Mom’s Sugar Cookies with Royal (pain in the butt) Icing

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Ruthanne

 

I love these sugar cookies. My mom got the recipe out of a school cookbook (the kind where everyone submits recipes) and she’s modified and perfected it over the years. These are thick and cake-like cookies (not the thin and crispy sort) and they have cinnamon in them – YUM!!! They roll out beautifully without any crazy long refrigeration of the dough. They are pretty much the perfect sugar cookie.

My mom tops them with a thin powdered sugar frosting and puts buckets of sprinkles on so they don’t stick together. These are VW bugs and they were a delicious (albeit unidentifiable) summer treat!!!

I have been so curious about all the beautiful cookies iced in Royal Icing that I HAD to try it….the results blew me away- prettier than ANY sugar cookie I’ve ever made- the process??? Yikes. I decided about halfway through that I’d rather dye my hair purple and work as a telemarketer than ever frost another cookie with royal icing.

Now that I’ve distanced myself from the pain of it I think I would try it again…maybe for a special occasion though. We’ll see.

In any case- this sugar cookie recipe is a treasure– frost them however you want!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 c. margarine
  • 1 1/2 c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 -5 c. flour
  • 4 heaping teaspoons of sour cream
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

  • Cream together butter and sugar.
  • Add eggs and sour cream.
  • Mix dry ingredients (using only 4c. flour) together and add to wet ingredients, combining well.
  • Add additional flour until dough is thick and only slightly sticky.
  • Place dough on a well-floured countertop an knead into flour until not sticky at all.
  • Roll out flat with a floured rolling pin.
  • Cut out cookies and place on an un-greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes (longer for larger cookies).
  • Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.
  • Frost 🙂

The royal icing I used:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of powdered sugar
  • 3 T. meringue powder
  • 6 T. water
  • 1t. vanilla (use clear if you want white frosting)
  • Food coloring

Directions:

  • Add all ingredients together and mix with a mixer for at least 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Color as desired.
  • Frost cookies.

I read about 10 different blogs about HOW to frost cookies with royal icing….mine turned out ok- you basically outline the cookie with the thick frosting, thin the remaining frosting with water and flood the middle of your outline (easier said than done!) Just plan on spend a lot of time– it really is worth the effort though- the glossy hard finish is impressive!

19 Comments

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About Ruthanne

Ruthanne is a scientist with a passion for baking and food photography. Using her kitchen as a lab, she loves experimenting with a variety of flavors and ingredients to create unique, fun and ultimately tasty delights! Thus she created EasyBaked, a website where sugar and chocolate overflow in fun and easy recipes. Her Motto: Money can’t buy happiness -- but it can buy marshmallows, and that’s nearly the same thing! www.easybaked.net

19 responses »

  1. Happily Ever After Cakes | August 30, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Ok, we need to talk about this whole not liking royal icing thing!!!!! 🙂 Why don’t you like it? Did you play with the royal icing recipe(which mine is just a little bit different)? I start with the recipe, and then I play with it until I get it the consistency that I like. I LOVE ROYAL ICING!!!! By the way…I am pretty jealous of your pics again! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide | August 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm

    Those look amazing, but I’m just laughing still at the title.

    Reply
  3. Dave at eRecipeCards | August 30, 2011 at 9:29 pm

    Stunning photos!!!

    HELLO AND YOU ARE IN!!! Thank you so much for submitting to erecipeCards. Everything went smoothly and you are posted!

    here’s the link to your personal recipe page…

    http://erecipecards.com/account/userrecipes.php?id=490

    feel free to continue to submit any of your back log of recipes, as well as making us a daily habit whenever you post anything new!

    Reply
  4. sportsglutton | August 31, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    The cookies look almost unreal! I might just have to make the sugar cookies (love em), because usually I don’t have the patience to make the icing look as good as you did.

    Reply

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  7. HollyMolly | February 23, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    I dip my cookies in royal icing instead of bothering with outlining and then flooding…. lots less of a pain in the bum. I didn’t get much of a problem with bubbles or anything like that either. After that color dried I do go back and pipe contrasting colors. The consistency is really the key to it working out well. Good luck!

    Reply
    • easybaked | February 23, 2012 at 5:19 pm

      That is a GREAT idea Holly…I need to try that the next time I make sugar cookies. I feel like if I work with it enough, Royal Icing could become a good thing…maybe.

      Reply
      • HollyMolly | February 23, 2012 at 5:34 pm

        My sugar cookies are the thin crisp kind, so I did have a couple break (which made the awaiting mouths of my family very happy). Just be gentle! I’m sure with your experience at chocolate dipping you’ll have no problem though!

        Reply
  8. Meagan Lord | June 8, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    Thank you for sharing the frosting recipe/tip! I’ve always wanted to do frosting like that.

    Reply

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  10. Jeanne Bradley | December 21, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    These turned out very nicely! Thanks Ruthanne! Made regular frosting though! Love the touch of cinnamon!

    Reply

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