Starry Night Sugar Cookies (Printable)

Vanilla sugar cookies with swirled dark blue icing and edible star decorations

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Sugar Cookies

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ For the Icing

08 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
10 - 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
11 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - Blue and black gel food coloring
13 - Edible gold or silver star sprinkles

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for later use.
02 - Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, mixing until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide dough in half, shape into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc at a time to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out star or round shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place cut cookies on prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch of space between each cookie.
09 - Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are just golden. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Mix powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional milk if needed to achieve thick but pourable texture.
11 - Divide icing between two bowls. Tint one bowl deep blue and the other black. Gently swirl both colors together in a shallow dish without fully mixing.
12 - Dip cooled cookies face-down into the marbled icing. Immediately sprinkle with edible stars while icing is wet. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • The marbling technique looks incredibly impressive but takes zero artistic skill whatsoever
  • These cookies stay soft for days thanks to the corn syrup in the icing
  • You can customize the colors to match any party theme or mood
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is not optional because warm dough spreads into sad puddle cookies
  • The icing consistency should be like honey and if it is too thick the marbled pattern will not show
  • Dip only one cookie at a time because the stars need wet icing to adhere properly
03 -
  • Wipe your knife or cookie cutter between cuts to keep the edges crisp and defined
  • Room temperature ingredients are the difference between cookies that spread and cookies that hold their shape beautifully

Go Back