royal icing

The most versatile cookie decorating icing around, this Royal Icing is simple to make from scratch.

How to Make Royal Icing from Scratch

vanilla extract

confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the egg whites and vanilla until frothy.

Gradually, add the sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated and the icing is shiny. Turn the mixer to med-high and beat until the mixture forms stiff, shiny peaks, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Stir in food coloring if desired.

For immediate use, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a tip and pipe onto the cookies. (Or if you're using a zip top bag, clip corner and pipe onto cookies.)

Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It's easy to work with, sets quickly, and won't break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-sugar-cookies/" rel="false noopener">sugar cookies</a>!

My Favorite Royal Icing

(480 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Tablespoons meringue powder

9-10 Tablespoons room temperature water

for decorating: gel food coloring (I love this food coloring kit)

Watch the video of the icing above so you get an idea of what the final consistency should be.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 &#8211; 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it&#8217;s too thick, add a little more water. (On particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons water total.) If it&#8217;s too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners&#8217; sugar.

Icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you&#8217;re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up. See blog post above for freezing instructions.

I baked these cookies for Easter and they are soft and had a really nice vanilla flavour. I highly recommend these!

I am over 70 and it took me 55 years to find 
The perfect roll out sugar cookie! Best recipe ever!!!!!!!!!   Easy.  Tasty and  recipe works!!
Thank you

I made the cookies as suggested with the almond extract and they taste amazing!

I had other royal icing recipes fail on me.  Sally's recipe is reliable and tastes great.  Her video is helpful.  Highly recommend!

I did not like the taste of this icing at all. There is no flavoring. Did you forget too at the vanilla or almond flavoring?  It tasted like pure powdered sugar. Worst total icing I have ever made. One start b/c the consistency was okay, but you can adjust that with any icing recipe.

This was the best.  I added a little extra powdered sugar and a little vanilla.  It's good on the cookie and I can't comment enough on how perfect the consistency was!!

Hi Sally!
I don't have meringue powder ,but I heard you could replace it using a fresh egg white. I was wondering if that would work for this recipe? 
Thankyou!

Thank you! I don't like sugar cookies , but these cookies were delicious ! :)

Hi! I’m going to be making cookie kits for the holidays and am wondering what kind of frosting/icing to use that won’t separate if stored in a pastry bag for a day for the kits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goU4DtT6xCI

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It’s easy to work with, sets quickly, and won’t break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your sugar cookies!

Ingredients
4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
9–10 Tablespoons room temperature water
optional for decorating: gel food coloring

Get the full recipe here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/

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#baking #recipes #icing

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m Sally, a cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake from scratch while providing quality recipes and plenty of pictures. Grab a cookie, take a seat, and have fun exploring! 

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My Favorite Royal Icing | Sally's Baking Addiction

With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you'll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you'd like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe.

Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

baking powder

salt

(150 grams) granulated sugar

egg,

almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*

Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be relatively soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 Tablespoon more flour.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it&#8217;s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it&#8211; see me do this in the video above. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.

Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or my easy glaze icing. Feel free to tint either icing with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it&#8217;s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.

Enjoy cookies right away or wait until the icing sets to serve them. Once the icing has set, these cookies are great for gifting or for sending. Plain or decorated cookies stay soft for about 5 days when covered tightly at room temperature. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

I made these as part of a fun day with my kids. They turned out great, everybody loved the flavour, but the second batch grew more in the stove than the first (first was perfect). Anyways, the kids loved cutting and decorating the cookies, I think for them it was like play doh, making slime and painting, all together! And my 6yo already asked for more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f24gpOgAXwY

With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you’d like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe.

Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)*
Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-sugar-cookies/

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#baking #recipes #sugarcookies

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m Sally, a cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake from scratch while providing quality recipes and plenty of pictures. Grab a cookie, take a seat, and have fun exploring! 

