The PERFECT Icing for Sugar Cookies – 4 ways!

If you’re planning to make cookies to decorate and are trying to figure out what icing to use, you’re in the right place! I’m going to talk you through four icing options – ALL of which are tasty, but each accomplishes a different purpose. I give you everything you need to know (and probably more 😆) to help you figure out how to make DELICIOUS cookies you’re so excited to share with others!

It’s no secret around here that I love to decorate cookies (and then teach you how to do it, too!). But, I’m not a master decorator, and as much as I love to decorate cookies, I always want to make sure that the decorating feels really approachable and doable for the average person who just wants to make pretty cookies that taste GREAT.

But, not all icing is the same, and not all needs for icing are the same!

Maybe you need a frosting that 100% hardens, or maybe you just want an icing that tastes great and is easy for kids to work with at a decorating party.

Maybe you want a frosting that looks glossy and sleek, or maybe your priority is just to have great flavor and texture and you really don’t want to have to spend much time on the recipe.

Friend, I’ve got you covered! I give you all the details for what you need to know here!

Here’s what the four recipes all have in common:

• They’re all perfect for sugar cookies! Whether you’re making cutout sugar cookies or just regular round chewy sugar cookies, all of these icing recipes are great for them!
• They taste DELISH. I’ve worked far more hours (that turned into days…then months 🙈) than I’d like to admit testing recipes to ensure they taste good AND work well on your cookies. I don’t do bland. I don’t do chalky. I don’t do boring. These recipes are GOOD.
• They all come with detailed instructions for how to make them. I give you details on every single post for how to make the icing PERFECTLY the FIRST TIME and then how to decorate with it! 

Ok, let’s chat about your four icing options and which one is best for what you’re looking for!

First, let’s do a quick overview of the four icings: 

• Easy sugar cookie icing that hardens – an easy-t0-make recipe that requires no special equipment and produces a lovely glossy appearance. 
• Easy royal icing recipe – this is a great recipe if you’re wanting to do more detailed decorating and want more structure to your icing. It only varies a little bit from this icing, but it does hold up to intricate details, and it also freezes nicely on decorated cookies.
• Buttercream frosting that hardens – SO yummy (and by far, the most popular recipe on my blog to date) and GREAT if you’re wanting to make buttercream and still need your icing to harden up. It won’t harden up the same way the two above do, but for buttercream, it hardens really nicely and definitely makes stacking & transporting cookies much easier. 
• Easy buttercream frosting – No, this isn’t a repeat of the one above. 😉 This is your most basic buttercream for cookies – it’s VERY easy to make, totally fuss-free, and it’s absolutely delicious, but it doesn’t harden up. But, if you really don’t care about whether or not the icing hardens – if you’re not needing to transport them somewhere and really just want a really tasty cookie – this is a great option for you. 

Ok, now lemme give you the details of each!

The PERFECT Icing for Sugar Cookies – 4 ways!

You can click over to each recipe and find VERY detailed instructions on how to make each of them, but here’s the overview of the pros & cons of each recipe.

Easy Glossy Sugar Cookie Icing that Hardens 

Overview: This recipe comes together by hand (no need for a mixer) & is a glossy frosting that hardens up but still has a soft bite.

Pros of this recipe: 

• It hardens completely but still has a soft bite. No need to compromise flavor and texture to get it to harden! It hardens enough to stack, transport, send in the mail, etc. 
• Comes together really easily – put all of the ingredients in one bowl and stir it up! There’s not much to it. 
• No need for special equipment – you don’t need a hand mixer or electric mixer. Just a fork & a mixing bowl will do the trick!
• Gives off a glossy sheen – makes for a classically lovely cookie!
• It doesn’t contain meringue powder or egg whites – for people who don’t want to mess with either of those, this is a pro! It’s a good royal icing alternative.

Cons of this recipe: 

• It’s a runnier frosting, so you won’t want to use this for fine detail work. I give lots of details in the recipe post to help you know how to make it the perfect consistency so it won’t run off the cookies, but it doesn’t have the same kind of structure as royal icing or buttercream. 
• It doesn’t freeze well – you CAN freeze cookies with this icing on it and they’ll still taste great out of the freezer, but the icing loses its sheen in the freezer and comes out looking a little chalky. (But it doesn’t taste chalky.)
• It takes a while to fully harden. Depending on how thick you flood your cookies, it could take overnight + a few more hours for the icing to totally harden.

Best for you if: You want a VERY simply-made icing that hardens up completely, and if you don’t need to do any detail work. This is overall easier to make than royal icing, and the ingredients in it are pretty simple too. You can’t get the fine decorating details with this icing, but if you don’t need that, then this icing might be a good option for you!

(Also, just to note: “simple” doesn’t mean it tastes simple – it’s a very delicious recipe! It’s not decadent in the same way that buttercream is, but it still tastes great, especially on a great cookie!)

>>> Go here to check out the easy glossy sugar cookie icing.

Easy Royal Icing

Overview: a flavorful twist on a traditional sugar cookie icing. It’s not chalky and it’s not candy-like; it’s actually quite delicious, and it totally hardens on cookies!

Pros of this recipe: 

• It makes GORGEOUS cookies. You can use this for a lot more detail work than you can the glossy icing above. 
• It hardens beautifully. It completely hardens but still has a soft bite. You can stack, transport, send in the mail, package up in cellophane, etc. 
• You can freeze decorated cookies! You can decorate cookies with this frosting and put them in the freezer – they thaw and still look fantastic!
• It has good structure, which makes it easier to decorate with. It’s really fun to work with, actually!

