The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting Ever

Have you ever hosted a cookie party? You bake a whole bunch of sugar cookies, gather all the different sprinkles, make several colors of frosting, and invite friends over to decorate a plate of cookies they can take home and share with their family. You can host a cookie party anytime of year (including Valentine’s Day!). Good, messy, creative, delicious fun.

This go-to sugar cookie frosting recipe has come from years of tinkering with a basic American buttercream. American buttercream = butter + powdered sugar frosting, as opposed to European buttercream recipes that include whole eggs, yolks, or whites, a sugar syrup, and loads of butter. (Totally fine to be a fan of both.)

For the perfect sugar cookies, you just have to go with a powdered sugar frosting, because when decorating with sugar cookie frosting, it should eventually set up or dry on the surface. Other types won’t do that. You also want a slightly stiffer frosting that can be piped, if desired, and hold its shape afterwards. American buttercream holds up in warm kitchens too.

There is a third type of sugar cookie frosting called Royal Icing. Royal Icing is made from egg whites and powdered sugar. It is ideal for intricate decorations. It can be thicker and stiffer for piping, and thinner to use as “flood icing.” You’ve probably seen those addictive cookie decorating videos where the design is piped out in thin lines and then the more liquid frosting is piped in and it floods to the piped border.

There’s nothing wrong with Royal Icing, but when it comes to sugar cookies, if you really want something to sink your teeth into, definitely go with buttercream sugar cookie frosting instead. Find a buttercream sugar cookie frosting recipe, a trusted sugar cookie recipe, and helpful notes below.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

So what makes this sugar cookie frosting so special? There are a few “secret” ingredients in there that add extra flavor and make it just a little more special than a run-of-the-mill sugar cookie frosting.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
My tried-and-true top secret ingredients:

Salted butter — Salt enhances the flavor of sweet. If you use unsalted butter, add a good 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe. Also, don’t even bother with using margarine or shortening. Butter is the only way, my friends. (Unless you’re vegan or have a dairy allergy. Then please go use vegan butter or shortening!)

Cream cheese — Does the frosting end up tasting like cream cheese frosting? No, not at all. Cream cheese frosting is too runny for decorating sugar cookies. But a tiny little tablespoon adds a nice little tang.

Half-and-half or heavy cream — Do milk or water work? Yes, of course. But fat = flavor and richness. Using a bit of half-and-half or cream adds to the luscious texture and mouthfeel. So creamy. So delicious. Pinky swear.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

Almond extract — A little goes a long way, and that’s all you need here. In combination with the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract, the almond extract adds a little “something” that takes things up a big notch. Super tasters will know the secret right away, but the rest of us will taste the sugar cookie frosting and think, “Hmmm. This is delicious! I just can’t quite put my finger on what makes this different and SO YUMMY.” It will happen just like that.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

When it comes to tinting sugar cookie frosting, I always, always go with gel food coloring. Powdered food coloring works too. It doesn’t thin the frosting like the liquid dyes do and the colors are much more vibrant. Also, I don’t know if you’ve ever checked out the cake decorating section at your local craft store, but holy moly, there are so many colors to choose from these days.

Now if you really don’t want to go with the gel or powdered colors and you’ve got those cute little bottles with gnome hats on them, just reduce the amount of liquid you use or add extra powdered sugar. No judgement.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

Another popular option is to use natural food colors like spirulina for green, beet root powder for pink/red, butterfly pea flower for blue, and turmeric for yellow. Not much is needed for beautiful colors. There are also several brands that sell natural food colors online and in health food stores.

You can even use pulverized freeze-dried berries and other fruits to add natural color and fruity flavor to sugar cookie frosting.

Technically, no. But unless your arms have been specifically trained for beating butter with a wooden spoon (or whisk), then stick with an electric hand or stand mixer or they may fall off the next day. (Not really. This is an exaggeration.)

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

You also don’t want to over-beat the frosting. Beat it just enough to be fluffy-ish, but not so much that it looks like clouds or whipped cream. It will be more difficult to pipe, if you go that route, but it will still be great for spreading.

