I consider myself to be a pretty good artist. My education and former profession is in the design field and I’m pretty good at craft stuff. I also think I’m a decent cook, so I figured with those two things going for me, decorating fancy sugar cookies would be right up my alley. Imagine my surprise (not to mention shattered ego and broken self-confidence) when I attempted to play around with royal icing for the first time and my little masterpieces looked more like something in a 1st grader’s art pile. So I gave up on ever decorating fancy-schmancy cookies again.
That was until I met THIS style of icing. Now my confidence is back in tact because even my very first batch turned out beautifully! It’s super forgiving, easy to use, and it actually tastes good!
The benefit of using an icing like this is that it dries to a solid sheen, making the cookies stackable and packable- perfect for giving or displaying on a platter. With a soft, fluffy buttercream, there’s just no easy way to give them away so you have to eat them all yourself (which may be the plan, right??)
Ingredient Notes
- Simple Ingredients – All you need for this icing is powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and extract of your choice (I use almond, but vanilla is great, too.) And we all know that corn syrup is not the same thing as high-fructose corn syrup, right?? Like, we don’t have to have this conversation again? Okie-dokie then.
- Cookies – You’ll need cookies to decorate! I use The Best Sugar Cookies.
How to Decorate Using Glace Icing
Whisk up some powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and extract of your choice and you’ll have a nice glaze-y consistency. You’re going to use the same recipe for both glazing and piping. The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. It’s smooth and thin and it easily runs off the whisk in a pretty thin drizzle.
Now, you have some options of where to go from here. You can simply spoon this icing onto your cookies and gently spread out with a spoon and be done! In fact, one of the easiest ways is to just quickly spread and let it go completely off the edges like this:
While the icing is wet, you can mix colors and create all kinds of fun things. Try glazing in one color and then adding other colors from a piping bag with a very small, plain opening, and drag the designs with a toothpick to create gorgeous works of art.
You honestly can’t make an ugly cookie here.
Another method is to pipe an edge around your cookie, and then wait for a few minutes for it to firm up. When you’re piping, you’ll want to add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken up the icing just a bit.
Once hardened a a little, go back in with your glaze and fill in the space. That outline will work as a dam and give you nice clean lines.
Wet-on-wet icing will marble and swirl together. I actually did this whole batch this way because I didn’t have time to let mine dry very much.
If you want to pipe designs on top of your cookies, you’ll want to wait until your first glazing layer is dry to the touch, which can take a couple of hours. You’ll want to leave them out un-covered to dry. You can see a great example of this method in this post, where I made darling little Owl Cookies.
I also used that method when making these Valentine Cookie Pops.
Either way, you’ll want to let these cookies dry all the way before stacking or handling too much.
They develop a sheen and are dry to the touch after a couple hours, but they’ll need to really dry for most of the day, or overnight to be completely dry.
Whenever I update ancient posts like this one, I always feel like I’m erasing a bit of history when I delete old, outdated photos, so I’m going to leave a few of the originals here- just because. 
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these keep? The icing will last longer than the cookies. For most cookies, I would say they are best eaten within a couple of days. Store stacked in an airtight container.
Related Recipes
Did You Try This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Glacé Icing
Ingredients
- 1 pound powdered sugar about 3 3/4 cups
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon extract I use almond because I use almond in my sugar cookies, but other flavors like vanilla, lemon, and peppermint are also delicious
Instructions
- With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth (no lumps!) Then stir in corn syrup and extract.
- You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. Thickened, you can pipe outlines, and as you thin it, you can use it for "flooding" cookies. Make sure to let them dry overnight to fully harden for stacking.
Questions & Reviews
Thanks for a great tutorial – I’m going to use your design tips for my next batch. I used a similar icing for my Florida snowman cookies, but you’ve perfected it.
Thanks for sharing.
Great post! I once attempted to make gingerbread cookies and houses with my kids waaaaaay back, and I just have to face it, cookies just do not cooperate for me 🙁 , but I make a mean caribbean salmon with sauted greens!
This is absolutely the best post I hava seen on icing cookies! AND I found it jus tin time!!
Wow, those are beautiful. I am definitely going to try these for the holidays – great post!
You are great!! I am so in to cookie decorating and you have given me some great tips. More power to ya! Your cookies are inspiring- thanks so much! Looking forward to your recipe fo rthe cookies.
These cookies are really pretty… make some more to hang on your Christmas tree!
These are inspirational and adorable, how talented are you!! I will try, once life slows down 😉
You are an icing savior! I have been battling with royal icing and having piping nightmares. I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!!!
Hey, in case you were wondering, “Pilar” is my mom. 🙂 She is now a fan of ourbestbites, and is using a couple of your recipes for this Friday’s enrichment. Thanks, ladies!
You are so freaking creative! I LOVED the cookie photos and instructions. Now I’m all ready to make cookies!!!!
thanks for the tips!!! just in time for my holiday baking 🙂
Wow, awesome! You’re so crafty!
These cookies are also good for Christmas party. Thanks for your sharing! Very inspiring!
I’ve been waiting for the holidays to try Toba’s recipe. I’m glad to hear that it tastes good. I have the same complaints about all the royal icing recipes I’ve tried. I have to say 2 things though . . . 1)Kate, Happy Birthday!!
2)Sara, your cookies look beaUUtiful! You are truly an artist! I love the designs you came up with!
Lisa, you can find gel colors at most cooking supply stores, or anywhere Wilton Products are sold. I usually buy them at the craft store (Michaels’s or Roberts)because I can use their weekly coupon! Walmart does carry Wilton products, so you should be able to find them there. Depending on the store, they may not have the full line, but I always see special holiday sets. They won’t be with the food though, you’ll find them over by the crafts with all of the baking/wedding stuff. You can buy them in boxed sets, or one color at a time. A little goes a long way, so it’s a good investment.
Sara where can I find these gel colors? Are they at Walmart? Amazing cookies. I am so ready to lick the screen!
Shara- yes, it was probably a 2 or 3. I’m not sure exactly, I didn’t even look, I just picked the one that looked like it would work!
Those cookies are beautiful! I can’t wait to try them. Sara, what size of tip did you use to make those snowflakes? 2 or 3 maybe?
I can hardly wait for the cookie recipe! I have wanted to do this forever and with your super detailed instructions, I may actually have a prayer at success!
They are so beautiful! I have to do that this year. SO fun. I wonder how they’ll look after my kids “help”. Great pics too.
Beautiful!
And of course Happy b-day Kate!
I bow to your sugar cookie decorating abilities.
those look amazing. thanks for sharing. the pictures make me happy looking at them too. 🙂
That is my deleted comment because apparently I can’t spell!
You are amazing, Sara. Those cookies look beautiful!
These are some of the most beautiful cookies I have ever seen! I am going to have to try them, they would be great for so many holidays. I’m thinking Easter eggs would be really fun too!
Great, Those are beautiful and I love the color of the icing when dryed, so I had to make sure. I can’t wait for the sugar cookie recipe! Glacé
Yes, I did use gel colors for the ones in my pictures. I have some other pictures that I did with cheap-o liquid colors that I’ll post in my sugar cookie post next week. They work fine too, you just need way more to get a stronger color.
Happy B-day Kate!
Did you use the gel food coloring for the cookies you made in the picture?
Wow, those cookies look like perfection!!
Wow! Those look perfect, like out of a fancy magazine.
Sara, you are just amazingly talented and the best part is that you are not selfish and share your expertise with everyone. My daughter thinks so highly of you. I thank you for taking the time to teach us using pictures and writing all the explanations, so we too can learn and become better cooks!