Silky, sweet, buttery perfection—that's the definition of a perfect sugar cookie. Some people are intimidated by making sugar cookies, but a few of my favorite hints can give you confidence to create your own masterpieces time and again.
Start with the right frosting. For a thick, fluffy frosting, use a buttercream recipe. For piping and flooding on ornate decoration, use a royal icing recipe.
Keep it under wraps. Frosting and icing can harden fast, so keep it covered with a sheet of plastic wrap right on the surface of the icing. Even the little bit of air in an airtight container can still dry out your icing, so keep it covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to use.
Pile it on. Look at the photo above. The frosting is as thick as the cookie itself, which is why people love our frosted cookies! A thick layer of frosting keeps the frosting and the cookie moist, fresh, and delicious.
Keep a spray bottle handy. The best, easiest way to refresh and thin out frosting is with a spray bottle of water. The spray itself spreads out the water molecules evenly, and the amount in each spritz is a great increment to work with—not too much, not too little.
A little color goes a long way. Remember, you can always add more color, so start slow and mix evenly before adding more. It sounds simple, but it will save you headaches!
Simplify the clean up. I came across this tip for bag filling a long time ago and have been using it faithfully ever since. It's genius and makes clean up a cinch!
Practice makes perfect. Piping and flooding with royal icing creates beautiful, crisp lines and details. This tutorial is very good to get you started. The more you experiment, the more confidence you'll gain.
Have fun. Sugar cookies are the ultimate canvas for your creativity, so the sky is the limit with shapes, colors, and decoration. Play around and see what you can dream up!
