Best Iced Sugar Cookies Recipes

ICED SUGAR COOKIES (CAKE-LIKE COOKIES, SOFT ICING)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For the cookies beat the butter and sugar until creamed. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients and milk into the creamed mixture in two batches.
• Refrigerate dough for up to an hour.
• Use 2 'tablespoons' (cereal spoons) to make 2-3 inch balls of dough. (After baking you want cookies that are about the size of the palm of your hand.).
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies shouldn't be browned.
• For the frosting beat all ingredients together until smooth adding more milk if necessary. When cookies are cool, frost and add sprinkles if you like.

PAULA DEEN'S ICED CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• To make the cookies - in a large bowl, beat butter and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each additon.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Cover dough with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On lightly flour surface roll dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut dough with desired cutters. Reroll dough scraps and cut out cookies until all dough has been used.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool on pans for 2 miutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• To make Royal Icing - In a small bowl, whisk water and meringue powder until foamy. Gradually add confectioners sugar, whisking until smooth. Divide into small bowls and tint with food coloring pastes, stirring to achieve desired colors.
• Decorate cookes as desired with Royal Icing, dragees and sugar sprinkles.
• Store in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

ICED BROWN SUGAR ZUCCHINI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and pale - about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until completely blended. Add the vanilla and mix.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low (or stir by hand) just until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be stiff.
• Add the zucchini and mix just until incorporated.
• Scoop the cookies in approximately 2-tablespoon increments, about 2 inches apart, onto an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with silicone mat. (Do you have a cookie scoop yet? It will change your life!)
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until the cookies are set and light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make brown sugar glaze. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add brown sugar. Stir for about 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add milk and, increasing heat to medium, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from heat and slowly whisk in powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and pinch salt. Cool for about 20 minutes.
• Hold cookies by the bottom and dip the tops into the glaze. Set right-side up on cookie rack. Cool until glaze sets.
• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a few months.

ICED BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, pecans, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until easy to handle. , Shape into 1-in. balls; then roll in remaining sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. , For icing, combine brown sugar and cream in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Sift confectioners' sugar into the hot mixture; stir until combined. Drizzle icing over cookies.

ROYAL ICING FOR ICED SUGAR COOKIES WITH LEMON ZEST

Steps:

• With an electric mixer on low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, and the water until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time; if too thin, beat icing 2 to 3 minutes more, or add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to overnight; stir until smooth again before using.

JENNIFER'S ICED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, one spoonful at a time, until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out half of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. (For medium cookies, use a 3-inch cookie cutter.) Place the cutout cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for a few minutes before baking. This will help the cookies to retain their shape. (You can roll out the scraps to make a few more cookies.) Bake until just before the edges of the cookies start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes (if baking two sheets at a time, rotate halfway through baking). Cool the cookies for 1 to 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the icing: In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and warm water with a wire whisk. Stir until the icing is smooth. Adjust the consistency of the icing by adding more confectioners' sugar or more water, as needed. Add food coloring, if desired, to the icing.
• Spread the icing on the cooled cookies and then top with assorted sprinkles and candies.

ICED SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, lightly dust the dough with flour and roll out between 2 pieces of parchment paper until about 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Cut out shapes using 2-to-4-inch cookie cutters and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll once to cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cutouts until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until just golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the icing: Sift the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder into a large bowl. Beat in 6 tablespoons water with a mixer on medium speed until soft, glossy peaks form. Spread on the cookies and decorate with nonpareils. Let set, about 1 hour.