November 28, 2023
Review RecipeEasy Sugar Cookie Icing

Table of Contents
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.

Ingredients For Sugar Cookie Icing

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.
How To Make Sugar Cookie Icing
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.

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 3-5 drops of the desired gel food color to the icing in each of the separate bowls.

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.

Ways To Serve This Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
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.
How To Store This Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers of the best-tasting sugar cookie icing in an airtight container or individual bags in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Before using, allow the icing to come to room temperature.

This Is The Best Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
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.
Best Sugar Cookie Icing FAQ
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- Minion Sugar Cookies
- Easy Gingerbread Snowman Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies in Ghost Costume
- Swig Sugar Cookies
- Halloween Sugar Cookies
- Almond Joy Bars
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

Best Sugar Cookie Icing
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.
Comments
Gloria says
So colorful and fun plus tastes yummy. I love that you can customize with any colors you want!
Jen says
I actually used liquid food coloring because I didn’t have the gel stuff, and it set just fine! Thanks for the recipe… I’ll use it again for sure. 🙂