Royal Iced Sugar Cookies
The show-stopper. Crisp edges, smooth icing, infinite creativity.
These are the cookies that stop a party in its tracks. The base is a classic vanilla cut-out with razor-sharp edges, decorated with silky royal icing you can colour, flood, and pipe to your heart’s content. Worth every minute.
Real bake inspiration
See a similar finished result
Every batch has its own character, but these real bakes show the sort of finish, colour and detail you can aim for.
A flooded tree cookie finished with piped lines and sugar pearls.
Photo by Kristin Ausk · CC BY-SA 2.0
Royal-iced snowflakes and trees with simple piped details.
Photo by Kristin Ausk · CC BY-SA 2.0
Method
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1
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
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2
Beat the butter and caster sugar in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
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3
Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well. Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed until a dough forms.
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4
Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour until firm.
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5
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line two baking trays.
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6
Roll the dough to 5mm thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out your shapes.
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7
Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes in the freezer for sharper edges, then bake for 9–11 minutes until barely golden.
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8
Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
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9
For the royal icing, sift the sugar into a bowl and add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach a thick ribbon. Divide and colour as desired.
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10
Flood the cookies with icing and allow to set for at least 2 hours before adding detail piping.
Baker's tips
- ✦ 5mm thickness gives a satisfying snap with a little chew — thinner means crispier.
- ✦ The 10-minute freezer step before baking really does make a difference to edge definition.
- ✦ Use gel (not liquid) food colouring — it won’t thin the icing.
- ✦ Keep a damp cloth over your icing bowl while you work to prevent crusting.
Suggested cookie cutters
Use these shapes with a roll-out batch, or pick one as the theme for your next bake.
