I did it — I made sugar cookies decorated with royal icing. After weeks of research on the different recipes and techniques, I finally buckled down and created these:
I’m very happy with how they came out, although I wasn’t quite expecting them to take a total of like 5 hours, but hey, I’m on break and what else am I going to do. (Maybe catch up on some work, be social and leave my house, wrap presents…nahhhh)
I was very pleased with the recipes I used for both the sugar cookie dough (from i am baker) and the royal icing (from Not So Humble Pie) and highly recommend using them if you plan on attempting these flooded sugar cookies. But make sure you allot a decent chunk of time if you’re a beginner like me. I used these cookie cutters to make the snowflakes and I loved them! Even without the royal icing they looked fancy because of the cutouts.
I used a “flooding” technique, which involves first piping outlines with a thicker consistency icing, and then going back with a thinner icing and flooding the spaces between the outlines. I used white for the outlines and a pale blue for the flooding, and then went over with white to add some decorative details. I could use some practice, but at least the anxiety of trying this out for the first time is over!
My parents agreed these might be just too pretty to eat, so I hung a few on the tree as decoration. Someone better eat them eventually though!
Snowflake Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
For the Cookies: (Adapted from i am baker)
1-1/2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
5 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
For Royal Icing: (Adapted from Not So Humble Pie)
1 pound powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder (available at craft stores)
1/3 cup water (plus more for adjusting consistency)
Few drops vanilla extract
– For the cookie dough, beat together butter and sugar for about 2 minutes
– Add the eggs and egg yolks until smooth, and then add vanilla
– In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and then add the dry mix slowly to the wet until well combined
– Wrap dough in saran wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour (or more)
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees
– Roll out dough and cut desired shapes, placing them about 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet
– Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on how chewy you like your sugar cookies!
– Transfer to a wire wrack and allow cookies to completely cool before decorating
– For the icing, mix together sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla until smooth (about 2 minutes). If icing is too thick, add more water in 1 tsp increments. If too thin, slowly add more powdered sugar. For the outlining, you want the icing to be fluid but still hold a firm peak. For the flooding, add enough water so that a peak will sink back into the bowl and smooth out within 10 seconds.
– Divide icing and color it as desired
– Prepare piping bags and tips (I used #2), and place them upside down in a glass with a wet paper towel on the bottom while not in use so the icing in the tips does not dry out. Be sure to secure the other end with a rubber band or you’ll end up with blue icing all over your pants (oops!)
– Pipe the outline first using the thicker icing and let it sit for 10 minutes before going back to flood the rest
– Allow the cookies to dry for a few hours before handling them — you don’t want to ruin all of your hard work!
Merry Christmas Eve!!
these snowflake cookies are beautiful. adore its pale blue colour :) Happy christmas!
These turned out so lovely! I had such high hopes for my sugar cookies this year, but alas they looked like the work of emotionally disturbed children. I hadn’t experimented with royal icing since I was a child. I think I’ll give your recipe a shot and try for round two.
Joyeux Noel!
you might just be the cutest person alive.
I *love* these cookies! I have got to get some of these snowflake cutters!
These are beautiful! I’m not sure I’m as brave as you in trying these recipes though…
Hello(:
I was wondering how much cookie does this recipe yield?
Totally depends on the size of your cookies, not sure I can quantify that for you! But one batch is usually plenty for a large crowd
I made these cookies last night for a going away party and used frosting to create the flags of my friends’ destinations (France and Switzerland). I got SO many compliments on them.
As for how many cookies it yielded, I got about 40 cookies, or 4 pans worth. (My cookies were about the size of a credit card.)
Did you flood with a brush or knife? Did icing go into the cutouts of the snowflakes?
Celeste – I used a piping bag and plastic squeeze bottle to apply the icing so no icing got into the cutouts. The thicker-consistency white icing helps create a barrier so the more flowable blue icing doesn’t leak out
hi Erica, I have been looking for a recipe for sugar cookies for years. My nona and I used to use hers since I was a little girl but after she passed we lost the recipe on our moves. All of the ones I’ve found seem to be really “cake” like (fluffy) but I would prefer something denser but flaky. I want it to not change shape in the oven, I was going to result to trying half butter and half crisco but I’ll try these first. I’m also trying your hazelnut mousse cake for a christmas gathering this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing all of these!
I just made these they are amazing! Mine didn’t turn out cake like, they are just like a cookie but absolutely amazing thanks for sharing these great recipes.
I baked these isntead of doing homework today but anyways………… THEY WERE SO GOOOOOOD! Although I thought the dough was a bit TOO sticky (which led some breaking when transferring on and off of the baking tray) but they all turned out super yummy! ^^
i stumbled onto your website for the first time today. as a trained pastry chef (and might i add, daughter-in-law to a dentist), i am truly impressed by what you have accomplished; these cookies look great. keep baking because your hard work and practice is surely paying off. lady, you have skills. kudos!
I’m kind of confused. I need 2 eggs and 2 extra yolks?
Erica — February 12th, 2013 @ 2:26 am
Yes, 2 eggs + 2 additional egg yolks!
hey erica, how many cookies does this recipe make? this looks amazing, and thank you! :)
hii.
my oven doesn’t go to 350 degrees.
can i also bake it twice as long on 175 degrees or is it 350 degrees F and can i bake it at 175 degrees C?
thank U
Erica — July 2nd, 2014 @ 7:31 pm
The 350 degrees I mentioned is in fahrenheit, which is about 175 degrees Celsius. Hope this helps!
Hi Erica or anyone else who can answer this: Can you or has anyone freezed or refrigerated the dough for a couple of days till ready? I need to make the dough in advance for a party? Thanks!
Erica — November 29th, 2016 @ 2:00 pm
This dough freezes very well! Or you can keep it in the fridge for I’d say up to 3 days. Enjoy :)