• For more of my favorite recipes go to https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/ 

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The Best Sugar Cookies | Sally's Baking Addiction

If you're new to working with royal icing and want to learn the basics, this is the post for you! In it you'll find my go-to royal icing recipe, a break down of the basic royal icing consistencies, answers to frequently asked questions and how to troubleshoot common royal icing issues.

How To Make Royal Icing

meringue powder egg

water

sugar

How to Make Royal Icing

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the meringue powder/powdered egg whites and lukewarm water. In this context, &#8220;lukewarm&#8221; means just slightly warm to the touch.

Use a whip attachment to whip the mixture on high until frothy. Scrap down the sides as you go to make sure there&#8217;s no residual powder.

Pro tip

Use a water bottle to lightly spray the sides before scraping them. This will help ensure that the powder dissolves and your royal icing is lump free.

Sift the powdered sugar and add it to bowl. Continue whipping the icing, this time on medium speed. Stop the machine every 2-3 minutes to spray and scrape down the sides.

If you&#8217;re adding additional flavoring to your royal icing, you can add it during one of the stops to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Whip the royal icing until you&#8217;ve reached the desired consistency.

If you need more than one consistency, whip your royal icing to the stiffest consistency and add a few drops of water at a time to the remaining icing to water it down to the desired consistency.

Such a detailed post. Love reading all the tips and notes you shared. I usually have no patience with Royal Icing and cookies but I love how they look when done.

What a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. Royal icing seems intimidating but it's really not!

OMG these are the prettiest cookies EVER! I bake a lot but I have never really decorated with royal icing before! I cannot wait to play around with it!

Your posts are always so detailed and helpful and with gorgeous photography. I have never made royal icing but with your tips, it seems less intimidating. Thank you!

This is such a great post! I'm not a great baker and have always been a bit intimidated by icing but you have definitely made me feel like it is within reach, thank you. Saving this x

Such a detailed post. Thank you so much for sharing. Pinned! Much needed

Have not made it yet, but plan to make it today or tomorrow to cover the turrets of a princess cake, and then cover them with sprinkles.  It is very hot and humid here and I don't have A/C.  Also, the party is at the park.  

Will the royal icing melt or once it hardens on the turrets will be safe?

Thanks for the great tutorial and explanation!!!!🌝

I had almost given up on Royal icing! This was my last attempt! This icing turned out amazing! Thank you!

Wow, such a fantastic, detailed post.  Thank you so much.  Very excited to try this.

Thanks for the tips!

I’m wondering if you’ve ever shipped sugar cookies? I normally use a poured fondant over my cakes but have been having issues with shipping (it completely melts due to white chocolate chips in poured fondant?) so I wanted to try using royal icing, which will be around 3x thicker than what you would put over a cookie.

Hi Claire! I just wanted to thank you for your excellent royal icing recipe. I usually make sugar cookies in the fall, and usually they’re covered in royal icing but this year, I was really considering not making them because I was unhappy with the royal icing recipe I had been using. I know it’s risky to switch horses in the middle of the race, so to speak, but I’m soo glad I did!! Your icing recipe is perfect: it’s easy to make, delicious, and it dries perfectly stiff in a short amount of time. It will be my default R. I. recipe from now on! I also appreciated the “scale” function in your recipe—this allowed me to make the perfect amount of icing for the cookies I made. Thank you again!!

The only royal icing you'll ever need! Perfect for decorating cookies, cakes, cupcakes, &amp; gingerbread houses. Easy recipe, pipes smooth, &amp; dries hard.

Royal Icing

meringue powder

gel paste icing colors (for tinting (optional))

water (for thinning (optional))

Place the meringue powder and water in a large mixing bowl, and whip (with the whisk attachment) until foamy (about 3 minutes).

Add the powdered sugar, and whip on medium speed until very stiff and thick (the royal icing should hold a stiff peak).

Tint as needed with gel paste icing colors.

Thin with additional water, a drop at a time, to get the desired consistency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGA8_Wj6opU

The only royal icing recipe you'll ever need! Perfect for decorating cookies, cakes, cupcakes, & gingerbread houses. Easy, pipes smooth, & dries hard.

