Sugar Cookie Icing- Spaceships and Laser Beams

Name: Best Sugar Cookie Icing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 730 min
Ingredients: 2¼ cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons light corn syrup; ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring; ½ teaspoon almond extract; 2 to 3 tablespoons milk; gel food coloring, (optional)

yellow, pink, blue, and orange icing in piping bags and also on top of sugar cookies

Create the perfect iced sugar cookies with the best sugar cookie icing. Perfectly sweetened, this icing can be tinted in any color you desire to make your cookies extra fancy.

Jump to Recipe

Table of Contents

Ingredients For Sugar Cookie Icing
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make Sugar Cookie Icing
Ways To Serve This Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
How To Store This Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Why This Is The Best Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Best Sugar Cookie Icing Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
JUMP TO RECIPE

The best way to top off soft sugar cookies is with sweet colorful icing and fun decorations. Our sugar cookie icing only has a handful of simple ingredients and an unlimited number of ways to make your creations look even tastier.

Why This Recipe

MAIN INGREDIENTS: powdered sugar, light corn syrup, clear vanilla extract, almond extract, milk, food coloring

QUICK STEPS: whisk powdered sugar, corn syrup, extracts, and milk until smooth, divide and color icing, pipe or spread onto cookies, allow to dry

TOTAL TIME AND YIELD: 12 hours total (including drying time), covers 24 sugar cookies

WHY THIS RECIPE: What makes this sugar cookie icing recipe unique is the combination of almond extract alongside vanilla, giving it a more layered flavor profile compared to typical sugar cookie icings. The almond extract adds a subtle, aromatic depth that complements the sweetness, setting this recipe apart. This extra hint of flavor makes the icing taste as good as it looks

Sugar Cookie Icing raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

2¼ cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
½ teaspoon of clear vanilla flavoring
½ teaspoon of almond extract
2-3 tablespoons of milk
Gel food coloring (optional)

PRO TIP

It is very important to only use gel food color, as liquid food color will dilute the icing, and it will not be the right consistency to set properly.

Substitutions And Additions

VANILLA FLAVORING: This is not exactly the same as vanilla extract, but either will work fine.

FOOD COLORING: The sky’s the limit on what color of food coloring you use in this classic sugar cookie icing as long as it is gel.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

This icing can very easily be doubled. A single batch will make ¾ cup of icing, so you can adjust how much you make depending on your needs.

STEP ONE: Using a medium bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, clear vanilla, almond extract, and milk.

Stir until you have a smooth consistency with no lumps visible.

powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, almond extract, and milk combined in a bowl

PRO TIP

If you find your icing is too runny, add a bit more confectioners sugar for a thicker consistency, and if it is too thick, you can add a little bit more additional milk.

STEP TWO: Evenly divide the icing between four small bowls. Add three to five drops of the desired gel food color to the icing in each of the separate bowls.

4 bowls of white icing with dots of four different colors of food coloring

STEP THREE: When you are ready to decorate your cookies, pour the icing into individual quart-size Ziploc bags or piping bags.

Allow the iced cookies to sit for 12-24 hours to set and harden fully.

PRO TIP

You can also use a squeeze bottle for each color instead of the bags.

glass with a piping bag being filled with orange icing

Every holiday season needs delightfully decorated cookies with bright colors and cute faces.

This sugar cookie frosting recipe is perfect for our Christmas sugar cookies, Valentine sugar cookies, and 4th of July sugar cookies.

You can make plenty of simple or intricate designs with this easy icing for sugar cookies. Once you finish icing your tasty cookies, you can add sprinkles or sparkles to make your cookies extra special.

We have the best sugar cookies to use with this yummy icing. Our no spread sugar cookies and swig sugar cookies are two great options all year round.

When you’ve whipped up a batch of this delightful sugar cookie icing, you might find yourself with leftovers or want to make it ahead for your cookie-decorating plans. Knowing how to properly store your icing will help maintain its smooth texture and delicious flavor for future use. Here’s everything you need to know about keeping your icing fresh and ready to use.

MAKE AHEAD: This sugar cookie icing can absolutely be made ahead of time. Whip it up and store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it. This is especially handy during the busy holiday season when prepping in advance saves time.

IN THE FRIDGE: To store your icing in the fridge, transfer it to an airtight container. It will last for up to three days in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to use it, allow the icing to come to room temperature and give it a good stir to bring back the creamy consistency.

IN THE FREEZER: If you want to freeze the icing, place it in a freezer-safe container and store it for up to one month. When you’re ready to use it, thaw the icing in the fridge overnight.

After thawing, bring it to room temperature and stir well before using. This will help restore the texture, making it smooth and easy to spread.

REHEATING: While sugar cookie icing doesn’t need to be “reheated”, bringing it back to room temperature is key for a smooth spread. If your icing has thickened after storage, you can gently microwave it in five second intervals, stirring in between, until it reaches the desired consistency.

This perfect sugar cookie icing recipe has you covered whether you are looking for vibrant colors or pastel colors. It’s delicious but doesn’t overpower the taste of the cookies. Make different colors of icing, grab your favorite cookie cutters, and create whimsical cookies with homemade icing on top.

Can you freeze iced sugar cookies?

Iced sugar cookies can be frozen for up to three months. Make sure you let the icing harden fully before freezing them, and stack them very carefully in your container.

What is the right consistency for this easy sugar cookie icing?

It depends on what you want to do with your sugar cookie icing. Some professionals use thicker icing to outline cookies and thinner icing to fill in the middle. You may need to play around with the consistency depending on the kind of icing you need.

How do I ice sugar cookies?

Using your piping bag and piping tip, outline the cookie. Once the outline has dried, about 10 minutes, you can flood icing on the inside of the outline with the same or a different color.

How do I make icing harden?

Powdered sugar is the key ingredient to help your sugar cookie icing harden. Once the cookies are iced, leave them out at room temperature for a few hours to allow the icing to set.

What’s the difference between royal icing and icing?

Both royal icing and decorating icing can be used for decoration, though they behave and look slightly different. Decorating icing is made with just powdered sugar and water, while royal icing also includes egg whites.

More Recipes You’ll Love

5 from 3 votes

Create the perfect iced sugar cookies with the best sugar cookie icing. Perfectly sweetened, this icing can be tinted in any color you desire to make your cookies extra fancy.

Prep Time 10

Total Time 12 10

Servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

2¼ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
gel food coloring, optional

Instructions

Using a medium bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, clear vanilla, almond extract, and milk. Stir until you have a smooth consistency with no lumps visible.
Evenly divide the icing between 4 small bowls. Add 3-5 drops of the desired gel food color to the icing in each of the separate bowls.
When you are ready to decorate your cookies, pour the icing into individual quart-size Ziploc bags or piping bags. Allow the iced cookies to sit for 12-24 hours to set and harden fully.

Video

Notes

It is very important to only use gel food color, as liquid food color will dilute the icing, and it will not be the right consistency to set properly.
This icing can very easily be doubled. A single batch will make ¾ cup of icing, so you can adjust how much you make depending on your needs.
If you find your icing is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency, and if it is too thick, you can add a little bit more additional milk.
You can also use a squeeze bottle for each color instead of the bags.

Nutrition

Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lenore Ortyl Editorial Director
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Teresia Shrum Recipe Developer