Sugar Cookie & Royal Icing Recipe

(The exact recipes I used on Food Network)

If you're looking for a soft sugar cookie recipe that holds its shape and a royal icing recipe perfect for decorating, this is my go-to. These are the exact recipes I used on Food Network, designed for cookies that look beautiful and taste even better.

If you’ve ever spent hours decorating cookies only to take a bite and think… “they’re cute, but they don’t taste amazing…” I’ve been there.

That’s actually what sent me on the mission to create recipes that don’t just look beautiful… but taste just as good as they look.

These are my go-to, tried and true recipes that I’ve used for years, including on Food Network. They’ve been tested, tweaked, and perfected through countless batches, classes, and real baking moments.

If you’re looking for cookies that hold their shape, decorate beautifully, and actually taste like something you’d crave… you’re in the right place.

🍪 Mitzi’s Famous Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

(As seen on Food Network)

Ingredients

Cream together:

• 1/2 cup butter (cool, but almost room temp)

• 1/2 cup sugar

Add and mix:

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 TBSP vanilla

• 1 3/4 TBSP (to 2 TBSP) The Happy Flavor Emulsion
  (this is my secret ingredient — I use 2 TBSP but adjust to taste!)

Add dry ingredients:

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp coarse salt

• 4 3/4 cups flour (spooned + leveled)

Instructions

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until smooth, light in color and slightly fluffy (about 3–5 minutes).

2. Add eggs, vanilla, and Happy Flavor. Mix until fully combined.

3. Add baking powder, course salt, and flour. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

   👉 If dough is still sticky, add flour 1 TBSP at a time until it reaches the right consistency and pulls away from the bowl. You don't want sticky dough.

4. Roll dough out between parchment paper.

5. Chill the rolled dough (freezer for an hour or longer) before cutting (this helps cookies hold their shape).

6. Cut into desired shapes and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets at:

   350°F for 6–7 minutes - depending on altitude maybe longer

   Bake until tops are no longer shiny. Don't overcook, take out when the shine is gone.

🍥 Mitzi’s Royal Icing Recipe

(Soft bite, perfect for decorating)

This icing gives you the best of both worlds:
✔ smooth finish for decorating
✔ soft bite (not rock hard)

Ingredients

Whip together:

• 5 TBSP meringue powder (I use Geanie's)

• 3/4 cup warm water

(Note: we start with less water so we can control consistency later.)

Add:

• 1 TBSP clear vanilla (OR JUST USE MORE HAPPY ICING, YUM)

• 2 TBSP light corn syrup

• 1 tsp vegetable glycerin

• 1–1 1/2 TBSP Happy Icing (my secret ingredient 👀)

Then add:

• 1 bag (2 lbs) powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Whip meringue powder and warm water on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until frothy and soft peaks form.

2. Add vanilla, corn syrup, glycerin, and Happy Icing. Mix to combine.

3. Slowly add powdered sugar while mixing on medium speed.

4. Mix for about 2-3 minutes until smooth and glossy.

5. Adjust consistency depending on what you need:

   • Add water (OR Happy Icing) to dilute to flood icing consistency

   • Add powdered sugar for thicker piping icing

💛 A little note from me

These recipes are the ones I come back to over and over again — whether I’m baking for my family, teaching, or competing.

They’re designed to give you confidence in your baking and help you create cookies that people don’t just admire… they actually remember.

These sugar cookies and royal icing are perfect for decorating cookies for holidays, parties, birthdays, custom cookie orders or just spending time in the kitchen with your loved ones.

🎓 Want to learn how to decorate like a pro?

If you want help with icing consistency, piping techniques, or step-by-step decorating tutorials…

👉 Check out TheCookiers.com

It’s my online cookie decorating membership where you can:

• learn from guest cookie artists

• follow step-by-step classes

• improve your decorating skills at your own pace

It’s like Netflix… but for cookie decorating 🍪✨