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Easy Royal Icing Recipe for Decorating

This thick and sturdy royal icing is perfect for building a gingerbread house, or giving it quick-dry embellishments.

Icing For A Gingerbread House Recipe

egg egg

Icing for a Gingerbread House Recipe

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine egg white with half the powdered sugar. Mix at low speed until sugar disappears into a paste, then gradually sprinkle in the rest. Increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and light, about 2 minutes. If too stiff, thin icing with a few drops of water. Use immediately; keep covered tightly in plastic to prevent icing from drying in bowl. Royal icing can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 12 hours. 

For Coloring: To dye royal icing with gel paste (see note), divide into as many bowls as you wish to have colors. Cover each tightly with plastic. Working with 1 bowl at a time, add 1 drop gel paste to a batch of icing, then stir until fully incorporated before adjusting color with more gel. Cover bowls tightly when not in use.

This easy royal icing recipe is perfect for decorating your sugar cookies. It dries glossy and firm, protecting your designs, whether for Christmas and the holidays or any other occasion, from smushing and smudging.

Perfect Royal Icing Recipe

egg eggs

(10 milliliters) silver rum

vanilla

cream of tartar

heavy cream (3 tablespoons; 40 grams), plus more if needed (optional;

Gel paste food coloring, optional

To Make the Icing: Measure 16 ounces of powdered sugar (4 cups; 450g) and place in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add egg whites, rum, vanilla, salt, and cream of tartar. Stir with a flexible spatula to form a smooth paste, then set over a gently simmering water bath in a 3-quart saucier and stir until paste is hot to the touch, or about 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add remaining 2 ounces powdered sugar (1/2 cup; 60g), and mix at low speed to combine. Increase speed to medium and beat until thick and frosting-like, about 20 seconds or until the mixing bowl feels cool to the touch. Use immediately as a thick frosting or to make chunky decorations, like the buttons on a gingerbread man or little rosettes on a cake; color, if desired, according to instructions in step 3. For a thinner royal icing, used to make an even glaze for the tops of cookies, or to attempt a more ambitious, elegant design, thin according to instructions in step 2.

To Thin the Icing: Reduce speed to low, add cream, and continue mixing until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer and lift paddle attachment, moving it in a figure 8 pattern as icing streams back into bowl. If the figure 8 disappears in exactly 8 seconds, the icing is ready to use as a cookie glaze. If it melts away faster, thicken by adding a spoonful of powdered sugar. If it takes longer than 8 seconds to disappear, thin by adding a few drops of cream. Repeat this test, making adjustments as you go, until the figure 8 takes exactly 8 seconds to disappear.

To Color the Icing, if Desired: Divide icing among several small bowls, one for each color you'd like to prepare. Cover each with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface. Working with one bowl at a time, stir in a few drops of gel paste. When your desired color has been achieved, immediately transfer to a disposable pastry bag fitted with a #3 pastry tip, or a parchment cone. (For ease of use, I like to stand the bag/cone upright in a small drinking glass.)

To Glaze the Tops of Sugar Cookies: Leaving a 1/8- to 1/4-inch margin (or more, depending on size of cookies), outline baked and fully cooled Rolled Sugar Cookie Cutouts with royal icing, then roughly drizzle the interiors with more icing, using the piping tip to nudge it into an even layer. Work quickly if topping with sprinkles or a secondary icing color, as royal icing will form a crust within 90 seconds. If you'd like to read more on the basics of decorating, check out my Royal Icing Tutorial for lots of photos, videos, and ideas. For cookies to keep around the house, allow royal icing to air-dry until firm, about 4 hours. For cookies to package and ship, allow royal icing to dry until hardened through and through, about 6 to 8 hours more. 

Cookies frosted with royal icing can be stored up to 1 week at room temperature; in a pinch, their shelf life can be extended to about 10 days with refrigeration. Unfortunately, cookies with royal icing should not be frozen, as the water in the royal icing will form ice crystals that will melt as liquid water when thawed, creating a blotchy appearance on the surface of the frosting.

