The time has come to talk about cut-out sugar cookies. These are such a staple around the holidays, but really I can’t think of a single occasion where they wouldn’t belong. The cookie itself is so tender it melts in your mouth and the royal icing is simple to make and pretty forgiving.
These cookie and royal icing recipes are my go-to anytime I’m wanting decorative, iced sugar cookies. Oh, and by the way, they don’t sacrifice flavor for looks. These cookies are just as scrumptious as they are beautiful! The best part is you can cut out different shapes depending on the occasion and switch up the colors of the icing any way you want. You could do candy canes for Christmas cookies, colorful butterflies for spring, hearts for Valentines, or these boots and stars any time of year.
How do you keep cut-out sugar cookies from spreading?
It’s all about the dough you use. If you’ve tried to make cut-out sugar cookies with a roll of store-bought dough, you know that it tends to spread out in the oven. This version works because of the flour to fat ratio. Store-bought dough doesn’t work because there’s more butter or oil. Rest assured, you can use this dough to cut out any shape your heart desires and it’ll hold its shape in the oven.
How do you decorate cookies with royal icing?
Different bakers have different techniques, but this is what works for me: I add a portion of the icing to a piping bag and pipe a small border around the edges of each cookie. I also save some thicker icing for adding detailed designs (like raised squiggles or polka dots) later on.
Then I take the rest of the icing and add a little water, about a teaspoon at a time, until it’s thinned out a bit. When lifted with a whisk, the icing should fall in ribbons, holding its shape for just a few seconds before melting into itself. After the border icing has dried for a few minutes, I use the thinned icing to fill in the center of the cookie. Let the cookies dry for at least an hour before you attempt any piped decorative designs.