Baking sugar cookies for a special occasion? I’m sharing an easy and approachable way to hand-paint sugar cookies, fun for kids and adults alike! If you’re intimidated about making royal icing, don’t be. This recipe uses an easy 20-second royal icing recipe.
Admittedly, its been years since I’ve picked up a paint brush, so when I decided to bake some painted sugar cookies I was doubtful that they would turn out to my liking. I was expecting them to be disasters. But I’m so pleased with the results, something that doesn’t always come easily for me because I have a tendency to be hypercritical about my work. Of course, I do see some mistakes and sloppy strokes, but I’m learning to silence perfection more and more as I get older.
And luckily painting is something that I get totally lost in once I start. Now that I’ve discovered painting on royal icing, expect a few more hand painted goodies to come your way soon.
To keep things simple I used Callye’s sugar cookie recipe from here because it requires no chilling and bakes in just 7 to 8 minutes and makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies. I also used her 20-second royal icing because I have no patience for mixing two types of royal icing consistencies (outlining and flooding). If you need a quick prep for how to decorate sugar cookies, check out the link here when she guest posted a few years back.
Making the Colors!
To achieve the colors you see in the picture, I mixed a combination of Americolor food gels. Below is the combination of food gels I used to achieve the color I wanted. You’ll see that white and gold is in almost each color combination. The white of course is used as a mixer and lightener, while the gold is used to desaturate for warmer undertones.
For the flowers
- Pink: Deep pink + white + gold
- Peach: Electic pink + red + yellow + white + gold
For the leaves
- Light green: Electric green + white + gold
- Dark green: Leaf green + white + gold
- Turquioise: Turquoise + gold
- Electric yellow: Electric yellow + white + gold
- Brown: Brown + white
If you loved this cookie recipe make sure you check out all my other Cookie Recipes and if you want another fun recipe to make with your kids: Oatmeal Kitchen Sink Cookies.
Hand-Painted Sugar Cookies with Easy Royal Icing
Baking sugar cookies for a special occasion? I'm sharing an easy and approachable way to hand-paint sugar cookies, fun for kids and adults alike! If you're intimidated about making royal icing, don't be. This recipe uses a 20-second royal icing recipe.
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
Royal Icing
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 -3 teaspoon oil-free extract or flavoring
- 2 lbs. confectioner’s sugar
- 1/3 cup meringue powder
Instructions
To make sugar cookies: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together egg and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. With mixer running add in egg mixture and beat to combine; then add flour mixture little by little. Beat just until dough sticks to paddle and cookie dough gives slightly when gently pressed and dough does not stick to fingers.
Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Use preferred cookie cutter and stamp out cookies; bake at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes.
To make royal icing: In a small cup, whisk together water and extract; set aside. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together sugar and meringue powder. With the mixer running on low, slowly add liquid mixture. Turn mixer speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 7-10 minutes. Icing is ready when mixture is stiff.
Recipes from Sweet Sugarbelle
These cookies are stunning Naomi! Wow, you must have incredible patience to be able to create these works of edible art. I so want to try this!
These are so beautiful! Do you paint with the straight up food color gel or do you mix the color into icing and paint with that? I’d love to see your other paintings! 🙂
Gorgeous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous!! I love this Naomi!! Oh, I so want to try this!! <3 xoxo
I could never make cookies this pretty! I am beyond impressed, but then again, it is YOU and I would expect nothing less. Gorgeous cookies, Naomi!!
oh my gawd, Naomi, these are stunning!!!!!! so beautiful!
Every time I think you have made the most beautiful thing EVER, you make something even MORE beautiful. Seriously, these cookies stopped me in my scroll. These are insanely beautiful Naomi! Pinned!
I could never eat these…they are way too pretty!!
So is there anything you’re not good at it?? lol. These look amazing, almost too pretty to eat!
Oh my goodness, these are so lovely Naomi!!
These are the most gorgeous cookies I’ve ever seen. Well done!!!
Just gorgeous Naomi. I want to see more!!!!
Dude – you could paint this on canvas and I’d be impressed, but now I’m extra impressed that it’s on COOKIES!
Whoa! These are gorgeous Naomi! I might feel bad actually eating one, they’re so pretty!
These are gorgeous!!
These are so gorgeous!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
These are stunning, Naomi!!
These are the epitome of stunning!!!
Americolor food gels are the best!!! These cookies are stunning!!
Naomi, these cookies are absolute works of art!
I paint on cookies too! It’s almost addictive, they’re tiny little canvases just waiting to be decorated! How do you mix up your paint? I tend to keep a tiny glass of vodka to moisten the gel color and allow me to paint with it– I add more to make lighter shades and it evaporates easily to leave the cookie dry and stackable!
These are GORGEOUS cookies! And I agree with others, that they’re almost too pretty to eat.
These are so beautiful! I’m so impressed!
These are absolutely stunning! So lovely, Naomi.
Just beautiful and perfect for spring!
These are so beautiful, I could just sit and stare at them all day long.
I don’t think dessert can get any better!!
Just amazing! You are a real talent.
The photographs of the cookies are beautiful but the recipe doesn’t explain how to do the hand painting card after you apply the royal icing could you please complete the recipe
Can you substitute egg whites for egg white powder?