How to Make Icing for Cookies

Co-authored by Maha Mohamed and Amber Crain

Last Updated: February 4, 2023 References

Cookies are a versatile sweet snack or dessert. Because of their flat shape, they can be easily decorated with icing. Sugar cookie icing and royal icing are two of the most popular varieties, especially around the holidays. Other popular cookie icings are cream cheese frosting and chocolate buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Icing^{[1]
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1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) milk
2 teaspoons light (10 ml) corn syrup (can be substituted with granulated white sugar)
1⁄4 teaspoon (1.2 ml) vanilla extract or 1⁄4 teaspoon (1.2 ml) almond extract
Food coloring of your choice

Yields icing for 12 to 14 sugar cookies

Royal Icing^{[2]
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3 ounces (86 g) pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
4 cups (520 g) confectioners' sugar

Yields 3 ½ cups (455 grams) of icing

Cream Cheese Frosting^{[3]
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4 ounces (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces (115 g) cream cheese, softened
2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract

Yields icing for up to 24 cookies

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting^{[4]
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1/4 cup (57.5 g) butter, softened
2 cups (260 g) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons (45 grams) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk

Yields icing for 24 cookies

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Sugar Cookie Icing

1
Gather your ingredients. This simple recipe for sugar cookie icing only takes fifteen minutes to make. It yields enough icing for twelve to fourteen cookies, depending on the size of the cookies. Bake your sugar cookies before you start on the icing. They must be completely cool before you can ice them.
- Corn syrup is optional. It can be substituted with granulated white sugar.
2
Combine the powdered sugar and milk. Measure out the ingredients and place them into a small bowl. Mix them together until the mixture is smooth. You can mix them together manually by stirring or you can use a mixer on its lowest setting.

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3
Add the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Measure out the ingredients and add them to the bowl. Use your mixer to blend it all together. Keep beating the icing until it appears smooth and glossy. Stop mixing and test the consistency of it.
- The icing needs to be thick enough to stay on the cookies and thin enough to easily paint onto the cookies.
- For a slightly different taste, replace the ¼ teaspoon (1.2 ml) of vanilla extract with ¼ teaspoon (1.2 ml) of almond extract.
4
Test the icing on a cookie. Use a few of your pre-baked sugar cookies as testers. They must be completely cooled before you try to ice them. Paint a small amount of icing on the edges of the cookie. Allow it to dry for a few minutes, then check to see if the icing dripped over the edges. If there is no dripping, your icing is ready to use.
- If your icing is too thin, mix small amounts of powdered sugar into the icing until it thickens up.
- If you can’t easily paint the icing onto a cookie, it is too thick. Add small amounts of corn syrup to the icing and stir until you reach the right consistency.
- If you're planning on coloring the icing and making multi-color cookies, make some of the icing slightly thicker to use as "border icing" (the icing used to trace around the cookie). Use slightly thinner icing as "flood icing" (the icing that fills in the middle area of the cookie). The thicker border icing will help to keep the thinner flood icing on the cookie.^{[5]
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5
Divide the icing and add food coloring. Place small amounts of the icing into separate bowls so that you can add the food coloring. Add a different color of food coloring to each bowl. Use a few drops at a time and then stir together well.
- If you want the color to be darker, add a few more drops and stir.
6
Apply the icing to the sugar cookies. You have a few different options for application. You can dip the cookies into the icing. You can also paint the icing on with a clean paint brush or spread it onto the cookies using a knife or the back of a spoon. You can also use a piping bag to apply the frosting.
- Squeeze bottles and using spoons to pour icing are two additional methods that will yield excellent results.
- Using a piping bag will give you the most professional-looking results. Dipping the cookies is probably the easiest way, but painting will allow you more control.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making Royal Icing

