Baby in Bloom Sugar Cookies (Printable Version)

Buttery sugar cookies decorated with pastel royal icing flowers, perfect for spring celebrations.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sugar Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Royal Icing

08 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2 large egg whites or 1/4 cup liquid pasteurized egg whites
10 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
11 - Pastel food coloring (pink, yellow, lavender, green)

# How To Make It:

01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a separate large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Add egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies using flower or round cutters.
08 - Place cut cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
09 - Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are just golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
10 - In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and extract, beating until stiff peaks form and icing is glossy.
11 - Divide icing into separate bowls and add pastel food coloring as desired. Adjust consistency by adding water for flooding or extra powdered sugar for piping details.
12 - Using piping bags fitted with small round or petal tips, pipe flower designs and leaves onto completely cooled cookies. Allow icing to dry fully before serving or storing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The butter-to-sugar ratio is perfectly balanced, so the cookies stay tender and never turn out hard or brittle.
  • Royal icing dries to a smooth, glossy finish that makes even beginner decorators look like professionals.
  • You can make the dough a day ahead and decorate whenever inspiration strikes, spreading the joy of baking across multiple kitchen sessions.
  • Pastel flowers transform simple cookies into something Instagram-worthy without requiring any fancy equipment or techniques.
02 -
  • Cold dough is your friend—it prevents spreading and gives you cleaner, crisper edges on your flowers and shapes.
  • Never decorate warm cookies; the heat causes icing to melt and run right off, which I learned the hard way during my first attempt.
  • Gel food coloring creates better pastels than liquid because it doesn't thin out the icing with excess water.
  • If your royal icing breaks or gets grainy, start over—you can't save it, but a fresh batch takes only five minutes.
03 -
  • If you're nervous about piping, practice on parchment paper first and let a few test flowers dry—then you can peel them off and reuse the parchment underneath.
  • Make a small batch of royal icing with just one egg white if you're decorating only a few cookies; a full batch might be more than you need, but it keeps in an airtight container for two days.
  • For the smoothest icing consistency, sift your powdered sugar twice—once before measuring and once before using.
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