Cupcake Sugar Cookies with Printable Gift Tags
These cupcake sugar cookies are fun to create for birthday parties and events! Grab the free printable tag below to make a cute gift.
These classic sugar cookies are great to make for a birthday party or to bring to your next event! I’m a huge fan of creating treats for every occasion, especially delicious ones like these.
Too busy to make this right away? Pin it for later! Pin this easy recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest and it will be waiting there when you’re ready.
Sugar cookie dough is super versatile and easy to make with only a few ingredients from the grocery store. You will need simple ingredients like butter, granulated sugar and all purpose flour.
Before you get started make sure that you have everything that you need to make and decorate these cookies. I found our cookie cutters and icing bottles at Michaels but you can also order them from Amazon below.
This post contains affiliate links.
Sugar cookie supplies:
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie cutters
- Icing bottles
- Food Writer Pen
- Wire cooling rack
- Cookie scribe or toothpick
This is my grandma’s classic sugar cookie recipe – time tested and delicious. The only thing that I have changed over the years is swapped out shortening for butter.
Sugar Cookie Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Tip: Pre-made Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough can be used to create these cookies as well. Simply add 1/4 cup of flour to the dough, combine well and roll as directed. I love quick mom hacks like this!
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients. Add butter, egg, milk and extract. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms.
3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This helps to prevent the dough from spreading when baked.
4. Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness on the floured surface.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 7 minutes.
7. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
This recipe will make about 60 2″ cupcake shaped cookies.
Use my Easy Royal Icing Recipe to make the best icing for these cookies! You will need light green, pink, blue, brown, orange, purple and white royal icing that has been tinted with food coloring.
Royal icing tips:
- If the icing is too hard, add more water one drop at a time.
- If the icing is too soft, add more powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time.
- Icing can be stored at room temperature in a an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- To use, mix the royal icing with a hand mixer so that it becomes smooth and shiny again.
- Flood consistency is reached when a spoonful dropped onto a flat surface takes 10 – 15 seconds to become completely smooth.
I prefer to use icing bottles over a piping bag because I find them easier to handle. Here I have our different colors of icing ready in each bottle.
Here is how to make these darling rainbow cupcakes. Be sure to set aside enough time to decorate as it can take some time for the icing to dry between layers. The options are endless – get creative and have fun with this!
How to decorate cupcake sugar cookies:
Additional supplies: rainbow sprinkles.
1. Outline the base of the cupcake with a line of colored icing.
2. Flood the center of the base with icing. Use a toothpick or scribe to coax icing into spots that may be left and pop any air bubbles.
3. Use the white icing to create polka dots or stripes in the cupcake base before the icing dries.
This method is called wet on wet icing.
4. Line the top of the cupcake with white icing.
5. Flood the top with white icing.
6. Before the icing dries, add rainbow sprinkles to the top of each cupcake.
These rainbow cupcake cookies turned out to be simply darling! They are far easier to create than you would think and so fun to personalize with different patterns or textures.
Allow the icing to completely harden for at least four hours before packaging or storing the cookies. These look amazing wrapped in cellophane and packaged up with a bit of twine.
Add my free printable gift tag and voila! These colorful cupcake sugar cookies make a delicious treat!
Be sure to check out all of the fun sugar cookie ideas on the blog!
This post contains affiliate links.
Some of my baking essentials:
- I love using this non-stick bakeware for all of my baking.
- These silicone mitts are perfect for grasping hot pans and baking dishes.
- This Henckel Knife is my favorite for slicing and dicing in the kitchen.
- These parchment paper bags are perfect for packaging and these large Rubbermaid food storage containers are great for storing baking in the freezer.
Today I have joined up with a group of blogging friends to share even more Birthday Party ideas! Be sure to check them out:
Beth with Creatively Beth is sharing some colorful DIY Tie Dye Ideas for Birthday Party FUN
Lindsay from Artsy Fartsy Mama has created a Party Animal Coloring Page Tote Bag, two crafts in one
Liz from Liz on Call is sharing how to make Candy-Filled Cupcake Birthday Party Favors – BRILLIANT!
Elise from Polka Dotted Blue Jay has created Easy Birthday Party Inspired Cupcake Decorations
Heather from Homemade Heather is sharing Cupcake Decorated Sugar Cookies and a Free Printable Tag
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Be sure to check out our other Sugar Cookie Recipes!
Cupcake Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- 2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients. Add butter, egg, milk and extract. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms.
- 3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This helps to prevent the dough from spreading when baked.
- 4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- 5. Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4" thickness on the floured surface.
- 6. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- 7. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 7 minutes.
- 8. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool before decorating with royal icing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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