What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

I am baking some Christmas sugar cookies and want to frost them. Want them to look pretty, nothing too elaborate.

What kind of frosting do I make? I don't want it to be really thick frosting, looking for a thinner one if that makes sense.

I always bake sugar cookies but never decorate! I have high hopes this year Sort of want them to look like the pic below.

Message edited 12/21/2011 1:57:36 PM.

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas cookies?

That's royal icing and it's actually very easy to make and use! I always use Wilton's Royal Icing recipe. For it, you'll need meringue powder which you can pick up at Michael's. I actually did a little tutorial on my blog about royal icing, even though I used it as a decoration on a cake rather than on a cookie. Link.

Happy baking!

Message edited 12/21/2011 2:02:36 PM.

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

Posted by jilliibabii

That's royal icing and it's actually very easy to make and use! I always use Wilton's Royal Icing recipe. For it, you'll need meringue powder which you can pick up at Michael's. I actually did a little tutorial on my blog about royal icing, even though I used it as a decoration on a cake rather than on a cookie. Link.

Happy baking!

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

Posted by pnbplus1

Posted by jilliibabii

That's royal icing and it's actually very easy to make and use! I always use Wilton's Royal Icing recipe. For it, you'll need meringue powder which you can pick up at Michael's. I actually did a little tutorial on my blog about royal icing, even though I used it as a decoration on a cake rather than on a cookie. Link.

Happy baking!

Thanks!

Does royal icing taste good?

Message edited 12/21/2011 2:21:38 PM.

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

You can also top the cookies with fondant. I am actually making cookies tonight and will be making my very first batch of homemade fondant with marshmallows! Then you can roll it out, use the same cookie cutter that you used to cut the shape and put it on top of the cookie! We shall see how it goes!

I have also done the royal icing before too and it is very easy!

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

Posted by jilliibabii

Posted by pnbplus1

Posted by jilliibabii

That's royal icing and it's actually very easy to make and use! I always use Wilton's Royal Icing recipe. For it, you'll need meringue powder which you can pick up at Michael's. I actually did a little tutorial on my blog about royal icing, even though I used it as a decoration on a cake rather than on a cookie. Link.

Happy baking!

Thanks!

Does royal icing taste good?

Sooooooooooooo good. It's *literally* 1 lb. of powdered sugar with an itty bit of merengue powder (an egg white substitute) and water. So it's very sweet, but so yummy!

ETA: You know those sugar roses you get on the cake at the bakery that all the kids usually fight over? That's royal icing.

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

I have a new recipe I'm trying today for "soft" sugar cookies, and this is their recipe I'm going to try...

Simple buttercream frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup milk
In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla until crumbly. 
Gradually add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. 
Add desired food coloring

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

Posted by jilliibabii

You can definitely use any type of frosting. It's just that royal icing hardens on the cookie which is what you'd usually see in a bakery. But oh man, who doesn't love buttercream on ANYTHING? LOL!

Re: What kind of frosting do you make for Christmas sugar cookies?

I use royal icing there is a great recipe on the Williams-Sonoma web site.