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Perfect Decorated Thank You Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing Apple Designs

decorated thank you sugar cookies - featured image
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These sugar cookies combine a tender, buttery base with charming apple-shaped royal icing decorations, perfect for heartfelt thank-you gifts. The recipe is approachable, quick, and yields beautifully decorated cookies that impress without requiring advanced skills.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider or apple juice (optional)
  • 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder (or 2 large egg whites)
  • 5–6 tablespoons warm water
  • Red, green, and brown gel food coloring
  • Optional: A few drops of vanilla or almond extract for flavor boost

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients: whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  2. Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and optional apple cider until combined.
  4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture on low speed until just combined; do not overmix.
  5. Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll dough on lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.
  7. Cut dough with apple-shaped cookie cutters and place on lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges start to turn golden; watch closely to avoid overbaking.
  9. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  10. Prepare royal icing by mixing powdered sugar and meringue powder; gradually add warm water until smooth and flood consistency is reached.
  11. Divide icing into bowls and tint with gel food coloring: red for apples, green for leaves, brown for stems.
  12. Pipe thicker icing outlines on cookies and let dry 10-15 minutes to create a barrier.
  13. Flood inside outlines with thinned red icing; add green leaves and brown stems using icing and toothpicks to adjust details.
  14. Allow cookies to dry completely at room temperature, ideally overnight, for a glossy, firm finish.

Notes

Chill dough to help cookies hold shape and cut cleaner. Use gel food coloring for vibrant, thick royal icing. Outline cookies before flooding to prevent color bleeding. Work in small batches and fix bubbles quickly with a toothpick. Let cookies dry overnight for best results. Test bake one cookie first to check baking time and icing consistency.

Nutrition

Keywords: sugar cookies, royal icing, decorated cookies, apple cookies, thank you gift, easy baking, holiday cookies

Find it online: https://milacook.com/perfect-decorated-thank-you-sugar-cookies-with-royal-icing-apple-designs-easy-step-by-step-guide/