Upgrading your holiday cookie game has never been more delicious thanks to this classic sugar cookie and royal icing recipe. Recipe developed by Food Network Kitchen.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 24 to 36 cookies and about 2 1/4 cups of icing |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Royal icing, for decorating, recipe follows
Instructions
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of parchment paper or into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just incorporated. Divide between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.)
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface, dusting with flour as needed, until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with 2-to-4-inch cookie cutters; arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough becomes too soft as you work, return to the refrigerator until firm.) Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll once to cut out more cookies. Chill the cutouts 30 minutes.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and just golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely before icing.
- Whisk one 1-pound box confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 1 more tablespoon water if necessary. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap until ready to use to prevent the icing from drying out.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 118 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Sodium | 35 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 118 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Sodium | 35 mg |
Reviews
This instructions for this cookie and royal icing are clear and easy to follow. The cookie is also easy to make and works well for any holiday/season. I usually am not a fan of sugar cookies but this recipe is delicious and isn’t too sweet. Will definitely make it again!
THIS WAS THE BEST RECIPE I HAD EVER HAD I AM VERY PROUD THAT I FOUND THIS:D I GIVE THIS A 5 STAR RATING!!!!!!!!!!#BESTCOOKIESEVER
Great recipe.
Was disappointed with how these turned out considering how much effort I put into them. They were not very sweet or salty and seemed to be lacking in taste. It was very labor intensive for something that turned out to be less than average.
I only used the icing recipe this time. Will try both and report back! But the icing was fabulous.
This recipe was pretty similar to others that I have used over the years and it did not disappoint. The people that complained about the recipe must not know how to cook! Mine came out fine and paired nicely with the the royal icing recipe that was included.
Didn’t like them at all….. I’m not sure what I did wrong but I double checked the ingredients and they were by far the worst I’ve ever made. Tasteless
My family loves them because the were not too sweet but still sweet enough!
This was pretty straightforward & yielded tasty results. 🙂
I would definitely make it again, but I’d probably practice the flooding technique a little more beforehand. ^^
Made these for Christmas everyone loved them.