Sugar Cookie Frosting
Sugar cookies are a seasonal treat that kids of all ages can enjoy during the holidays and any other special day. This delicious sugar cookie frosting recipe will give you smooth, thick vanilla frosting. You can get creative with this frosting and use food coloring gels to make any color you like. Toss in some colorful sprinkles for added fun.
It’s easy to grab a can of store-bought frosting to make gorgeous cakes and sugar cookies, but when the homemade frosting is so easy, why not do it? With homemade frosting, you have a super creamy spread that you can customize. The best part is that when you make your own frosting, you have control over the ingredients.
This sugar cookie frosting recipe calls for ingredients you may already have in your fridge and pantry, including powdered sugar, unsalted butter, whole milk, and pure vanilla extract. When you buy store-bought frosting, it’s loaded with additives, syrups, and oils.
To make the perfect sugar cookie frosting, we use soft unsalted butter that is whipped until fluffy. A little pure vanilla extract gives all the flavor you need, and you can substitute almond extract if you want an almond-flavored frosting.
With this frosting recipe, you can use the base to make a rainbow of colored frosting. Divide the frosting into ramekins and color as desired.
Select your equipment
A stand mixer is perfect for making this frosting because it does most of the work for you. The paddle attachment works best, but you can also use the whisk attachment.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, that’s okay. You can use your hand mixer to make this easy sugar cookie frosting recipe. It only takes five minutes to make the perfect creamy frosting.
Other helpful tools include ramekins (for making colored frosting), pastry bags, plain pastry tips, a spatula, and gel-based food coloring.
Use soft butter
We recommend setting the butter on the countertop for 30 minutes to an hour before you plan to make your frosting. This will allow the butter to soften naturally at room temperature. Make sure to use unsalted butter, not salted butter.
It’s important not to skip this step because heating the butter to soften it usually makes it too hot if you’re not very careful. If your microwave has a butter-softening setting, you can use that.
The unsalted butter should be softened until it reaches a temperature of 64 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature range for prime fat crystals to retain their shape.
Why is it important? This helps create air pockets within the buttercream, which makes the sugar cookie frosting spread more easily. If the butter is too hot, it won’t curdle like you want it to and will be too thick and soft.
How do you know your butter is ready? Tap it gently. If it indents slightly, it’s ready to whip.
Use powdered confectioners’ sugar
White powdered sugar is also known as confectioner’s sugar. This is regular granulated sugar, which is finely ground into tiny sugar crystals. The crystals are mixed with a small amount of cornstarch, which helps keep them from solidifying when sugar is added.
Because the particles are so small, they create the smooth texture necessary for cooling. Also, the sugar helps create a thick, firm consistency that holds up well to the frosting.
While you frost your cookies, the icing will dry and set at room temperature. Although this icing attracts moisture from the surface of the frosting, it is not sticky. It will not harden like royal icing. Royal icing is not suitable for cookies.
Add milk to adjust the consistency of your frosting
Milk is slowly added to the butter and sugar mixture so that it becomes creamy. Whole milk hydrates the sugar and helps the butter and sugar combine. The reason I suggest adding 1 tablespoon at a time is that it makes it easier to incorporate air into the sugar and butter mixture.
At the end of your mixing time, add your last tablespoon of milk. This will facilitate the consistency of the frosting and at the same time keep it soft.
Are you looking for a creamy buttercream frosting for frosted cookies? To make buttercream frosting, substitute heavy whipping cream for milk. If you’re interested in other frosting recipes, follow this recipe to make cream cheese frosting, chocolate buttercream frosting, and more.
Whip the frosting (but don’t overdo it)
We add the butter itself first so that the fat breaks down and aerates. Then, we slowly add milk, powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Mix the frosting on low speed first, then switch to medium-high speed for a few minutes.
Mixing your sugar cookie frosting this way will add air to the mixture and ensure a perfect sugar cookie icing that is soft and fluffy. Air pockets can form if you overbeat the mixture, and while it’s a great frosting for cakes, it’s not ideal for cookies.
You can adjust the consistency of your frosting so it’s thinner. Add more milk, a spoonful at a time, until it’s the consistency you want. Is your frosting too thin? no problem. Add some more powdered sugar.
Make colored frosting
Homemade frosting is perfect for a soft sugar cookie, and plain vanilla frosting is great for chocolate chip cookies. To keep your snow pure white, you can use clear vanilla extract. However, if you want to make things more colorful and festive, you can use gel food coloring to make frosting in every color imaginable.
Why gel food coloring for iced sugar cookies? Gel food coloring is concentrated, so you only need a little. Also, since it’s a gel, it doesn’t thin the frosting like liquid food coloring does. Can I use liquid food coloring for this recipe? of course! Realize that your colors probably won’t be bright and vivid.
To make the colored frosting, use a spatula to spread the frosting into your ramekins or small bowls. Slowly mix the food coloring gel into the frosting bowl, making sure to cover it when you’re done so the frosting doesn’t dry out.
Customize the taste
Traditionally, vanilla is used to flavor easy sugar cookie icing, however, you can use all kinds of extracts and flavorings to make this frosting. For example, consider flavors like maple, anise, pepper, almond extract, or honey.
To customize the flavor of your frosting, start with 1/4 teaspoon of your desired extract. After that, mix more slowly until you get the desired taste. Different flavors have different concentrations, so start with a little and add more as needed.
Decorate your cookies
To make iced sugar cookies using your favorite sugar cookie recipe, you can use a butter knife or spatula if you want to keep things simple. Gently frost all the cookies.
For more intricate designs, you can use a frosting bag with a piping tip. Consider stars, rosettes, circles, and more. After frosting your cookies, add colorful sprinkles to decorate them.
Stores leftover frosting
If you have leftover sugar cookie frosting, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that this frosting is made from milk, so it should be refrigerated or kept at room temperature for more than two hours.
When you are ready to use your frosting, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Give your cookies a good shake before frosting.
How to Use Your Frosting
Now that you know how to make the perfect cookie frosting, how can you use it? Of course, you can use it to make frosted sugar cookies any time of year, and it’s wonderful for the holidays (who doesn’t love iced Christmas cookies?) Use cookie cutters to make cookies with fun shapes, Christmas cookies, and cutout sugar baking sheets.