Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Need a staple sugar cookie recipe? We’ve got you covered! This 6 ingredient sugar cookie recipe makes tender, chewy cookies that keep their shape when baked. Pair them with royal icing made with egg whites, and you’ll be set for a fun afternoon of cookie baking and decorating.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

There is something so special about cut out sugar cookies around the holidays. Maybe it’s the fun and festive shapes, but they are a staple in our Christmas cookie boxes.

They bring cheer and joy, and are extra fun for kids to decorate. We start with a super simple minimal ingredient cookie dough recipe. It really can’t get easier than this one. Once the cookies are baked, we make royal icing to decorate!

Our Veg-a-Fed Omega-3 eggs come from hens raised in free roaming environments and fed a special vegetarian diet that contains flax seed which is naturally high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Each egg gives you 225mg of ALA Omega-3s.

What is Royal Icing?

Royal icing is made with powdered sugar, egg whites, and vanilla extract. It creates a smooth and hard icing on cookies that looks professional. Royal icing is perfect for cut out cookies because you can easily pile the icing around the edges and fill it in

Our Cage Free 100% Liquid Egg Whites are fully pasteurized making them a safe option to add to an uncooked recipe like the royal icing we’re making today!

What you need for these sugar cookies & icing

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

• ½ tsp sea salt

Royal Icing Ingredients

• 1 egg white

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

How to make perfect cut out cookies

1. To the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes, until creamed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.
   
   

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour and salt, beating for about 1 minute, until combined.

3. Take the dough and shape it into a round disc shape, wrapping in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
   
   

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Onto a floured surface roll the cookie dough out with a rolling pin until it’s ¼ thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the shapes and carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheets.
   
   
   
   

5. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size) or until the edges are just barely beginning to get golden. Let the cookies cool fully before transferring to a wire rack.
   
   

6. To make royal icing, add the egg white and vanilla in a medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in, mixing until fully combined. Continue adding 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time, mixing fully each time. Keep doing this until you use the full 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups, or until the mixture is thick enough that it forms peaks that do not fall back into the icing. If desired, add food coloring to make different colors.
   
   

7. Add the royal icing into a piping bag and decorate the cookies. The royal icing will harden after 1-2 hours.
   
   

Can you freeze the dough?

Yes, absolutely! Cookie dough freezes and stores well. Simple freeze in the disc shape and place in the fridge overnight before you want to enjoy the cookies. Because you need to roll out the dough, you won’t be able to roll it from frozen - some defrosting is necessary.

If you try this we’d love to see it and hear what you think! Tag us @chinovalleyranchers on Instagram and we’ll re-share it!

Also, try: Overnight Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls