Description
Create elegant and festive snowflake sugar cookies with royal icing. Perfect for holidays, these buttery cookies are easy to customize and great for gifting, parties, or family activities.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
For the Royal Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4–5 tablespoons water (adjust for consistency)
- Blue and white food coloring
- Edible pearl decorations or silver sprinkles
Instructions
- Make the Dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using).
- Gradually add dry ingredients until dough forms.
- Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cut and Bake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface.
- Cut with snowflake-shaped cookie cutters and transfer to baking sheets.
- Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are golden. Cool completely.
- Prepare Royal Icing:
- Whisk powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until smooth.
- Adjust thickness as needed for piping and flooding.
- Divide and tint icing with food coloring.
- Decorate:
- Outline cookies with thicker icing; flood centers with thinner icing.
- Create snowflake designs with white icing.
- Embellish with pearls or sprinkles. Let dry 8–12 hours.
Notes
- Chill cut-out cookies before baking to prevent spreading.
- Adjust icing consistency gradually with water.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