1
Gather your ingredients. Royal icing is one of the most popular sugar cookie icings. This simple recipe only calls for three ingredients and takes 7 minutes to make. The recipe yields 3 ½ cups (455 grams) of icing.
- Only use fresh, refrigerated egg whites with fully intact shells to prevent the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness.
2
Beat the egg whites and vanilla together. Combine the pasteurized egg whites and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat the ingredients together with a mixer on low to medium speed. Continue to beat until the mixture appears frothy and light.
3
Add the confectioners' sugar. Measure out the sugar and add it to the bowl gradually, 1 cup at a time. Use the mixer’s lowest setting. Continue to mix until the sugar is fully combined. The mixture should look shiny. Set your mixer to its highest setting and continue to beat for about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture will become stiff and glossy.
4
Add food coloring (if desired). If you want icing in colors other than white, divide small amounts of it into separate bowls, then add the food coloring of your choice to each. Add a few drops and stir well. If you want the color darker, add a few more drops.
5
Ice your sugar cookies. Make sure you put icing on cookies that have completed cooled first. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag and pipe it on as desired. A heavy duty storage bag will also work great for piping, simply clip the corner and proceed.
- Place any leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator. Use within 3 days.
Royal icing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It can be kept frozen for up to one month.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Preparing Cream Cheese Frosting

1
Gather your ingredients. You can whip up this easy cream cheese frosting in fifteen minutes and you only need four simple ingredients to do it. The recipe yields enough icing for up to 24 cookies. You can use cream cheese frosting on sugar cookies, but it works well on other kinds of cookies, too.
- Oatmeal, pumpkin, ginger and carrot cake cookies are some of the most popular choices.^{[6]
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2
Mix the butter and cream cheese together. Remove the two ingredients from the refrigerator and allow them to sit out at room temperature until they have softened. This usually takes about fifteen minutes. Place the softened butter and cream cheese into a large bowl.
- Use an electric mixer on its lowest setting to beat them together well.
3
Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Keep your mixer on its lowest setting. Add 1 cup (130 g) of the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar and continue to beat. Speed up your mixer to the medium setting. Add the vanilla extract. Continue to beat the mixture until it looks creamy and smooth.
- Make sure there are no lumps of butter or cream cheese remaining in the mixture.
- Turn the mixer off. Use a spoon the scrape the sides of the bowl, in case any powdered sugar is lingering there. Stir it vigorously a few times.
4
Frost your cookies. Pre-bake the cookies of your choice and allow them to cool completely. This frosting is very smooth and creamy, so you can spread it on with a spoon, spatula, butter knife or any other similar tool. If you want to make a large batch of frosting, it stores very well if kept in an airtight container.
- The cream cheese icing will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month and in the freezer up to three months.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1
Gather your ingredients. This delicious chocolate buttercream frosting will take you less than fifteen minutes to make. It works very well on chocolate cookies. You can use it with other cookies of your choice, as well. If you want regular buttercream frosting, simply omit the cocoa.
2
Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature for about fifteen minutes before you begin. Once it’s softened, place all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Use a mixer to combine them until the mixture looks creamy and fluffy.
3
Check the consistency. The frosting should be airy, fluffy and easy to spread. If it’s not, add a little more milk and beat it again. Continue until it reaches the desired thickness. Make sure the end result is smooth, with no lumps of butter remaining in the mixture.
4
Spread the frosting on the cookies. Bake the cookies of your choice ahead of time. Let them cool completely before frosting them. This fluffy buttercream will spread very easily, so use a spoon or spatula to apply the desired amount to cookies and other pastries.
- If you have any leftovers, put them in an airtight container.
- The frosting will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It will last up to three months in the freezer.
5
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I know if my egg whites are pasteurized?

Jennifer Sanchez

Community Answer

The carton will say they're pasteurized. If you see them on the shelves, non-refrigerated, they are not. Pasteurized eggs will always be in the fridge section.
Question

How should I store the icing and how long can I store it for?

Brooke Kurzeja

Community Answer

Icing you should store in your refrigerator, but only for 25-30 days. You can store it in a plastic bag or in a regular icing bag.