Description
This easy icing recipe is perfect for decorating Christmas cookies with a smooth, glossy finish. Made with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, light corn syrup, and water, it creates a sweet and shiny glaze that hardens beautifully on your holiday treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 4.5–5 Tablespoons (67-75ml) room temperature water
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and a pinch of salt to remove any lumps and ensure a smooth icing base.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in the vanilla extract and light corn syrup, which add flavor and help give the icing a glossy shine and flexible texture.
- Incorporate Water Gradually: Slowly add 4.5 tablespoons of room temperature water while mixing continuously until the icing reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency. If the icing is too thick, add the remaining 0.5 tablespoon water little by little to achieve the perfect texture.
- Adjust Consistency: If needed, adjust the icing consistency to either thin it for flooding cookies or thicken it for piping by adding small amounts of water or confectioners’ sugar respectively.
- Use Immediately: Decorate your Christmas cookies right away or cover the icing with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Allow the decorated cookies to dry at room temperature until the icing is set and hard.
Notes
- Use room temperature water to help the ingredients incorporate smoothly.
- For thicker piping icing, add more confectioners’ sugar as needed.
- Light corn syrup helps prevent the icing from crystallizing and keeps it shiny.
- Store leftover icing covered tightly in the refrigerator; re-stir before using.
- This icing hardens to a smooth, matte finish, ideal for layering colors and designs on cookies.
Keywords: Christmas cookie icing, easy cookie glaze, sugar cookie decoration, vanilla icing, holiday cookie frosting