Marbled Icing for Sugar Cookies
Hi, Sweet Friends! Gather ’round with your favorite mug because today we’re diving into the sweet world of heart-shaped delights. Picture this: perfectly baked sugar cookies, adorned with a luscious pink marbled icing that’s as delightful to look at as it is to devour. Get ready to spread the love and sprinkle a little sweetness into your kitchen – this pink marbled icing recipe is about to become your new favorite way to dress up those heart cookies!
(And PS. Are you looking for Barbie cookies for a birthday party? Wouldn’t these pretty-in-pink cookies be perfect for that?)
I recently made some marbled heart sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day. They turned out so pretty that I decided to go the next step and try my hand at some marbled icing for them.
I’ll admit, this buttercream marble frosting technique took a little bit of practice and trial and error. But, I’m glad I pushed through and figured it out. They turned out so pretty, and they taste amazing!
This marble technique uses frosting made with just three ingredients. Although it acts similar to royal icing, it tastes so much better (in my opinion, anyway!).
Ingredients for this marble frosting recipe
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond, vanilla, or lemon extract. (If you use vanilla, try to use white vanilla so the icing stays nice and white.)
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- Wilton paste food coloring in red and pink
Step by step instructions for 3 ingredient marble icing
- Measure out the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add in the almond extract and 3 tablespoons milk. Stir well. Slowly add in additional milk until the mixture becomes easy to stir, and yet still coats the back of the spoon. Consistency is key to this recipe. One way to measure if it is the right consistency is if you run a knife through the middle of the icing, it should take 6-8 minutes for the frosting to fill up the line and make it disappear. If it is too thin, add in a bit more powdered sugar.
- Portion out a small amount of the icing into small bowls and stir in food coloring paste until you get the colors you desire.
- Transfer the white icing into a shallow bowl and drizzle the colors in the top in a random pattern.
- Dip the cookies straight down into the puddle of icing and lift it up gently, swirling it from side to side. Pop any air bubbles immediately with a toothpick or wire cake tester.
- Set on a cooling rack to let dry completey before trying to stack them at all.
Top tips for marble icing
This type of icing does harden, so if you are working with small batches of the marble icing mix, cover the extra bowls of the frosting mixture with plastic wrap to prevent it from hardening up. I found that the icing wanted to get too thick and I needed to add more milk to keep it thin enough.
Other Frosting Recipes and Tips
- How to frost cupcakes the easy way
- Super easy frosting for sugar cookies
- Easy gingerbread cookies recipe (with royal icing)
Marbled Icing for Sugar Cookies
Turn plain sugar cookies into a beautiful, festive treat perfect for any holiday with this special buttercream marbled icing.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond, vanilla, or lemon extract. (If you use vanilla, try to use white vanilla so the icing stays nice and white.)
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- Wilton paste food coloring in red and pink (or colors of your choice)
Instructions
- Measure out the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add in the almond extract and 3 tablespoons milk. Stir well. Slowly add in additional milk until the mixture becomes easy to stir, and yet still coats the back of the spoon. Consistency is key to this recipe. One way to measure if it is the right consistency is if you run a knife through the middle of the icing, it should take 6-8 minutes for the frosting to fill up the line and make it disappear. If it is too thin, add in a bit more powdered sugar.
- Portion out a small amount of the icing into small bowls and stir in food coloring paste until you get the colors you desire.
- Transfer the white icing into a shallow bowl and drizzle the colors in the top in a random pattern.
- Dip the cookies straight down into the puddle of icing and lift it up gently, swirling it from side to side. Pop any air bubbles immediately with a toothpick or wire cake tester.
- Set on a cooling rack to let dry completey before trying to stack them at all.
I used the marble frosting recipe on vegan sugar cookies and had extras after a party so I put them in an air tight container and froze them. The frosting now looks dull. Any ideas on how to get them glossy again?