3 Minute Cookie Icing (No Piping Bags!)

If you want a no fuss cookie icing that’s easier than royal icing then you have come to the right place! This fun cookie icing can be made in one bowl with just a whisk in 3 minutes. The best part is that you don’t even need to use piping bags to decorate, I’ll show you how to make them look pretty without them! All the pictures below show this icing (and technique) over my cut out chocolate sugar cookies.

If you are not a fan of royal icing, I get it. It can be a little tricky with the different consistencies and the time it takes to prepare all the icing bags/squeeze bottles. Which is why I am sharing this recipe for an easy cookie icing today!

This is the best icing for cookies because:

• You make it in one bowl with just a whisk
• It takes 3 minutes or less to make
• The consistency is perfect, no need to figure it out or count seconds
• This is a cookie icing that hardens but won’t be too hard to bite
• You dont need piping bags to decorate!!!

Seriously not needing piping bags to decorate with this holiday cookie icing is a total game changer. Yes I am a trained pastry chef and yes I ran a custom cake and cookie design shop for 5 years, but I am still haunted by the mess I would make with piping bags alone.

I love that this recipe cuts down on equipment but not the fun. It’s also a super easy, no fuss recipe you can make with your kids when they are home on holiday breaks. PLUS it tastes good too!

Use this cookie icing on top of my no chill cut out sugar cookies or my cut out chocolate sugar cookies (also no chill) like you see in the pictures here!

How to make it

Make sure your cookies are cooled and ready to be iced because the icing will dry out quickly.

Grab a large bowl, a whisk, and measuring spoons because thats all the equipment you need to make this. If you buy the 1 lb box of powdered sugar, you don’t need to measure it out- SCORE!

Add the powdered sugar to the bowl. Next, add in the tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp light corn syrup, and 5 tbsp milk. Whisk until the icing is smooth and you are literally done!

You can substitute the milk with water but it might not be as creamy.

Coloring the icing

You can now use the white icing to decorate, or you can separate it into bowls to make different colors. I use gel colors that you can either buy in an arts and crafts store or online. Americolor is my favorite brand.

Gel is better to use than a water based food coloring because you only need a little bit for a deep color, and it wont water down and change the viscosity of the icing.

How to decorate cookies without piping bags

Now for the fun part!! Now that your colors are made and you’re ready all you have to do are 4 simple easy steps:

1. Dip the cookie- Pick up the cookie and dip it face down into the icing. Use your fingers to grip and make sure just the top and not the sides are being submerged into the icing. It’s almost like a Spiderman grip here because you want to dip the cookie facedown but you dont want it to fall in. Make a couple circles to make sure its all covered.
2. Let it drip- Pick up the cookie still face down and let it drip for 3 seconds back into the bowl.
3. Flip– Quickly flip the cookie right side up.
4. Shake– Give it a little shake to move the frosting around in case its not even or you missed a spot.

Then lay the cookie down on a wire rack that is set over a parchment lined cookie sheet to catch the drippings. You may get some crumbs in the icing but thats ok, just pick them out.

Don’t worry if the first couple of cookies drip over the sides. It takes a couple times to get the groove but once you do, they really can come out just as nice as if you piped it!

You can leave the cookies like this or top with sprinkles. Make sure to have your sprinkles ready because the icing can harden quickly on top and then the sprinkles won’t stick.

Air bubbles

Sometimes there can be a few air bubbles from flipping the cookies over. You want to use a toothpick to pop them before it dries because otherwise they will pop on their own and turn into little craters (open holes) in the icing.

Yield and dry time

This recipe makes about 3.5 cups of icing. It will depend on the size of the cookies you are icing but my chocolate sugar cookie recipe makes 20, 3″cookies and I still had 3/4 of a cup left of icing left.

The icing hardens quickly but will take a full 24 hours to completely dry before you can stack them or send them away to friends.

Difference between cookie icing and royal icing

This is a cookie icing which is not the same thing as royal icing.

Cookie icing is different than royal icing because royal icing is always made with some form of egg white whether its in liquid or powdered form. Cookie icing doesn’t have egg whites and instead uses corn syrup in it to give it the same kind of shine.

Royal icing also dries much quicker than cookie icing, in just about 1-2 hours versus 24, and can be used to pipe intricate details that cookie icing can’t do.

Piping with this icing

Of course you can pipe this icing using bags or squeeze bottles. I choose not to because I like to pipe decorative cookies with royal icing instead. This works best for simple designs, not intricate ones. Feel free to play around with it and see what you come up with! It’s also a great activity to do with kids!

If the icing is too thick, add 2 tsp water at a time to thin it out. If it is too thin, add 1/3 cup powdered sugar to thicken.

Storage and freezing

I don’t recommend storing this icing because it hardens very quickly, especially when cold. It’s so easy to make, it’s best made for a single use time. I don’t think you should freeze it either.

You can freeze frosted cookies though! Store and freeze in a zip top bag for 2 months.

I love when you share my recipes!!