Here's what you need: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, cream cheese, large egg, large egg yolks, McCormick® vanilla extract, McCormick® almond extract, kosher salt, all purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, powdered sugar, kosher salt, vanilla extract, gel food coloring, water, pasteurized egg white

How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies Recipe by Tasty

unsalted butter, softened

cream cheese, softened

McCormick® vanilla extract

McCormick® almond extract

all purpose flour,

gel food coloring, of your choice

The official home of all things Tasty, the world’s largest food network. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!

Tasty

Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese with an electric hand mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes, until fluffy and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Scrape down the bowl as needed to evenly beat the mixture.

Add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the salt, then sift the flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar into the bowl and fold to incorporate some of the flour. Then beat on low speed, just until incorporated and the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough with a rolling pin to ¼-inch (6mm) thick.

Dip cookie cutters of your choice in some extra flour and cut out shapes from the dough. Gather any excess dough into a ball and chill in the fridge to firm, then re-roll and cut out more cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and chill for at least 20 minutes to ensure they hold their shapes.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with royal icing or frosting.

To make the royal icing, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and add the salt. On one side of the bowl, add the vanilla and egg whites.

Where you added the liquids, begin whisking the powdered sugar into the liquids, gathering a bit more as you whisk to prevent lumps from forming, until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add food coloring, if desired, and whisk to incorporate. You can divide the icing into smaller bowls to make more than one color. At this point, the icing should be a good consistency for piping borders. If you’d like the frosting to be looser to flood or dip your cookies, add a few tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

https://vid.tasty.co/output/117767/landscape_480/1543621734

With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you'll love these soft sugar cookies as much as I do. The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use. If you'd like to make dozens of cookies for a large crowd, double the recipe.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be relatively soft. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. If it&#8217;s sticking to the bottom, run your hand under it to help remove it&#8211; see me do this in the video above. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Note: It doesn&#8217;t seem like a lot of dough, but you get a lot of cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)

Best sugar cookie dough that I have tried. Great instructions on decorating!!

My favorite sugar cookie recipe! Makes cookies that are delicious and stay soft for many days.

Really great recipe! I’ve searched for a good recipe that would hold the cookie cutter shape and this is it! I used an intricate butterfly cutter and it didn’t spread at all in the oven  Great flavour with the almond in there too. Thanks for sharing!

hese are HANDS DOWN the BEST sugar cookies I have ever tasted!! I have been making sugar cookies EVERY single year for Christmas since my grandma and I started baking them together when I was 6 (over 30 years ago)… It is a family tradition – and I rarely make the same recipe more than once. This recipe is IT!!! Thank you!! They taste amazing and stay soft forever! (well, not forever, my family devours them, but friends I have gifted have said well OVER a week air tight at room temp and as good as day one)! My only question is: does it work as a bar? I have never made sugar cookie bars – and honestly I am afraid to start – if they really are that easy – nothing will stop me from making them weekly! :0) This is my forever sugar cookie recipe now, so I figured if any recipe was going to be a good bar – maybe this one? Please let me know how you would suggest baking them in bar form. Thank you Sally!! I LOVE every recipe I have tried of yours!!

I weighed the flour but still needed to add quite a bit more because it was soo sticky. I put it in the fridge to firm up a bit.

These were the best cookies ever!! they tasted so good. but they we kind of hard to roll out they kept on crumbling. should i have added water. and if so, hot or cold?

I love this recipe!! I bake these for every occasion including Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas! They are so fun to decorate and the royal icing goes perfectly with them. Turns out great every single time!

My favorite recipe for these! Can it be doubled or should I make a batch at a time?

