Is it even a party if you don’t have sugar cookies with royal icing? Totally joking, but they are fun to make and tend to add that special touch to any event. A perfect treat for any holiday or event (or just a fun activity to do with you kids), here are my favorite recipes and tips so you can make royal icing cookies too!

Now there’s no need to re-invent the wheel here. These recipes are not my own, and I have not tweaked them (like i usually do) because some things are better and  prettier, left unchanged. For instance, if you’ve been following me for a while you know I prefer not to use refined sugar in recipes, and will substitute brown and white sugar for coconut sugar 99.9999% of the time. With sugar cookies and shortbreads, however, you CANNOT do that because the coconut sugar will leave little brown specks that are just not the prettiest. I suppose I could try a different substitute like stevia, but the consistency of these cookies are so good I don’t want to change a thing. Also, royal icing cookies are kind of like a delicacy, so having one or two at a party once in a blue moon isn’t going to kill you. 

HERE ARE THE RECIPES THAT I USE:

For the sugar cookies I use this Sugar Cookie recipe from Katrina’s Kitchen. It is great because you don’t have to let the dough chill, or rest before using it. You can also freeze it, if you want to make the dough in advance of when you need the cookies (something I highly recommend doing as a time saver for parties). Cookies will stay fresh for at least a month in the freezer, so save yourself the stress and make them ahead of time! Store them in an airtight tupperware so they don’t break or get smashed while in storage. 

You can also make ahead and freeze this Royal Icing recipe, from Alton Brown. If you want your cookies to look as perfect as possible, however, try to make the frosting the on the day you are decorating your cookies.

When you make the royal icing ahead of time and defrost, the consistency can change a little bit so you most likely will have to re-whip it up in your Kitchen Aid Mixer and add more water & powdered sugar to get the right consistency. I have also found that more air bubbles tend to happen when you make your frosting ahead of time, so I find it best to do the frosting the day of. 

I also recommend using lemon (or coconut) extract instead of almond for better flavor.  I get rave reviews on my cookies when I use those extracts! Feel free to use any flavor you want (as long as the extract won’t affect the icing color)!

SHIP’S TIPS:

To keep your royal icing as white as possible, I picked up this little tip while watching decorating tutorials on You-Tube. Add a teaspoon of cream of tartar to the icing (mix it in with your powdered sugar) and your icing will stay a bright white color/won’t yellow when it dries.

Also, make sure you’re not in a hurry when frosting your cookies for the best result. When I’ve made these in a rush I always end up doing some part of the icing in the wrong consistency, or end up with bubble problems! Also, GET ONE OF THESE TOOLS to get rid of any bubbles in your icing when you’re filling your cookies. 

You tube videos are also helpful if you’re new at flooding cookies and learning about the different kinds of consistency adjustments. I found THIS VIDEO to be very helpful for me.

COOKIE INSPO | HERE ARE SOME COOKIES I’VE MADE FOR OTHER EVENTS:

Find details from this FLAMINGO THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY here. 

These peacock feather cookies were made for a bridal shower. 

Find details on this GOLF THEMED PAR-TEE here. 

Hope you all enjoyed this post! Next time I make these cookies I plan on creating some video, so be sure to check back for some tutorial updates! Also, be sure to follow @ShipsHQ on Instagram for day to day updates on what’s happening in my world and in my kitchen.