Recipes Desserts Frostings and Icings Cookie Frosting Sugar Cookie Frosting 4.7 (1,567) 1,189 Reviews 210 Photos This sugar cookie frosting is made with confectioners' sugar and shortening instead of butter so it's less likely to melt. It has a lovely vanilla flavor. It's quick and easy to make and works well on both soft and crisp sugar cookies. It starts out soft and spreadable but firms up nicely for cookie stacking and storage. Submitted by Kathy Brandt Updated on December 16, 2024 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 210 210 210 210 Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 48 Yield: 3 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Every baker needs a good sugar cookie frosting in their repertoire. This simple, top-rated sugar cookie frosting recipe will quickly become your new go-to! Sugar Cookie Frosting Ingredients You'll need just four basic ingredients to make the best frosting for sugar cookies: Shortening: This sugar cookie frosting starts with shortening instead of butter. Why? Shortening creates frosting that firms up nicely and is unlikely to melt, which means it's perfect for stacking cookies.Confectioners' sugar: Confectioners' sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar or icing sugar) is the next ingredient. Don't substitute granulated sugar, as it's not fine enough.Milk: A few tablespoons of milk thins the frosting, making it perfectly spreadable.Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the sugar cookie frosting. You can substitute almond extract, if desired.Food coloring (optional): If you need your frosting to be a specific color, use food coloring to create the perfect hue. How to Make Frosting For Sugar Cookies It couldn't be easier to make this sugar cookie frosting. You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect: Beat the shortening until creamy.Gradually beat in the sugar and milk in small amounts, alternating until smooth.Add vanilla and continue beating until the frosting is stiff and glossy.Stir in the food coloring, if desired. totojun Cookie Recipes for Frosting Need a new go-to sugar cookie recipe to pair with your favorite new frosting? Try one of these irresistible ideas: The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies: This top-rated recipe has almost 10,000 rave reviews from happy home cooks. Soft Christmas Cookies: If you're craving soft and tender cutout cookies, this is the recipe for you. Easy Sugar Cookies: Spread some of the sugar cookie frosting on these 7-ingredient cookies for a quick, easy, and delicious treat. How to Use Sugar Cookie Frosting Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies or pipe it onto them using a piping bag. Allow the frosting to set before stacking and storing How to Store Frosted Sugar Cookies Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. If space is an issue, stacking is OK — this sugar cookie frosting is unlikely to transfer if you allow it to harden for a few hours. Add a piece of parchment paper between each layer to be safe. Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise "This is a wonderful frosting," according to mrsdit. "Soooo perfectly smooth and it makes a lot. I added a tad of almond extract and it was great! Thanks for the keeper!" "I used this frosting on the chewy sugar cookie recipe," says alyssa78. "Very good! I think this could be a versatile frosting — perhaps on cakes? I definitely see myself frosting and filling chocolate cupcakes with this frosting in the future!" "This was a delicious, simple frosting recipe and exactly what I was looking for to frost my holiday cookies," raves one Allrecipes community member. "I've already had several people ask me for the recipe." Editorial contributions by Corey Williams Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 48 servings ½ cup shortening 4 cups confectioners' sugar 5 tablespoons milk, or more as needed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or more to taste food coloring (Optional) Directions Gather all ingredients. Allrecipes/Oana Ennis Beat shortening in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually mix in confectioners' sugar in small amounts, alternating with 5 tablespoons milk, until smooth. Mix in vanilla and continue to beat until frosting is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes, adding more milk if needed. Allrecipes/Oana Ennis Mix in food coloring, separating into smaller bowls if using multiple colors. Allrecipes/Oana Ennis Spread frosting on cookies or fill piping bags and decorate cookies as desired. Oana Ennis/Allrecipes Cook’s Note Divide the frosting into smaller bowls and use food coloring to tint as desired. I Made It Print 2,190 home cooks made it! Nutrition Facts (per serving) 59 Calories 2g Fat 10g Carbs 0g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 48 Calories 59 % Daily Value * Total Fat 2g 3% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 1mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 10g 4% Total Sugars 10g Protein 0g 0% Calcium 2mg 0% Potassium 3mg 0% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.