This recipe is AMAZING! I was able to look super professional with swan shaped cookies at my daughter’s birthday party! ☺️

Hello Sally,
Thank you for the great sugar cookie and royal icing recipes!!
Tried your recipe for the first time last year &amp; have been using it ever since.
I also tried making it using Gluten Free Flour and it was good, the texture was a little more granulated but still delicious.
Thank you Sally

Best Recipe for the perfect sugar cookie!! 
Thank you!!

Perfect perfect perfect! My husband is so picky when it comes to sugar cookies. He was obsessed with these 

Yummy ! I usually like to try new recipes but not this one ! I’ve made these cookies for a few years now. I double the recipe as they never last long :) It starts out tough to roll out  but once the butter warms up it works great. I always put a bit of flour on my surface so they don’t stick and ruin the shapes we made. The remaining dough I put back in the fridge to stay cool between cooking. I make mine a bit thinner and cook for 8-10 min . Thank you !!!

Great recipe, love the almond addition! And the rolling out then chilling best thing ever! So much tidier and easy, wish I’d known trick this sooner!

With crisp edges, thick centers, and room for lots of decorating icing, I know you’ll love these soft cut out sugar cookies. Use your favorite cookie cutters and have fun decorating!

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-sugar-cookies/

• Ask your recipe question or leave a review over on the recipe page.

#baking #recipes #sugarcookies

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Cut Out Sugar Cookies | Sally's Baking Addiction

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It's easy to work with, sets quickly, and won't break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your sugar cookies!

Tablespoons meringue powder (not plain egg white powder)

Icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you&#8217;re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up. See blog post above for make-ahead and freezing instructions.

Hi, I just made the icing and it is not drying? Help!

NEED YOUR ADVICE – 
I used this recipe and it went on like a dream, looks smooth and glossy. Loved the result and was so excited after 2 hours of piping…but then… MY CHALLENGE it doesn’t totally harden. it has a nice crust and looks like it’s hard, but it will still dent with pressure or fingernails – so I can’t bag and stack or transport – they will get dinged up. I dried them in front of a table fan for 2 hours, then left them out overnight with a ceiling fan on. I let them sit for 12 hours so far, still fingernail marks or can get depressed with finger. Then I tried one test cookie in the oven with the light on, no heat; and one test cookie in the tiny toaster oven/air fryer on “warm” lowest setting for 10 mins (that actually made it SOFTER). Nothing seems to make these harden totally. I did use 10 T of water instead of 8T (half a cup) and I do live in a coastal town on the water, so I am guessing the humidity is high (even though I’m in side with AC and fans on). 
I also used "pure almond extract" (morton and basset)  2 capfuls. (Contains: Extractions of bitter almond oil in 35% alcohol.)  (I think i've used in the past)
Any thoughts or help or hacks if it’s not totally hardening? more meringue powder? change the extract?

This recipe called for too much water and mine came out really watery!
So I ruined it!

Hello! I'm trying to find an icing that will withstand heat, will this icing do the trick?  Thank you.

I’ve been dying to learn how to make royal icing cookies for years. I’ve tried another recipe in the past but it was a complete fail. I made rose cookies with a 2D tip using your royal icing recipe and your sugar cookie recipe. They came out perfect. The icing held its shape and hardened pretty fast. I love how the icing is hard when you touch it but when you bite into it, it’s soft. My cookies were pretty and tasted delicious. Thank you so much for your recipes. I can’t wait to make more royal Icing cookies.

My classic easy royal icing is easy to work with, sets quickly, and won’t break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple!

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/

• Ask your recipe question or leave a review over on the recipe page.

#baking #recipes #icing

• More of our favorite recipes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/

Recipe for Fresh Lemon Royal Icing. This recipe make 6-6 1/2 cups. It will ice approximately 6 dozen cookies, about 3 inch in size. Remember to ice cookies with a satin smooth finish you need to add water to thick icing to make it more fluid. Be sure to refer to my Guide to Royal Icing Consistency, with useful video tutorial.Serving size  2 tablespoons

Fresh Lemon Royal Icing

kg sugar

(1tsp) cream of tartar

lemon juice

110 ml tap warm water

ml (1tbl) Vanilla Extract

tsp (5 milliliters) almond extract (optional)

lb (7-8 cups) powdered sugar, sift the sugar if needed

tbsp meringue powder

lemon juice (one lemon)

+2tbsp tap warm water

tsp cream of tartar (optional)

tbs Vanilla Extract

tsp Almond extract (optional)

Make sure all your tools are grease free!

