Fun Frosted Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• Sugar Cookie Ingredients
  • 5 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla extract
• Icing Ingredients
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • a few splashes of water
  • a splash of vanilla extract
  • Food coloring as desired

Step-by-Step

Cookie Steps

• Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl
• In a mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, and mix until fluffy
• Add in vanilla and eggs and mix well
• Slowly stir in flour mixture
• Cover dough and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• On a lightly floured surface roll out small batches of cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out your cookies and place onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper
• Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes (cook time may vary depending on your oven)
• Cookies should be slightly golden brown on the bottom and around the edges
• Makes 30-45 cookies depending on the size of your cutouts

Decorating Steps

• Once cookies have cooled, mix up the icing and separate into bowls for the number of colors you’re using
  • You want the icing to be fluid but not too runny or it will be difficult to trace and spill over
  • If it’s too stiff add more water in small splashes, if it’s too runny add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached
• Mix in food dye and put a little of each color in a piping bag, leaving some in the bowl
• Trace out the cookies with the piping bag or with icing in a ziplock bag that has a corner clipped
• With the remaining icing in the bowl add a splash more water to make the icing more fluid
• With a spoon, fill in the traced cookies with remaining icing and let dry briefly
• Once the top slightly dries add additional embellishments / decor with the icing remaining in the piping bags
• Let the cookies sit out overnight to dry, in the morning you can stack the cookies on a serving tray or bag and tie with a bow!

Extra Tips

• These cookies are an awesome way to brighten up a party or make a coworker’s day. They are a little bit of work and make a little bit of a mess with rolling out the dough but they are so worth it! Also, way cheaper and more thoughtful to make them yourself even if they’re not perfect they will still be delicious 😉
• When using a piping bag it helps to have a plastic coupler and piping tip
  • To trace the outline of the cookies I like to use a #3 Wilton piping tip. I’ve found the piping tips are cheaper to buy from Michael’s than on Amazon
  • The plastic couplers are about the same price at Michael’s and on Amazon
• If you’re using sprinkles it helps to sprinkle them on while the icing is still wet so that they stick in place better
• If you want to blend different icing colors together for a tie-dye or marbled effect use multiple colors and a toothpick to make your design
• These taste best once the icing has had a chance to set and fully dry
• Bake – Decorate – Enjoy!

During the holidays I like to host a cookie decorating party for all my friends. I bake the cookies the night before and whip up the icing right before everyone comes over. It’s a lot of fun for people to be creative and play around with all the decorating goodies. Friends gets to take home their own box and it saves you time not having to decorate hundreds of cookies. Plus it’s a great opportunity to share a cocktail with friends during a very busy time of year.