Decorating Sugar Cookies: A Beginner's Guide

If you have never made decorating sugar cookies before, start with the simplest version. Most of the work is waiting while it freezes or bakes. The rest of this article covers decorating sugar cookies in plain, practical terms.

Start here

Put simply, straightforward frostings work best for young decorators. A basic glaze of powdered sugar and a little milk, tinted with food coloring, can be spread with a butter knife or the back of a spoon. Thicker buttercream holds sprinkles well and is easy for modest hands to control. Royal icing gives a smooth, hard finish but takes more skill and is better for older children.

The practical takeaway is to taste the mixture before it goes in the freezer, since cold dulls sweetness.

What you need

In practice, organizing the decorating station saves frustration. Set out small bowls of frosting in different colors, shallow dishes of sprinkles and plenty of spoons and knives. Placing each cookie on a sheet of parchment catches excess sprinkles, which can be poured back into their containers afterward. Squeeze bottles or zip-top bags with a tiny corner snipped off make piping easier.

Your first batch

Let the decorated cookies dry completely before stacking or storing them. Glazed cookies may need several hours to set, while buttercream stays soft. Stored in a single layer in an airtight container, decorated cookies keep for about a week. The finished cookies make a cheerful gift for neighbors, teachers or grandparents, which gives children another reason to take pride in their work.

It helps to make a small test batch before scaling a recipe up.

What to expect

Decorating sugar cookies turns baking into an art project, and it suits children of almost every age. The cookies themselves can be baked a day ahead, leaving the decorating session focused entirely on color, frosting and creativity.

Easy upgrades

In practice, a sturdy cutout cookie is the best canvas. Dough that has been chilled before rolling holds sharp edges and bakes into flat, even cookies that do not spread. Rolling the dough to about a quarter inch thick gives cookies that are firm enough to handle without breaking but still tender to eat.

Ripe, in-season fruit does most of the work for you.

Practical tips

A few simple things tend to help:

• Leave a little space at the top of molds for expansion.
• Label containers with the date.
• Use ripe fruit for the best flavor.
• Chill the base in the fridge before it goes in the freezer.

The bottom line

Keep it simple, taste as you go, and have fun with the flavors. Take it one batch at a time. Every attempt teaches you something about your own freezer and oven.