I wipe my tools with a piece of paper towel and vinegar. Wipe dry with a clean towel.

Sift the powdered sugar if needed, if powdered sugar has big chunks make sure you sift it, otherwise I don't sift.

Whisk meringue powder with fresh lemon juice and warm water, until slightly foamy, add cream of tartar,  whisk well and then add all the powdered sugar at once. Using your stand mixer, on the lowest setting, using paddle attachment, mix for about 3-4 minutes, add  vanilla extract, continue mixing for another 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl once and beat again.

When icing is done it should be stiff. Try not to overmix.

Royal icing sounds intimidating, but it's easy to make with simple ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, the whisk attachment does all the work. There is no meringue powder in this recipe, egg whites are used instead. This is the type of icing piped onto cutout cookies or even to put together gingerbread houses. Prepare a batch of royal icing to up your cookie decorating game.

teaspoon(s) lemon juice, fresh

teaspoon(s) whole milk

(1.5 sticks

Decorate the cooled cookies with royal icing or easy glaze icing. Feel free to tint either icing with gel food coloring. See post above for recommended decorating tools. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set. If it&#8217;s helpful, decorate the cookies directly on a baking sheet so you can stick the entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to help speed up the icing setting.

Kelly, I subbed 2 tablespoons of lemon zest for the almond extract, plus a little lemon juice in the icing. The flavor is perfect. Lemony and bright.

The almond extract was too overpowering and ruined the dough

I have been using these recipes for all my sugar cookies.  Everyone loves the taste!  I always double the batch because I usually have to make lots of it. I use both vanilla and 1 tsp of almond. 

 I can’t seem to get 24 cookies when I don’t double the ingredients.   Is it because I’m making them bigger? I always have to double it in order to get 2 dozen.

I completely agree. Not only when we have made sugar cookies in the past do they fall apart, and spread in the oven, but they don't tend to taste well. Not this recipe; the cookies come out soft, never break (When we made your recipe not one broke!) and taste amazing.  The idea of putting vanilla extract (a personal favorite,) and almond extract was genius. Although I love this recipe, my favorite part of the recipe is rolling out the dough, then placing it in the refrigerator! You've completely changed the way my family feels when it's time to make sugar cookies. I can't wait to make some more for the Holiday season- Thank you dearly

This cookie recipe is really good. I have made it several times and I will not use any other recipe it’s that good! I just haven’t been successful with the royal icing, although it tastes great it is hard to work with. It is probably me though.

Made these this afternoon to try for cookie exchange next week. My new favorite sugar cookie recipe. So easy! I used almond and vanilla...delicious!  Also because of the size of my Christmas cookie cutters I got 20 cookies. Will be making more this weekend.

Hi Sally! 

I absolutely love your page! I made a batch of these cookies yesterday and they came our beautiful and tasty! My only issue is that they were pretty dry and crumbly (more like a shortbread). 

I followed the recipe to a T so I’m confused at what I may have done wrong - any tips for that? I was really looking forward to the chewy :) lol

Wonderful thanks! I used my measuring cups and thought I had it pretty level but next time i will definitely use a spoon. I do think it is more likely that I overbaked. After 12 min I opened the oven and did not see any golden tone so I did an additional 3 min for a total of 15 min. I think that's definitely too long for this thin cookies! Thanks again - amazing recipe - and stacking a refrigerating was such a great method!

