Make the most delicious sugar cooking icing with only two ingredients! This super simple recipe is made without corn syrup. You can make it as thick (think multi-colored decorating) or thin (think glaze) as you like!
If you like this recipe for your cookies, you’ll also love this lemon cream cheese frosting or chocolate icing recipe for your cakes.
The Easiest Icing Ever!
Many holidays call for sugar cookies in a variety of shapes and sizes. When you get that itch to roll out the dough, first start with this sugar cookie recipe. (It’s the best.) Once you have your cookies cooled, all you need is two – yes, two – ingredients to make delicious icing for your cookies.
You start with the simple ingredients of powdered sugar and milk. And, of course, make sure you have your sugar cookies baked and cooled.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Icing without Corn Syrup
- Mix: Combine the powdered sugar and milk by mixing with a fork until smooth. The powdered sugar will dissolve as you stir.
- Color: Add your favorite food coloring (optional) to create unique colors for your cookies.
- Pipe: Using an icing bag or even a sandwich bag, pipe the icing onto your cooled cookies. Use a knife to spread.
Icing Tips and Tricks
Make your icing thicker. If you want your icing to be thicker, add more powdered sugar and stir.
Make your icing more thin (like a glaze). Add more milk. Just a little bit goes a long way!
Make your icing right before you use it. This icing does start to dry out and harden, which is what makes it so great for cookies! That being said, if you make it too far ahead of time, it will start to harden and make it much harder to add to the cookies.
How to pipe without a piping bag. I use sandwich bags! Fill a sandwich bag with icing after adding the food coloring. Seal the sandwich bag. Snip the corner and pipe onto cookies.
Icing FAQs
Yes! If you use the exact recipe, the milk will evaporate and harden. It’s not super hard but creates a thick outer crust to allow you to stack your dried cookies.
Once the icing has hardened, I store them in a large rectangular food storage container with a layer of wax paper between each layer of cookies.
Yes, you can. However, the darker colors added to the icing will discolor after freezing. That’s why I recommend freezing your cookies without icing. Then add icing to the cookies once defrosted and ready to serve.
No. The cookies with icing are fine at room temperature stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Yes. Start with 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and add more to taste.
I use 2% of whole milk with success. I would avoid using skim.
Watch How Easy It Is To Make This Icing
Easy Sugar Cookie Icing (2 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Mix: Combine the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl by mixing with a fork until smooth. The powdered sugar will dissolve as you stir.
- Color: Add your favorite food coloring (optional) to create unique colors for your cookies.
- Pipe: Using an icing bag or even a sandwich bag, pipe the icing onto your cooled cookies. Use a knife to spread.
Notes
Nutrition
More Cookies Recipes to Try
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
- The Microwave Easy Way to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Grandma’s Brickle Cookies
- The Best Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
This post was updated with more details and pictures. The recipe remains the same.
Comments & Reviews
any way to make less sweet?
Because of the sugar, which is the base for this icing recipe, the sweetness comes with it. You can add a touch of vanilla to soften the sweetness and still bring out the great flavor.
The Recipe is too runny and glazed so it comes runs off your cookies.
Hi Betheny, as shared in the recipe just add more powdered sugar to get a thicker glaze. Because of humidity, just a little change from measurements can make a big difference!
No it’s not, it worked fine for me. Betheny should probably not bake anymore. 🙁
How many cookies does this make? I don’t understand what the 1 means for the yield. One dozen?
Hi April, it’s hard to say how many cookies because when you do cutouts they can vary so much in size.
Can I add vanilla extract to the frosting for my little vanilla fan? And if so how much would you recommend?
Sure! Vanilla would be great in this recipe. I would start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste.
What kind of milk should I use for this?
Thank you for this recipe. I didn’t have any milk, so I used heavy cream. Had to add 3 extra tsps of it, but it worked.
Glad it worked for you!
this a great recipe!
thank you!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use liquid food coloring or does it need to be gel?
You can use either liquid or gel – it doesn’t matter. I do find that the red gel doesn’t have the same bitter flavor, but it won’t matter with the coloring.
Can you substitute milk with almond milk?
I have never tried it. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!
Made this with my five year old to ice our sugar cookies. She wanted the top hard so we glazed and decorated some before we baked them and others we baked, decorated and then popped them back into the oven- both ways worked but we needed to adjust the baking time accordingly.
How many cookies are you able to ice with this?
How much powder sugar do you need?…..
LOL
1 cup
Should the cookies be refrigerated since there is milk in the icing or will they be okay to leave room temp?
I don’t refrigerate the cookies, but then they’re gone within a few days. 🙂
Can the frosting be made a few hours before hand or does it need to be made right before placing on cookies?
I would not recommend making it a few hours beforehand unless you placed plastic wrap directly on top of the icing and then sealed it well. The icing does dry, which is what makes it so great – so making it too far ahead of time runs the risk of getting dried out.
Does any kind (whole, 2%, skim) of milk work? Or do you recommend a specific kind?
I use 2% because that’s what I have on hand, but any milk will work.
I found this recipe a few years back I love it turns out every time, I fill a ziplock bag with each color and it does keep my grandaughter and I put them in ziplock bags last year and she didn’t make her cookies until the next day all was well, also one year I put each color in peanut butter jars the day before and that worked as well
Can left over frosting be refrigerated for later use?
Yes, you can. You will need to seal it well so that it doesn’t dry out.