Easy Sugar Cookie Frosting (Print Version)
A creamy, sweet topping that dries glossy and sets beautifully. Simple to customize with colors or flavors.
# What You Need:
→ Base Frosting
01 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
02 - 2-3 tablespoons milk (whole or 2%)
03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
04 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
05 - Pinch of salt
→ Optional Add-ins
06 - Food coloring (gel or liquid), as desired
07 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
# Directions:
01 - Beat powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium mixing bowl until mixture becomes crumbly and well combined.
02 - Incorporate milk gradually, adding 1 tablespoon at a time while beating continuously. Adjust quantity to achieve desired consistency—use less milk for piping stiffness, more milk for a thinner glaze.
03 - Blend in almond extract and food coloring drop by drop until uniform color and flavor distribution is reached.
04 - Spread frosting immediately onto completely cooled sugar cookies. Let cookies rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow frosting surface to set properly.
# Insider Tips:
01 -
- This frosting comes together in ten minutes flat and turns plain cookies into something bakery worthy without any fancy equipment
- You can adjust the consistency from thick for piping to thin for glazing, and it dries beautifully so you can stack your cookies
02 -
- Warm cookies will melt your frosting right off, so patience while they cool completely is absolutely mandatory
- Gel food coloring produces the most vibrant colors without thinning your frosting like liquid drops can
03 -
- Room temperature ingredients incorporate faster and smoother, so set everything out about thirty minutes before you start mixing
- The consistency is right when a spoonful slowly falls off the spatula and settles back into itself within ten seconds