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    TaraTeaspoon » Course » Desserts » Frosting, Icing, and Toppings

    The Best Frosting For Cookies

    Published: Nov 1, 2019 · Updated: Nov 29, 2020 by Tara Teaspoon · This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

    Make the Best Frosting for Cookies

    I'll tell you how to choose the best homemade frosting for cookies. Get tips and recipes for your treats no matter what kind you are making. 


    White Royal Icing in a piping bag next to a bowl of icing
    Jump to:
    • What frosting is best for cookies?
    • Easy sugar cookie decorating ideas
    • When to use royal icing: 
    • 💬 Comments

    Do you make cookies at home? Well if the answer is yes, you're in the right place! I love cookies, and all the delicious icings and frostings that go with them. 

    What frosting is best for cookies?

    I prefer confectioners' sugar buttercream for soft sugar cookies.

    Vanilla cupcake with fluffy white frosting
    Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
    A basic powdered sugar frosting recipe that comes together with just 4 ingredients. Use the vanilla frosting for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies!
    Recipe

    Cutout sugar cookies

    For cutout sugar cookies that beg for fancy decoration, I use royal icing, because it gets hard and holds design well. 

    royal icing in a piping bag
    Royal Icing
    This is my go-to royal icing recipe! It's a meringue-based decorating icing that dries shiny and hard for perfect cookies. I use meringue powder.
    Recipe

    Sandwich cookies

    For sandwich cookies you can use soft icings with various flavors for fun options. Chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting and caramel icing are all great fillings for cookies. See below for more!

    Rainbow colored frosting inside Piping Bags in a circle
    Meringue Buttercream
    This is a double batch of my not-too-sweet buttercream. It is a great alternative to frosting made with confectioners' sugar.
    close up of whipped chocolate ganache frosting
    Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting
    Whipped chocolate ganache frosting is smooth, rich and melts in your mouth. It's great for spreading and piping on any cake or cupcakes. 
    Recipe
    White cream cheese frosting on dark chocolate cake
    Easy Cream Cheese Frosting (5 Ingredients)
    This Easy Cream Cheese Frosting tastes like it’s from your favorite bakery! With just 5 ingredients, it’s simple to make and perfect to use on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more.
    Recipe
    hot caramel icing in a blue bowl with spoon
    Homemade Caramel Frosting
    This old-fashioned caramel icing recipe is perfect on spice cake, chocolate cake, and cupcakes. It's a boiled frosting that has the creamy texture of brown sugar fudge!
    Recipe

    Specialty cookies

    Specialty cookies love a shiny glaze, like my Pastel Black and White Cookies, or Brown Butter Frosting on Cashew Oatmeal Cookies. Everyone loves browned butter, with the nutty, caramelized taste.

    pastel black and white cookies on blue grass
    Pastel “Black and White” Cookies
    Pastel Black and White Cookies for spring are simple, elegant and perfect for your party. Add color to the glaze to give them a seasonal flare.
    Recipe
    Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting on a pink plate
    Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
    Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting are my favorite oatmeal cookie from childhood. Chewy and full of nuts, topped with buttery icing.
    Recipe
    Pastel pink and blue frosted cookies

    Easy sugar cookie decorating ideas

    Whether you're using an easy cookie frosting like fluffy buttercream, or another powdered sugar frosting for cookies, like cream cheese frosting, you can make fun decorations.

    Pipe your frosting onto soft sugar cookie cutouts using pastry tips. I used open star tips #16, #19 #20 and #35 on these Christmas tree cookies. See the recipe post for more on how I made each design.

    almond ginger christmas tree cookies with cream cheese frosting

    When to use royal icing: 

    For a great tasting sugar cookie frosting that hardens, I have two royal icing recipes, classic and lemon.

    Royal icing creates clean lines and takes on color to create a vibrant look. It also works for detailed piping and decorating, when you want to make a gingerbread house or small designs. 

    Tangy lemon royal icing is a delicious frosting for gingerbread cookies. I love how it tastes with the mix of spices. 

    Lemon Royal Icing with Lemons feature
    Lemon Royal Icing
    A little citrus tang makes this royal icing flavored with lemon perfect for decorating holiday cookies. It's tasty on shortbread, sugar cookies, and classic gingerbread cookies!
    Recipe

    I use gel paste food coloring to tint royal icing. It creates deep color without adding too much liquid. 

    You can make simple royal icing designs like I did on these Spooky Spiral Cookies. And don't miss the darling Santa Faces I created for one of my Christmas cookies!

    Spooky Spiral Halloween Cookies are the ultimate psychedelic treat!
    Spooky Spiral Halloween Cookies
    Spooky Spiral Halloween Cookies are the ultimate psychedelic treat! Their swirly design and sweet flavor are sure to wow everyone who tries them.
    Recipe
    Close up recipe image of Santa Face Cookies
    Santa-Face Santa Sugar Cookies
    These Santa cookies are the cutest cookies you've ever seen! They're decorated with royal icing and are great for cookie swaps and gifting.
    Recipe
    Spooky spiral halloween cookies with orange green and black frosting

    The best frosting for cookies depends on the flavor and kind of cookie.

