretty but taste great as well. They are moist, decadent and full of flavor.
- Make the dough: Cream the butter in a stand mixer. Then add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Blend in the egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour.
- Chill the dough: Once the dough is formed, chill the dough until firm. We chill it for at least an hour, but you can chill it for up to 24 hours.
- Shape the dough: Roll the cookie dough to 1/4″ thickness on a well-floured surface. Be sure to roll the dough to at least this thickness to ensure sturdy cookies that do not burn. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes into the rolled-out dough and then place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the cookies. They should not brown but will have crisp edges.
Royal Icing For Sugar Cookies
Royal icing is sugar cookie icing that hardens. To make the royal icing, you will need powdered sugar, meringue powder and water. Follow the directions for this easy royal icing recipe to create the right consistency every single time.
To make the royal icing:
- Mix together all of the ingredients: Combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and water in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and large bowl.) Mix on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the sheen disappears and the icing has a matte appearance.
- Thin the icing: Add water, a small amount at a time and mix until incorporated. Continue until the icing reaches the desired consistency for piping. If you’re having any difficulty piping then the icing is too thick, so add more water and try again.
- Pipe the icing: Use a pastry bag to pipe around the edges of each cookie. You can use small tip or just snip a small piece off the end of the piping bag.
- Flood the cookies with the icing: Once the cookies are edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate airtight container. Thin out by adding a small amount of water at a time, and stir by hand until fully incorporated. The icing should drip off the spoon. Flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. (You can use squeeze bottles or a plastic bag with a hole in the corner or a spoon to flood the cookies). If there are any air bubbles, or any thick parts that don’t smooth out, use a toothpick to help smooth out the frosting. Allow to set until completely dry.
Cookie Tips
- Adjust the consistency of the royal icing – If the royal icing is too thick, add a small amount of water and stir until desired consistency is reached. If the royal icing is too thin, add a small amount of powdered sugar and stir until desired consistency is reached.
- Decorate the cookies as simple or as intricate as you want! I prefer simply decorated cookies, so mine usually look something like you see here. You can add more intricate designs and details as you see fit. But either way, you will have an impressive decorated cookie!
- Use gel food coloring to color the icing – Use a tooth pick to add a small amount until the desired color is reached.
Follow our guide for How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing for a complete tutorial and detailed instructions to decorate the sugar cookies.
Storage and Make Ahead
You can make these cookies up to 2 weeks in advance and store them in a sealed container at room temperature.
To freeze, place the cookies in a freezer safe bag or container with a piece of parchment paper placed between each cookie. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw before serving.
Because you can make these cookies in advance, they are a great option for Christmas cookies, birthday cookies, other holiday cookies and more. For gift giving, I usually like to package them in individual plastic bags with a ribbon or in a cookie tin or cookie box.
Decorate these royal iced sugar cookies however you want! We like to keep them classic, fun and colorful. Use fun shapes and colors to create unique sugar cookies with royal icing every single time. Enjoy and have fun!
Easy Royal Iced Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the sugar cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
For the royal icing:
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Sanitize your working surface before preparing cookies.
To make the cookies:
- Cream the butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix until dough clumps around paddle attachment. Chill dough until firm. Roll out dough to 1/4″ thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and then place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies should not brown. Let cool then frost and decorate.
To make the frosting:
- Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed about 8 to 10 minutes, until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance. At this point, you will have the stiffest consistency of the icing that is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (If you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing sealed in an airtight container at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.
- Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by adding a small amount of water at a time, and stir by hand until fully incorporated. The icing should drip off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. (You can use a squeeze bottle or plastic bag with a hole in the corner but I just like to use a spoon to flood the cookies.) If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set until completely dry.
Notes
- Makes 2 to 4 dozen cookies depending on size.
- We recommend gel icing color to color your icing.
- Store the leftover frosting in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in 2014. It was updated in November 2024 with new photos and recipe tips, but the recipe is the same.
How long can you keep the cookies? I would like to make it a week before the party to reduce pressure on timelines for organizing the rest of the stuff.
Hi, Vicky! These cookies keep for quite some time (a few weeks). I almost always make them a week ahead of time and store them in an airtight container. Enjoy!
I just have discovered your blog, which I absolutely love! your pics and recipes look so adorable and yummm. I cannot wait to make these sugar cookies and decorate them with royal icing which I always though as a daunting thing to do, Myself being a fondant kind of girl. Thanks for sharing your recipes Ashley I highly appreciate it.. Regards from Venezuela.
I was wonderinf if it was possible to just use vanilla instead of using vanilla and Almond extract? What would be the recommended amount if using jsut vanilla? Thanks!
Hi, Megan! You can just omit the almond extract but I highly recommend using it if you can because it enhances the flavor of the cookies.
I’m wondering how to color the frosting does the food coloring go in during the 8-10 mixing part or after ? And will it make the icing watery?
Hi Michaela! Color the icing after your follow all of the recipe instructions above. I recommend using gel food coloring.
Hi Ashley I also made the cookies today they are in the fridge chilling but it was not very firm. The directions do say 1 1/2 tsp of almond extract and 1 tsp of vanilla? The dough taste like it has way to much almond. Thank you
Hi, Kelly! I’m happy to hear you made the cookies. I just made 4 batches today too! You can adjust the almond extract if you want. Once they are baked, I think the almond extract is just perfect. I usually chill the dough for a few hours or even overnight. It will get firm. Enjoy!
Thank you and yes they did firm up and they are very good.
Hi I am wondering if you used real butter or just margarine? Thank you!
Hi, Tessa! Always use real butter 🙂
I made this sugar cookie dough and followed all instructions, but the dough is really slimy when I try to work with it. It doesn’t have the normal texture of sugar cookies. I was just wondering if that was how it was supposed to be.
Hi, Sarah! The dough is not supposed to be slimy. I’m not sure what would have made it that texture given the ingredients. It sounds like maybe the dough needs to be chilled longer, until firm. This recipe is my favorite for sugar cookies because it is so easy to work with when firm.
Can I use egg whites as meringue powder substitute?
Yes, you can use pasteurized egg whites.
These are so cute. I decided to try the cookies and icing for my daughters birthday party. About how long does it take for the icing to set completely?
Hi Kristin, I usually let the icing set for at least 12 hours.
If someone is allergic to nuts is there a substitute I can use instead of almond extract?
Hi Melissa, you can omit the almond extract all together, or substitute an additional 1/2 tsp of vanilla for the almond extract.
I am a beginner baker and have never heard of meringue powder…what is it and where do I find it? Are there any substitutions for it?
Hi Jeni, if you are in the U.S, meringue powder can be found at almost any craft or big box store in the baking section. Wilton and Ateco are two of the most popular brands. As far as substitutions, here is a detailed post from Sweetopia on substitutions, but I find that meringue powder is the easiest. https://sweetopia.net/2012/10/can-you-use-anything-besides-egg-whites-or-meringue-powder-in-royal-icing/