Pink Velvet Sugar Cookies with Ermine Frosting are soft sugar cookies tinted to a light pink color and frosted with a silky smooth frosting. They are a delicious and attractive treat that is perfect for special occasions, holidays, or just as a sweet snack. If you love frosted sugar cookies, you will also love my Copycat Swig Cookies, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Sugar: I used both granulated and confectioners’ sugar in the cookie dough. Confectioners’ sugar is not the most common type of sugar in cookie dough, but do not leave it out! It adds some texture and softness to the cookies.
Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is not a cream at all, but a powdery acid. It can be found in the baking aisle, near the spices in your local grocery store.
Food Coloring: I used a couple of drops of pink gel food coloring. Gel food color is more concentrated than liquid, so you won’t need much of it. You could also use liquid food coloring. If you don’t have pink, just add a touch of red color for a pink hue.
Eggs: Out of eggs? Check out a few egg substitutes you could try.
Butter: You will need a total of 4 sticks (1 pound) of unsalted butter divided between the cookie dough and the frosting. The ermine frosting is a smooth and creamy frosting that complements the sugar cookies. Plus, the white frosting looks so lovely with the soft pink cookies.
What is Ermine Frosting?
Ermine Frosting, also known as milk frosting, flour buttercream, flour frosting, or $300 Dollar Frosting is a silky smooth frosting made from a cooked milk and flour mixture, sugar, and butter. It is made without eggs and is traditionally used to frost red velvet cake. But, it also is the perfect complement to these sugar cookies.
Can I Make the Cookies Without Food Coloring?
Sure! In fact, this cookie recipe is simply sugar cookies with added pink food coloring. So, they will be just as delicious without any food coloring. Or, make them your favorite color to go with your mood or a special occasion.
How to Store Pink Velvet Sugar Cookies
The pink velvet sugar cookies with ermine frosting can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. If you will not be eating all of them within that time, store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Pink Velvet Sugar Cookies with Ermine Frosting
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (94 g) confectioners' sugar
- ¾ cup (168 g) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ½ cups (688 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pink food coloring
Ermine Frosting
- 1 cup (245 g) whole milk
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners' sugar. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
- Drizzle in oil and add eggs. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Allow the mixer to combine until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl.
- Gently fold in food coloring until well mixed.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, drop the golf-ball size portions of dough onto a lined baking sheet.
- Roll each cookie dough ball until it is smooth and round.
- Using the bottom of a wet kitchen glass that has been pressed into granulated sugar, press down on each cookie dough ball until the center of the cookie is pressed flatter than the edges. Repeat this on all cookies.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are just slightly starting to brown and the center no longer appears wet. Allow the cookies to cool as you make the frosting.
- NOTE: It is important to NOT over-bake the cookies. Be sure to check your cookies at 7 minutes. Every oven is different and over baking can result in a tough, crumbly, tasteless cookie. Let your first batch be a test batch so you can ensure the remaining cookies are perfect and soft!
Ermine Frosting
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk and flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes, or until no lumps remain and the mixture thickens and resembles a very thick pudding. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the cooled milk mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes), pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Switch to the whisk attachment. Add vanilla and mix on high for 7-8 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cooled cookies. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Fabulous cookies. I just made a batch. I’ll be taking them to church for Easter Sunday dinner.
What do you mean by! “press down on each cookie dough ball until the center of the cookie is pressed flatter than the edges. Repeat this on all cookies”
The pictures should help illustrate that.
The center should be flatter than the edges, like if you pressed a small juice glass in the center, so it creates a divot for the frosting…..
Can the dough be made and refrigerated the night before baking the cookies?
Sure
how many does it make
Will this frosting get dry enough so that I can stack the cookies on each other or will it stay wet and messy?
If you stack these cookies the frosting will smoosh. It’s a soft frosting.