Cons of this recipe: 

• It contains meringue powder, which some people don’t want to mess with. (But the meringue is what helps give it such great structure, so I don’t really think this is a con!) 
• The icing is a little more particular to make than the glossy icing or the easy buttercream frosting. I do give you very detailed instructions on how to achieve the perfect consistency (so I definitely think you can do it!!), but I know royal icing is notorious for being a persnickety recipe to make. I think I help you navigate through all of the problem areas, but if you don’t want to troubleshoot, you may prefer a different icing. 
• It’s not buttercream. I mean, you just can’t beat buttercream. I worked VERY hard to try to develop a royal icing that actually tastes good, and I really think this one hits the nail on the head. But, it’s not buttercream. 😉

Best for you if: You want to create beautifully detailed cookies with icing that totally hardens. 

>>> Go here to check out the easy royal icing recipe.

Buttercream Frosting that Hardens

Overview: A delicious buttercream frosting that actually hardens up enough to make transporting and stacking cookies much easier!

Pros of this recipe:

• The texture and flavor are just unbeatable. BUTTERCREAM IS SO GOOD.
• It’s pretty easy to work with. As long as you follow my instructions, you’ll get a great icing that you can then use for some really pretty decorating. 
• It hardens up WAY better than any other traditional buttercream. It’s not royal icing (or any other icing that 100% hardens), but it hardens up really nicely for transportation/stacking/packing purposes without smudging the icing. 
• Made from basic ingredients. You don’t need anything out of the ordinary for that icing. (You probably already have everything you need for it in your pantry & your fridge!)

Cons of this recipe:

• It doesn’t completely harden. You can’t expect the same exact consistency as royal icing. No icing that contains butter or grease (i.e. buttercream) will 100% harden. 
• The directions are more complicated than the simple buttercream below. (But again, I talk you through all the steps, and sooo many people have commented on the recipe saying it’s worked really well for them!) 
• You can’t flood cookies with it. It’s a thick icing recipe that isn’t liquid-y at all, so it’s not going to flood cookies the same way that royal or glossy icing will. 
• You can’t really freeze it. Same as with the glossy icing – you CAN freeze it if you just want to preserve decorated cookies for flavor, but they don’t look as pretty out of the freezer. 

Best for you if: You need an icing that hardens up pretty well and really love buttercream; if you don’t need to flood cookies (i.e. have a really smooth finish on your cookies). 

>>> Go here to check out the buttercream frosting that hardens.

Easy Buttercream Frosting for Cookies

Overview: an icing recipe that comes together REALLY easily with simple ingredients and tastes AMAZING!

Pros of this recipe:

• The ingredients are simple! You’ll actually use the exact same ingredients as the one above, just in different ratios. But you probably already have everything in your pantry – that’s how simple this is!
• Easier to make – it takes about 5 minutes to throw together and doesn’t require many specific instructions.
• Easier to work with – since it’s not a thin or a liquid-y frosting, you can really easily pipe with it or spread it onto cookies and the icing will hold its shape. 
• Makes gorgeous textured cookies – you can pipe some BEAUTIFUL cookies! 
• It’s also great for just simple, round, delicious sugar cookies. This flavor and texture is about as classic as it gets. 

Cons of this recipe: 

• It doesn’t harden at all – you can’t stack these, and if you transport it, you’ll want to be really careful. 
• You can’t flood with it – same as the buttercream above – it’s not a liquid-y frosting, so it doesn’t run anywhere.
• It won’t freeze well.

Best for you if: You don’t care about having an icing recipe that hardens and you just want cookies that look & taste AMAZING! This is perfect for simpler and/or textured decorating. 

>>> Go here to check out the easy buttercream frosting recipe.

To wrap it up: 

If you’re making cookies that require a lot of detailed decorating: the royal icing or the buttercream that hardens. 

If you want icing for kids to use for decorating: the glossy sugar cookie icing or the easy buttercream. I think those are probably the easiest to make & work with for kids. You can also put each of those in squeeze bottles (and you could put the royal icing in bottles, too) pretty easily if you’d prefer to go that route vs. piping bags or sandwich bags. 

If you’re making cookies that don’t need to be transported: the EASY buttercream!

If flavor & texture is your #1 priority: either of the buttercreams

If hardness of the icing is your #1 priority: the glossy icing or the royal icing (which both still taste great, they’re just not the same as the buttercream!)

Delicious Cookie Recipes

Here are some great recipes to go with any of these icings!

• The BEST cut-out sugar cookie recipe – these cookies are delish!! They’re not too hard, not too flour-y, and just overall have a great flavor and texture. They’re a great option if you want to make cutout cookies.
• Soft & chewy sugar cookie recipe – for soft, round, super chewy sugar cookies! (These are our FAVE.) This isn’t the best recipe to use for cut-outs because they’ll puff up too much, but if you’re content with just a classic round sugar cookie, this recipe is out of this WORLD. (Way chewier than cut-out cookies; cutouts can’t be as chewy or soft because they’ll spread. So if you’re ok with just traditional round cookies, you should totally make this recipe!)

• No-Chill Pumpkin Spice Cut-Out Cookies – for a fun, seasonal alternative to regular sugar cookies. These are SUPER soft, very flavorful, and soooo tasty!