I've been looking for a yummy yet sure-fire sugar cookie recipe for a couple of years. Your is definitely the winner! I carefully followed the directions and am pleased to say they do not stick--to anything! Not the rolling pin, not the counter, not parchment. The video was super helpful, as are the easy to follow, detailed directions. Thank you so much. Also, wanting a lemon cookie, I used the vanilla plus two tablespoons of lemon zest. Delicious!

Just made these with my friends and the dough was soft and delicious! thankyou for the recipe I will defitnely be using this for all my cookies in the future!!!

Do you have a video on making the cookies into a tree.  Oh, and I adore the almond. Thanks for sharing your time and talent

Great recipe! I took a few shortcuts that sped up the process but I don’t think detracted from the flavor - cut out the cookies without chilling the dough first, froze the cookie shapes for 1/2 hour, and froze them for 5 minutes out of the oven to chill. Absolutely delicious! Just stick to 1/2 tsp of almond extract so it’s not too overpowering. I also highly recommend placing the same cookie shapes on the same baking sheet. Different shapes cook at different times so you might need to take one pan out earlier than the others. You’ll know it’s done when the dough looks matte on top. Look this easy soft cookie dough! Didn’t spread very much either.

To preface, I typically dislike sugar/Christmas cookies, because they are almost without exception sad, bland, floury little cutenesses that are an unfortunate waste of stomach real estate. I continue to sample them however,  I want to love them, because ICING. If it is cute, I will try it. And I am almost always disappointed, the experience begins and ends with “that’s a very pretty cookie….” Cause they taste like nada. Hopeful, I followed this recipe exacttttly following all the tips in the recipe, and did end up with very level, magazine photo looking cookies. I also made the royal icing, which was pipable and not incredible hard when dry, per recipe promise, however, I was soooo disappointed overall. These cookies are just very very bleh. No taste to speak of, even having used almond extract, and def not as chewy as I’d hoped either. I was so sad to have spent a ton of time carefully decorating them. * I pushed past my first diagnosis of no thanks, and iced the intricate instagramable h out of them, hoping that might magically improve them significantly. I awaited a second opinion. My partner tasted them and made a definitive yuck face. I’ll be tossing them in the trash. I’d hoped to gift them, but most of my friends, like me, cook a lot and I know these cookies will never make it past their taste buds either. If you, like me are about to embark on a cookie gifting extravaganza, keep on trucking. I did try a diff recipe today (which I tweaked) that had a cream cheese element, and it was way better in terms of chewiness and taste.

Thank youuuuu!! I should have read the comments first. I have the same experience with sugar cookies, but for some unbeknownst reason, I decided to give these ones a whirl. Maybe it was the promise of soft, chewy cookies. 
I am SO disappointed. And I should add, I followed this recipe TO A TEE. At first the dough was too sticky, so I added a spoonful of flour as suggested. I ended up having to douse the dough, my hands, and every possible surface to even work the dough. 
I carefully watched them in the oven as I didn't want the edges to brown, even slightly as mentioned in the recipe because in my experience if you wait until then, you're doomed. They are overdone. 
Even with extreme vigilance, and careful precision, these cookies were just like every other failed attempt. 
Nothing makes these sugar cookies differ from every other sugar cookie out there. 
Tasteless, floury, waste of time. 
I'm almost glad I found someone with a similar experience!!

These are 100% the best sugar cookies I have ever made. I have made them multiple times. And as soon as the cookies are gone my 4 y.o. little helper asks when can we make cookies again. I brought these to a cookie exchange Christmas Party and everyone was asking for the recipe. One of them even said that these are bakery level good! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I will use it for years to come

I generally love recipes from here but this one was a fail. I followed the recipe exactly and they did come out without spreading, but the cookies were very bland and chewy but not in a good way. I also did once batch without rolling out and chilling and one with and there was absolutely no difference. I recommend not wasting the real estate space in your fridge and just chill the dough in a ball, roll out and then stick in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking

These are so good! And addictive! Great texture and flavor. I’ve made multiple times and it’s fabulous every time.  Everyone that’s tried it always comes back for more.  Buttercream frosting goes great with these cookies.

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