    Try homemade marshmallow as a frosting for cookies! I use my Peppermint Marshmallow to fill chocolate Christmas cookies. For Easter, fill the soft chocolate cookies with pastel pink, yellow and green marshmallow. (Leave out the mint extract.)  

    Peppermint Marshmallow Sandwich cookies with peppermint candies scattered on surface
    Peppermint Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies
    The cookies are like little mini brownie bites.  The peppermint marshmallow  filling is divine.
    Recipe

    Speaking of sandwich cookies, the melt-in-your-mouth frosting that is always a go-to cake topper makes the best cookie filling. For soft, cake-like cookies like Whoopie Pies, I use my Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Candy cane sprinkles make them great for the holidays.

    Whoopie Pies for Halloween on purple background
    Whoopie Pies for Halloween
    Traditionally they are chocolate. A soft, cake-like cookie with the soft white filling. But you may have seen other flavors. They're all delicious!
    Recipe
    Chocolate whoopie pies with orange and yellow frosting, rolled in sprinkles to match

    There isn't just one type of cookie, so you can imagine there are a whole lot of frostings too.

    Try fluffy peanut butter frosting instead of browned butter icing on my cashew cookies. The two nut flavors compliment each other and create the perfect bite.

    Peanut Butter Frosting swirled on Chocolate cupcake in brown and white striped paper baking cup
    Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
    Make Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting like a professional baker. It's fluffy, soft and creamy, and holds for piping. With just five simple ingredients, it's easy to make and perfect to make-ahead too. It has intense nut flavor and is delicious atop cakes, cupcakes, brownies and cookies. 
    Recipe
    Cashew cookies with brown butter frosting on a pink plate

    Create amazing and fun designs on sheet pan cookies too. 

    Close up recipe image of One Pan Sugar Cookie Bars
    One Pan Sugar Cookie Bars | Tara Teaspoon
    Get creative and decorate these One Pan Sugar Cookie Bars in a plaid pattern. You can also ice them in a solid color and add sprinkles.
    Recipe

    Get creative with your own combinations! Let me know in the comments below what your favorite frosting for cookies is. Or tag a picture of cookies you make on Instagram with the hashtag #TaraTeaspoon.

    Cookie Recipes from Tara Teaspoon

    • Three stacked Easter blondies on a small white plate.
      Mini Egg Cookie Bars
    • Three cut lemon bars stacked one on top of the other.
      Easy Lemon Bars
    • small batch chocolate chip cookies on pink plate
      Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • close feature of peanut butter blossoms
      Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
    • Plate of strawberry macadamia nut cookies feature.
      Strawberries and Cream Cookies with Macadamia Nuts
    • close up feature of macadamia nut cookies.
      Macadamia and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • stack of cookies without chocolate chips
      Chocolate Chipless Cookies
    • Close up of Dulce de leche bars with a missing corner on parchment
      Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

    More about Tara

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    1. Kelly Anthony says

      December 04, 2019 at 1:55 pm

      This is a great post on cookie icing and also great to have on hand at all times.

      Reply
    2. Danielle says

      December 05, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      Such a great finding (your post is). I've got so many great tips from it, that I can be absolutely sure now that my cookies will turn out perfect, every time!

      Reply
    3. Denise says

      December 05, 2019 at 3:40 pm

      Oh this recipe I am sharing with my friend who loves to make decorative cookies like yours! They all look delicious, and this post is awesome!

      Reply
    4. Jacqui Debono says

      December 05, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      These are all so gorgeous! I have never tried frosting a cookie (shocking!), now I know I have to try!

      Reply
    5. Nicole Washington says

      December 06, 2019 at 10:54 pm

      You have no idea how helpful this is to me. I am not a pretty baker decorator but understanding the different frosting helps me be more comfortable

      Reply
    6. Leslie Kiszka says

      December 08, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      I always know I can come to you for the best icing tips (get it??!). I especially love the little trees - so cute, and they look so much more difficult than they really are just by using the right piping technique!

      Reply
    7. Amy Dong says

      December 08, 2019 at 7:50 pm

      I am one that definitely can use some help with creatively frosting my cookies. Yours look amazing and full of vibrant color. Fun for the holidays!

      Reply
    8. Jo says

      December 09, 2019 at 9:24 am

      Decorating cookies is one of the best fun activity to do with kids during the holidays. Your frosting sounds perfect. Can't wait to try it with my kids to decorate a few cookies this weekend. Those Christmas tree cookies are simply gorgeous!

      Reply
    9. Farrukh Aziz says

      December 09, 2019 at 11:06 pm

      Though I am a frequent cookie baker but have never tried decorating it using frostings. This detailed post is making me to try them. Thank you very much for the lovely share!
      Cheers!

      Reply
    10. Mary says

      February 24, 2020 at 11:07 pm

      This is the most perfect collection of recipes and information! Wow! Thank you! I'll be keeping it handy!

      Reply

    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    More about me →

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