Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe is a sweet homemade frosting that is made with just four ingredients and can be adapted to your favorite flavor and color. I love sugar cookies year-round, but they are especially popular around the holidays. It’s such a fun cookie to play around with. They are the perfect cookie for making into your favorite shapes and, of course, decorating! This icing recipe is an easy recipe to make and be as colorful and flavorful as you want it to be. Be sure to check out my Sugar Cookie Decorating 101 for tips on decorating sugar cookies.
Icing Ingredients
Confectioners’ sugar: Be sure to sift the confectioners’ sugar (also known as icing sugar) before adding the other ingredients. This will remove any lumps that may be in the sugar.
Milk: Whole milk will give you the best consistency in the frosting. Amounts of milk may vary depending on seasonality.
Corn syrup: Light corn syrup is in the frosting recipe gives the frosting a glossy finish and adds a little more moisture to it.
Lemon juice: As with the milk, the amount of lemon juice added to the recipe will be determined by the temperature of your kitchen and the overall climate. Lemon juice is an acid and will counter the “sweetness” of the confectioner’s sugar and corn syrup. No, the icing will not taste lemony.
What is the 10-Second Rule?
If you have already outlined your cookies and need to fill in or ‘spill’ your cookies, you can add more milk (as much as you would need) to make your frosting very runny. A great way to check the consistency of your frosting if you need to fill a cookie is to use the ‘ten-second rule’.
For this ten-second rule, run your spoon along the bottom of the bowl of frosting. You will want to be able to see the bottom of the bowl for at least a few seconds. If ten seconds pass and you can still see the bottom of the bowl you will need to add a little more milk.
Can You Stack Cookies with Glaze Icing?
Yes! Absolutely. After the icing dries it will stack beautifully, about 3 cookies high. It takes about 24 hours for the icing to dry depending on how thick your icing is.
Variations to Sugar Cookie Icing
- If you are using food coloring, be sure to use LESS milk. Most food colorings are liquid and can make your frosting runnier. If you are using gel food coloring, your milk quantity can remain the same.
- To add different flavors, you can add drops of vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon, etc. to flavor your frosting.
- If you want more shine, use more corn syrup and less milk.
How to Store Sugar Cookie Icing
I will often times store it in piping bags that have been sealed with a rubber band or twist tie. You can also store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you are using food coloring, I will often color the icing before storing, as you will see the “true” color after the icing settles.
I used this icing to make my Original Ugly Sweater Cookies. You can see how beautifully it sets and is firm enough to gently stack!
More Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk, as needed depending on seasonality and desired consistency
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 -3 drops lemon juice, as needed depending on seasonality and desired consistency
Instructions
- Sift the confectioners' sugar to remove lumps.
- To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mix until combined.
- Add more milk and/or lemon juice as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Video
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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.
I see in your pictures that you stack sometimes with wax or parchment between….how long before that works?
All of your cookies are adorable!
I’m so excited I found thist post… I have been making icing with confectioner’s sugar and milk but the consistency was never quite right. I think that the light corn syrup might be what i was missing! 🙂
This is a really cool site, I love all the cookies!! So beautiful! I have been trying to make sugar cookies myself, but I have to practice more!! 🙂
To Marina: I am from Denmark, and I had that same problem about finding corn syrup. But I found out that you can use Glucose Syrup instead, it is almost the same. With golden syrup you can’t make all white icing… Anyway I hope it helps you a bit..
Your article give me a lot helpful message, no doubt a valuable blog. Best wishes to you.
thanks for the recipe! i tried it this weekend but my cookies were not as shiny as yours…also i used liquid food coloring but my color were very pale and faded once the icing dried…the taste was great though!
any suggestions??
The Best Sugar Cookies EVER! We had a blast with these!!! I did the frosting as well…but I think I made it to thin! Still delious! My 3 year old an I will be making them again!
Thank you!!!
oh my God, OH MY GOD! i search this recipe for like a month all over the web, now i can enjoy some sugar cookie FROSTING!
Is this your version of the royal icing that’s all over the University of Cookie website?
And what tutorials at University of Cookie would you recommend for a first time cookie decorator?
Thanks for all your help!
Firstly, I must say that your page is a blessing. I’ve become even more dedicated to my baking since seeing your page and all of the beautiful work you make. Regarding this icing, I was wondering if it actually hardens? I am planning to try the icing this weekend but I will need it to harden, as I am packaging the cookies. Thanks and I pray that God continues to bless you and the work He enables you to create!
Your frosting is great! its easy to make and it looks gorgeous!
I just made a little bit to write on my cake, but I will use the rest on Sunday to cover my cookies! Thank you for sharing!