Royal Icing Valentine Sugar Cookies

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These decorated sugar cookies use royal icing to create that smooth, professional bakery finish — perfect hearts, clean lines, and designs that dry hard and stackable.

The cookie base holds its shape without spreading, and the royal icing recipe is foolproof once you understand the consistency basics.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Cookies hold their shape perfectly — no spreading
  • Royal icing dries completely hard for stacking and packaging
  • Professional-looking results at home
  • Icing stays fresh for weeks when stored properly
  • Endless decorating possibilities
  • Great for gifting in boxes or bags

Ingredients

For the sugar cookies:

  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)

For the royal icing:

  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 5-6 tablespoons warm water
  • Gel food coloring (pink, red, white)

Steps

Make the cookie dough:

  1. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl — set aside.
  2. Cream butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add egg and extracts. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  4. Add flour mixture. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms — don’t overmix.
  5. Chill the dough. Divide dough in half, flatten each piece into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Roll and cut cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Roll the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness — use rolling pin guides for even thickness if you have them.
  3. Cut shapes. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters in various sizes — dip cutters in flour between cuts to prevent sticking.
  4. Transfer to sheets. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets — re-chill cut cookies for 10 minutes if dough has warmed up.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cookies are done when edges are just barely set — they should not brown at all for the smoothest decorating surface.
  6. Cool completely. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.

Make the royal icing:

  1. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together sifted powdered sugar and meringue powder.
  2. Add water. Add 5 tablespoons warm water and beat with a mixer on low until combined, then increase to high and beat for 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form.
  3. Adjust consistency. This thick “stiff” icing is for piping outlines — to make “flood” icing for filling, thin portions with water (a few drops at a time) until it flows like honey.
  4. Divide and color. Separate icing into bowls and tint with gel food coloring — keep covered with damp paper towels when not in use.

Decorate the cookies:

  1. Outline first. Using a piping bag fitted with a #2 or #3 tip, pipe an outline around the edge of each cookie with stiff icing — let dry 5-10 minutes.
  2. Flood the cookies. Fill the outlined area with thinned flood icing using a squeeze bottle or piping bag — use a toothpick to spread icing into corners and pop air bubbles.
  3. Add designs. While flood icing is still wet, pipe dots, lines, or designs on top — they will sink in slightly and dry smooth.
  4. Let dry completely. Allow cookies to dry at room temperature for 6-8 hours or overnight — icing should be completely hard to the touch.

Helpful Tips and Substitutions

Chill is critical. Warm dough spreads — if your kitchen is warm, chill cut cookies for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Don’t overbake. Slightly underdone cookies will be softer and provide a better base for icing — they firm up as they cool.

Test flood consistency. Draw a line through the icing with a knife — it should disappear in 10-15 seconds for proper flooding consistency.

No meringue powder? Substitute 2 pasteurized egg whites for the meringue powder, but the icing will take longer to dry.

Prevent dry icing. Royal icing crusts quickly — keep bowls covered with damp paper towels and seal piping bags when not actively decorating.

Speed up drying. Place cookies in front of a fan or use a food dehydrator on the lowest setting to cut drying time in half.

Serving Ideas

Package decorated cookies in clear cellophane bags tied with ribbon for gifts.

Arrange on a platter as an edible Valentine’s centerpiece.

Stack cookies in a clear jar with tissue paper between layers for a stunning gift presentation.

Attach a ribbon and use as place cards by piping names on each cookie.

Include in a Valentine’s gift basket alongside chocolates and other treats.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Unbaked dough: Refrigerate wrapped dough for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months — thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling.

Baked, undecorated cookies: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Decorated cookies: Once icing is completely dry, store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Royal icing: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks — re-beat before using as it will separate.

Do not refrigerate decorated cookies. Humidity will make royal icing sticky and can cause colors to bleed.

Worth the Extra Effort

Royal icing sugar cookies take more time than drop cookies, but the results are in a different league entirely.

Once you master the outline-and-flood technique, you can decorate cookies for any occasion.

Start with simple designs and work your way up — even basic hearts with clean icing look bakery-worthy.

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