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Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

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These easy Christmas sugar cookies with royal icing are perfectly crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, and hold their shape beautifully. The dough comes together in one bowl with simple ingredients, and the royal icing sets hard enough to stack the cookies while the cookie itself stays soft for days.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons (24g) meringue powder
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 5–6 tablespoons (75-90ml) warm water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or clear almond extract
  • Gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy but not overdone. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla. Crack the egg into a small bowl, then add it to the butter mixture along with the vanilla. Beat on low speed until just combined.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed after each. Stop when the dough just comes together.
  5. Chill the dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  7. Roll out the dough. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one disc of dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
  8. Cut the shapes. Dip your cookie cutters in flour before each cut. Press straight down and lift straight up. Place the cut cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  9. Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies should be lightly golden around the edges but still pale on top.
  10. Cool completely. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. They must be completely cool before icing.
  11. Make the royal icing. In a medium bowl, combine the meringue powder and sifted powdered sugar. Add 5 tablespoons of warm water and the vanilla or almond extract. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium-high for 4-5 minutes until thick, glossy, and holds a stiff peak.
  12. Color and pipe. Divide the icing into bowls and tint with gel food coloring. For outlining and flooding, use stiff icing for outlines and slightly thinner icing for flooding.
  13. Decorate. Pipe outlines first, then fill in with flooding icing. Use a toothpick to spread the icing into corners and pop any air bubbles. Let the base layer dry completely (about 2-4 hours) before adding details.

Notes

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading. Use room temperature ingredients. Don’t overwork the dough when re-rolling scraps. Royal icing consistency is key: for flooding, it should smooth out in about 10 seconds. Pipe in batches and let base layer dry completely before adding details.

Nutrition

Keywords: Christmas sugar cookies, royal icing, easy sugar cookies, holiday cookies, cut-out cookies

Find it online: https://fizzlefork.com/easy-christmas-sugar-cookies-with-royal-icing/