Description
Soft, buttery snowflake-shaped sugar cookies decorated with smooth royal icing and sparkling pearl sprinkles—perfect for winter holidays, gifting, and festive cookie trays.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
For the Royal Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup milk, plus more for thinning
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
- Blue food coloring
- Pearl sprinkles (for decorating)
Instructions
- Make the Dough:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and milk, then gradually add the dry ingredients until a dough forms. - Chill:
Divide the dough into 2 disks, wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. - Cut the Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut out snowflake shapes. Transfer to a lined baking sheet. - Bake:
Bake for 9–12 minutes, or until edges are set but not browned. Cool fully before decorating. - Make the Icing:
Combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, milk, and extract. Adjust with milk or sugar to reach outline and flood consistencies. Tint part of the icing light blue. - Decorate:
Pipe outlines, flood the cookies, and add snowflake designs. Finish with pearl sprinkles. Let icing set completely.
Notes
- Chill dough thoroughly to prevent spreading.
- Use gel food coloring for richer blue tones without thinning the icing.
- Let cookies dry overnight for the cleanest, smudge-free finish.
- Roll dough evenly so all cookies bake at the same rate.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes