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XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies

Four heart-shaped XOXO Frosted Sugar Cookies with pink and red icing sitting on a light countertop.
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A recipe for making no-spread sugar cookies topped with stiff royal icing decorated in an XOXO pattern.

Ingredients

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  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (for icing)
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder (for icing)
  • 5 tablespoons water (for icing)
  • Pink and red food coloring gel (for icing)

Instructions

  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined into a dough. Do not overmix.
  5. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
  8. Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. Place the cutouts onto the prepared baking sheets.
  9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Do not let the centers brown.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. To make the icing, whisk together powdered sugar and meringue powder in a bowl. Gradually add the water until you reach a stiff consistency suitable for piping details.
  12. Divide the icing into separate bowls. Color some white, some pink, and some red using gel coloring.
  13. Fit a piping bag with a small round tip. Fill with the stiff white icing to outline the cookie edges. Let the outline set for 15 minutes.
  14. Mix the remaining icing with a few drops of water until it reaches a flood consistency (it should flow slowly off a spoon). Color this icing pink or red.
  15. Carefully pour the flood icing inside the outlined area, gently tilting the cookie to spread the icing evenly. Let the base coat dry completely (several hours or overnight).
  16. Once the base is dry, refill a piping bag with stiff white icing. Pipe small ‘X’ shapes onto the cookie surface.
  17. Pipe small ‘O’ shapes between the ‘X’s to complete the XOXO design. Let the final details dry before stacking or serving.

Notes

  • Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading during baking.
  • Use high-quality gel food coloring for vibrant colors without thinning the icing.
  • For crisp edges, chill the cut-out cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before placing them in the oven.
  • Stiff icing is necessary for piping details; thin icing is only for flooding the base layer.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://spoonswirl.com/xoxo-frosted-sugar-cookies-recipe/