Over-beating may also cause the sugar cookie frosting to separate. This can happen when using heavy cream because beating cream turns it into butter. There will be a watery liquid that leaks out and your frosting will look curdled. Don’t beat it anymore, but stir in some powdered sugar by hand to bring it back together.

What is the Ideal Butter to Sugar Ratio?

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

Don’t be afraid to use the butter. Use it well. Remember: butter = flavor. You want your sugar cookies to taste as good as they look.

The ratio of 1 stick of butter to 2-3 cups of powdered sugar works perfectly. Too much butter and the frosting feels greasy. Too little, and the flavor suffers.

Thick and Soft or Thin and Crisp? How Do You Like Your Sugar Cookies?

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com

The sugar cookie recipe below is the BEST. You can roll the dough thicker for softer cookies or thinner for crispy cookies. They are that texture that’s right in the middle between buttery shortbread and soft, pillowy sugar cookies.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract, optional

Instructions:

– Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
– Using a stand or electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract, if using.
– Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until combined after each addition. Do not over-mix the dough or it will be tough.
– Lay out a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto the wrap or paper and pat down to form a smooth round disk. Wrap well and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
– Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
– Lightly dust a clean, dry surface with flour. Unwrap the chilled dough and place on the surface. Lightly dust the top with flour as well. If the dough is straight out of the fridge, allow it to warm up a little bit in order to prevent the dough from cracking.
– Roll the dough out to the desired thickness. (Not sure what your preference is? Try 1/4-inch.) Cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
– Carefully transfer the cut outs to the baking sheets leaving at least 1-inch between the cookies.
– Gather the dough scraps together and roll again as needed. You may need another baking sheet or two depending on the size and shape of the cookies.
– Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes for 1/4-inch thick cookies and 5 minutes for 1/8-inch thick. The cookies should be barely golden and the tops will be dry when the cookies are properly baked. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container until ready to decorate.

Variation: For Chocolate Sugar Cookies: substitute 1/2 cup cocoa powder for an equal amount of flour.

Note: For the easiest cleanup and rolling out of the cookies, lay a large piece of parchment paper on a clean, dry surface and dust lightly with flour. Roll the dough to the desired thickness and bake as directed.

The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting | DesignMom.com
Ingredients:

2 sticks (8 ounces) salted butter, at room temperature 
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
Food coloring, optional

Instructions:

– Using a stand or electric hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese, if using, until creamy.
– Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix well. Add a little of the half-and-half or cream alternating with the remaining powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. You may not need all of the liquid. Add the extracts and continue beating for 2-3 minutes on medium high speed. The frosting should be lighter, a bit fluffier, and really creamy. Don’t over-beat or the frosting may separate.
– If not using frosting immediately, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lightly damp dishtowel to prevent the frosting from drying out on the surface. Refrigerate or place in a cool spot until ready to use. Give the frosting a quick stir before using.
– To decorate, divide the frosting into smaller bowls, if desired, and tint with gel food colors. Pipe or spread onto the cooled cookies and decorate as desired.


Photos and recipes by Lindsey Rose Johnson for Design Mom.

22 thoughts on “The Best Sugar Cookie Frosting Ever”

  1. Thanks, Lindsay! I feel the same way about Valentine’s Day baking—we didn’t get to sugar cookies at Christmas but we are doing them today. And I’ve always spread buttercream, but never piped on cookies. Thanks for the inspiration!

  2. I miss decorating cookies with my boys and their friends!!! I’m gonna go check my cookie cutter box right now! Hopefully I can surprise them when they get home.

  3. What gorgeous looking cookies!
    Just one note from someone who has lived their whole life with a deadly nut allergy – if almond oil is a secret ingredient in something that people wouldn’t expect it to be in it can be dangerous. Please let folks know – especially if you are sending them to school.

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  5. These are probably the most appealing cookies i have seen! haha when i tried making cookies… well, they weren’t the prettiest (in the slightest). :p

    1. Just tried the frosting recipe for the first time and loved it! Instead of 2 cups of butter I used 1.5 cups butter and 1/2 cup shortening. I cant stop eating them lol.

  6. Wow!!! This really is THE BEST sugar cookie frosting ever. My whole family agreed, even my super picky husband! Delish!

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