Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe

As a professional food blogger, I perfected a Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe that’s firm, stackable, made with just four basic ingredients and no meringue powder, and can be colored and piped in minutes.

I love small tricks that make cookies look pro, and this Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe is one I can’t stop using. It’s firm enough to stack without smudging, yet still bright and flavorful, and you can color and pipe it in minutes.

I use sifted powdered sugar and a splash of pure vanilla extract so the flavor actually sings, not just sweet air. Sometimes I overdo the color, sometimes my piping is wonky, but every batch holds up, and people always ask how I got that clean edge.

If you bake often, you’ll want this in your back pocket.

Ingredients

• Powdered sugar: pure carbs, super sweet, no fiber, makes icing smooth and stable
• Pasteurized liquid egg whites: mostly protein, helps icing set hard, safer than raw eggs
• Pure vanilla extract: intense aroma, adds sweetness illusion, almost no nutrients, a flavor booster
• Fresh lemon juice: bright acid, cuts sweetness, thins icing and gives tiny vitamin C

Ingredient Quantities

• 4 cups (480 g) sifted powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) pasteurized liquid egg whites (from carton)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

How to Make this

1. Put 4 cups (480 g) sifted powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl so it’s ready to go.

2. Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) pasteurized liquid egg whites, 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) pure vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice to the sugar.

3. Start mixing slowly with a hand mixer or stand mixer to avoid a powdered-sugar storm, then increase speed and beat until the icing is smooth and glossy and holds soft peaks, about 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Check consistency: for piping outlines you want a thicker icing that holds its shape; for flooding the cookie you want a thinner flow. To thicken add a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar, to thin add 1/2 teaspoon egg white at a time until you get the flow you want.

5. If you want color use gel or paste food coloring a little at a time and mix well, gels won’t water down the icing like liquid colors will.

6. Transfer icing to piping bags, squeeze bottles, or zip-top bags with the corner snipped. Pipe outlines first if you’re flooding, then fill in and use a toothpick to nudge the icing into corners.

7. Let the icing crust for 15 to 30 minutes at room temp for a matte finish, then leave cookies to fully harden for several hours or overnight if you need them stackable and firm.

8. If bubbles form tap the bowl on the counter or pop them with a toothpick, and don’t overmix or the icing can get too stiff.

9. Store leftover icing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days, bring to room temp and rewhip briefly before using.

10. Cleanup trick: soak bowls and utensils in warm water right away, the sugar dissolves fast and makes washing way easier.

Equipment Needed

1. Large mixing bowl, for 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2. Fine mesh sieve or flour sifter (to sift the sugar)
3. Measuring cups and spoons
4. Hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
5. Rubber spatula for scraping the bowl
6. Piping bags or squeeze bottles or zip-top bags (corner snipped)
7. Small bowls for coloring and toothpicks for nudging bubbles/corners
8. Airtight container for storing leftover icing

FAQ

Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Powdered sugar (480 g): make-your-own by blitzing 4 cups granulated sugar with 4 tbsp cornstarch until powdery; or use a 1:1 confectioners erythritol like Swerve Confectioners for a lower sugar option; or finely grind caster sugar with 1 tbsp cornstarch per cup if you dont have powdered on hand.
• Pasteurized liquid egg whites (3 tbsp): swap with aquafaba (chickpea liquid) 1:1 by volume for a vegan option; or use meringue powder reconstituted per package (roughly 1 tbsp powder + 2–3 tbsp water to replace these 3 tbsp egg whites); or reconstituted powdered egg whites following the package ratio.
• Pure vanilla extract (1 1/2 tsp): use vanilla paste or vanilla bean seeds 1:1 for more flavor; or clear imitation vanilla 1:1 if color matters; or almond extract at about half the amount for a nutty twist (stronger flavor).
• Fresh lemon juice (1 tbsp): substitute fresh lime juice 1:1; or dissolve 1/8 tsp citric acid in 1 tbsp water for bright acidity without extra liquid; or add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (for stability) if you just need the acid to help the icing set.

Pro Tips

1) Dial in the flow slowly. Thin or thicken in tiny amounts and test on a scrap cookie or parchment until it behaves how you want, dont guess by sight alone. A little too thin? Add powdered sugar a spoon at a time. Too thick? Add a drop of egg white, not a flood.

2) Kill the bubbles before they ruin a design. Mix at medium speed, scrape the bowl, let icing rest a minute, then tap the bowl on the counter to bring bubbles up. Push icing in the bag with your palm to squeeze out trapped air, and always squeeze a tiny bit out of the tip before piping.

3) Color smarter not harder. Use gel or paste colors and add them a drop at a time, stir and let the color rest because it gets darker as it dries. For marbling or watercolor effects, put tiny unblended drops in the bag and pipe, dont overmix or youll lose the effect.

4) Keep leftovers usable and revive crusted icing. Press plastic wrap onto the surface, refrigerate in an airtight container, and bring to room temp before using. If it gets grainy or separates, rewhip briskly and add a teaspoon of warm water or a single drop of egg white to smooth it out; for extra shine add a tiny bit of light corn syrup.