STORE BOUGHT ICED SUGAR COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For the cookies beat the butter and sugar until creamed. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Add dry ingredients and milk into the creamed mixture in two batches.
• Refrigerate dough for up to an hour.
• Use 2 'tablespoons' (cereal spoons) to make 2-3 inch balls of dough. (After baking you want cookies that are about the size of the palm of your hand.).
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. The tops of the cookies shouldn't be browned.
• For the frosting beat all ingredients together until smooth adding more milk if necessary. When cookies are cool, frost and add sprinkles if you like.

Steps:

• Beat together all the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. Beat all these ingredients until stiff peaks form. If you are using a heavy-duty electric mixer, this will take about 7-10 minutes at low speed. If you are using a hand-held mixer, it will take about 10-12 minutes at high speed.
• Check the consistency. After beating the icing mixture, check the consistency of it. If it is too thick, add more water, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. If your icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
• Achieving stiff consistency icing. If you want your royal icing to be stiff, use one less tablespoon of water. Stiff icing is ideal for piping 3D decorations on your cookies. When using stiff icing, opt for larger piping tips.
• Achieving medium consistency icing.For a medium consistency royal icing, add 1/8 teaspoon of water for every cup of icing. Use a flat object such as an offset spatula or a rubber spatula to create a figure-eight pattern while mixing. Do not overmix or beat too much as this will potentially ruin the consistency.Medium consistency is ideal for general decorating. You can use a variety of different piping tips for a medium consistency.
• Achieving thin consistency icing. For thin consistency royal icing, add one teaspoon of water per every cup of icing. Use a small spoon or rubber spatula to slowly stir in the water.To make sure your icing is the right consistency for flooding, you will want to do the 10-second test. Lift some icing out of the bowl with a spatula and let it fall back down. If it completely sinks back into the icing after 10 seconds, it is thin enough for flooding, if not, add some more water.Thin royal icing is great for flooding, which is where you cover the whole cookie in icing. When it dries, it creates a smooth finish that is great for decorating with thick or medium consistency icing.
• Add food coloring and let it sit.Add in your food coloring to your icing if desired. Mix the icing until just combined, being sure not to over mix.Let your icing sit in a bowl for 15 minutes to one hour. This will allow the bubbles to naturally rise, allowing your icing to become more smooth.
• Frost your sugar cookies.Add your icing to a piping bag with a tip of your choice. Then, decorate your cookies with the icing. Allow the icing to set before serving the cookies in order for the designs to last.The icing can take up to two hours to dry on your cookies. To speed up the process, you can place them in front of the fan.