The Best Frosted Sugar Cookie Recipe

If you’re after the best homemade sugar cookies this holiday season—ones that combine ease, elegance, and serious frosted appeal—then this recipe delivers. These sugar cookies take rigid tradition and make it lively: a buttery classic sugar dough is rolled out, cut into shapes (trees, mushrooms, leaves), and then topped with thick, vibrant frosting that sets with crisp edges and visually steals the cookie tray.

What makes this recipe truly easy is the straightforward dough (just butter, sugar, an egg, extracts, and flour) and a separate icing that transforms into bold, crisp-dry frosting with food dye. The piping and fill-technique guarantees beautiful cookies without being intimidating—even if you’re not a seasoned decorator.

Because they’re baked ahead of time and the frosting sets firmly, these homemade treats are perfect for stacking, gifting, or creating show-stopping dessert trays. Whether you’re hosting a cookie swap or just want a standout treat, these frosted sugar cookies strike the balance between party-worthy design and approachable homemade technique.

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Easy Sugar Cookies

Recipe Details

Yield: 15 cookies
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

For the cookies

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unbleached sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the icing

• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 5 pasteurized egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Water, as needed
• Natural food dye packets in red, yellow, and blue

How to Make Sugar Cookies

1. Make the cookies: Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 6 to 8 minutes to cream the butter and the sugar. It should be pale in color and creamy.
2. Add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes to combine. Add in flour and beat until just incorporated and the mixture comes together to form a dough.
3. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to a 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour until firm.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
5. Remove dough from oven and cut cookies out using mushroom, leaf, or tree cookie cutters. Place on baking trays and bake in oven 7 to 9 minutes until edges start to become golden. Allow to cool.
6. Make the icing: Place the powdered sugar, egg whites, and cream of tartar in the bowl of the stand mixer and whip on high for 5 minutes until frosting has gone from gray to pure white in color, becomes fluffy, and stiffens. Divide into separate bowls and color with dye as needed.
7. Decorate: Use the thick icing to pipe around the edges of cookies in a piping bag fitted with a fine-tip nozzle. Stir water into colored icings, a tablespoon at a time, to create a slightly thinner consistency to fill in the color on each cookie.
8. Let icing dry completely between layers, and let cookies dry and set completely before stacking on top of each other or serving.

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Sugar Cookie Nutrition Facts

*Estimated per cookie (recipe yields 15 cookies). Based strictly on Thrive Market’s ingredient amounts.

Serving Size	1 cookie
Calories	≈ 250 kcal
Protein	≈ 3 g
Carbs	≈ 40 g
Sugar	≈ 25 g
Fiber	≈ 0 g
Fat	≈ 9 g

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Sugar Cookie Variations & Tips

• Flavor twist: Add lemon or orange zest into the dough for citrus notes.
• Color palette: Use different food-safe dyes (pastel or vibrant) to match your holiday theme.
• Shape swap: Use classic holiday shapes—stars, snowflakes, gingerbread men—or keep the woodland look with trees and mushrooms.
• Frosting finish: After piping, sprinkle edible gold dust, pearl sugar, or crushed peppermint for extra sparkle.
• Make-ahead roll: Chill the dough after mixing and roll later to save active time on baking day.
• Drying tip: Let cookies sit on the baking sheet 5-minutes after removing from oven to firm before transferring to cooling rack.
• Overnight stack-ready: Once cookies and frosting are fully dried, layer them between wax paper in tins for transport or gifting.

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Best Sugar Cookie Pairings

• Peppermint or hot chocolate: A creamy mug with whipped toppings complements the crisp cookies.
• Spiced nuts or candied pecans: Add a crunchy contrast on your holiday tray.
• Gluten-free gingerbread slices: Offer alongside these sugar cookies for variety in texture and spice.
• Fruit preserves or jam cups: Let guests sandwich half-cookies with jam for DIY bites.
• Champagne or sparkling cider: The bubbles and slight sweetness elevate these once-simple cookies into a refined dessert.

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When to Make Sugar Cookies

• Holiday cookie swaps: Show up with cookies that look professionally made despite being homemade.
• Family baking-night traditions: Let kids help with the piping to create memories and delicious treats.
• Gifting baked goods: Pack in clear boxes with ribbon—these frosted cookies make beautiful presents.
• Winter dessert tables: Add height and visual interest among cakes and pies at festive gatherings.
• Office or classroom parties: Bring a tray of these cookies and watch them disappear fast.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont