Sugar Cookie Icing (Glossy & Pipeable)
Yield: Enough to ice about 24–30 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Dry Time: 1–2 hours (fully set in 6–8 hours)
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (room temperature)
- Gel food coloring (any colors you like)
Instructions
- Mix the Base
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and corn syrup.
Add vanilla flavoring and almond extract. - Adjust Consistency
Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the icing is smooth and thick.- For outline/piping icing: thick enough to hold its shape
- For flooding icing: thin with a few drops of milk until it flows smoothly
- Color the Icing
Divide icing into small bowls.
Add gel food coloring one drop at a time, mixing until desired color is reached. - Decorate Cookies
Pipe or spread icing onto cooled sugar cookies.
Use thicker icing for outlines and thinner icing to fill (flood) inside the lines. - Let Set
Allow cookies to sit at room temperature until icing is dry to the touch (about 1–2 hours).
Fully set icing will be firm and glossy after 6–8 hours.
Tips
- Cover bowls with plastic wrap touching the icing to prevent drying.
- If icing thickens while decorating, stir in a few drops of milk.
- Stack cookies only after icing has fully set.
