Description
Delight in these classic Egg Sugar Cookies topped with smooth, customizable royal icing. Perfectly soft yet sturdy cookies created with a simple dough, decorated lovingly with colored royal icing for festive, elegant treats ideal for Easter or any celebration.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Royal Icing
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/4 cup room temperature water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- gel food colouring (various colors as desired)
Instructions
- Make the Sugar Cookies: In a large mixing bowl, cream unsalted butter and granulated sugar together using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and add baking powder and salt followed by gradual addition of all-purpose flour, mixing until just combined into a dough.
- Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic cling wrap, and refrigerate until firm, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Alternatively, freeze for 30 minutes if short on time.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking.
- Roll and Cut: Remove chilled dough and allow it to rest at room temperature for 5–10 minutes to soften slightly for easier rolling. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use an egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookie shapes.
- Arrange and Re-roll: Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet spaced about one inch apart. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut out additional cookies as needed.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add water and vanilla extract; beat on medium-high speed with a hand mixer until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding water a teaspoon at a time if too thick, or more sugar if too thin.
- Add Color to Icing: Add gel food colouring to portions of the icing to achieve desired colors. Gel coloring maintains ideal consistency better than liquid colorings, which may require further consistency adjustments.
- Decorate the Cookies: Use a piping bag fitted with a #5 tip to outline the cookie edges with the base color icing leaving about 1/8 inch from the edge; then flood the center. Use the back of a spoon to gently spread the icing to the cookie edges for a smooth finish.
- Allow Base to Set: Let the base layer of icing dry for 20–30 minutes until it is set enough so that additional decoration will not smudge or blend into the base.
- Add Icing Details: With a thin #1 piping tip, pipe decorative patterns such as lines, squiggles, and dots on top of the base icing to personalize each cookie.
- Final Drying: Let the decorated cookies dry completely for several hours or up to a day to prevent smudging before stacking or storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps cookies keep their shape during baking.
- Use gel food coloring for the best icing consistency and vibrant colors.
- Allow each layer of icing to set before applying the next to avoid color bleeding.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container once icing is fully dry to preserve freshness and decoration.
- Adjust water or sugar amounts carefully when mixing icing to reach perfect flooding consistency.
