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Perfect Shamrock Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

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These shamrock-shaped sugar cookies balance soft and crisp textures, topped with smooth, shiny royal icing perfect for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Easy to make and decorate, they bring festive cheer with simple ingredients and a joyful baking ritual.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
  • 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 large egg whites (or 4 tbsp pasteurized meringue powder + 6 tbsp water)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Green gel food coloring, a few drops

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with milk, mixing on low speed until dough comes together. Do not overmix.
  5. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness. Cut shapes with shamrock cookie cutters and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges start to turn golden but cookies are not browned. Cool completely on wire racks.
  9. For royal icing, beat powdered sugar, egg whites (or meringue powder mix), and lemon juice until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes on high speed.
  10. Add green gel food coloring drop by drop until desired color is reached.
  11. Transfer icing to piping bags. Outline cookies with thicker icing, then flood with thinner icing for smooth coverage.
  12. Let icing dry at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.

Notes

Chill dough for at least 1 hour to prevent spreading and maintain shape. Adjust royal icing consistency by adding water if too thick or powdered sugar if too thin. Use pasteurized meringue powder as a safer alternative to raw egg whites. Avoid humidity when drying icing for best results.

Nutrition

Keywords: shamrock sugar cookies, St. Patrick's Day cookies, royal icing cookies, easy sugar cookies, festive cookies, holiday baking

Find it online: https://lucastable.com/perfect-shamrock-sugar-cookies-recipe-easy-royal-icing-tutorial-for-st-patricks-day/