Sugar Cookie Icing (Printable Version)

A smooth, glossy icing that dries firm for beautifully decorated cookies.

# What You Need:

→ Icing Base

01 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
02 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
03 - 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
04 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Color and Decoration

05 - Food coloring (gel or liquid)
06 - Sprinkles or colored sugars

# How To Make It:

01 - Whisk together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until mixture is smooth and glossy.
02 - If icing is too thick, add additional milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until reaching thick but pourable consistency.
03 - Divide icing into separate bowls for multiple colors. Stir in food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is achieved.
04 - Immediately decorate cooled sugar cookies by dipping, spreading with knife, or piping designs using piping bag or squeeze bottle.
05 - Allow decorated cookies to dry at room temperature for at least 4 hours or until icing is completely set.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The secret ingredient creates that gorgeous shine you see on bakery cookies without any fancy equipment
  • You can make it thick enough for piping or thin enough for flooding by adjusting the liquid
02 -
  • Corn syrup is nonnegotiable here. It is what keeps the icing from getting rock hard while still drying firm enough to stack cookies
  • Gel food coloring is your friend. Liquid coloring can throw off your perfect consistency and make the icing too thin
03 -
  • Warm your corn syrup in the microwave for 10 seconds if it is too thick to measure easily
  • Keep a damp paper towel wrapped around your piping bag tip to prevent icing from hardening between cookies

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