National ice cream month is officially here and I made some sweet vanilla ice cream sugar cookies to celebrate! From soft serve to ice cream trucks, these cute cookies, although not made with any real ice cream, are adorably sweet and fitting for this month of frozen treats!
The ice cream cookies are also designated as the cookie of the month on the blog for July.
The inspiration for these summer themed cookies came about with sugar cookie day happening earlier in the week.
I selected the custom ice cream truck, popsicle and soft serve cone cutters from the shop, as the shapes of choice for the vanilla sugar cookie dough.
Once baked, the ice cream cookies were decorated with sweet vanilla royal icing, to achieve a taste similar to vanilla ice cream!
Vanilla Ice Cream Sugar Cookies
Sweet vanilla ice cream sugar cookies, decorated with royal icing.
The ice cream cookies are made using my go-to dough recipe. I also added fresh vanilla bean to the dough to incorporate some extra vanilla flavors, so that that the cookies not only look but also taste like the real thing!
The details like the tiny ice cream cone on the truck and the gold sprinkles add a sweet and chic finishing touch!
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Vanilla Ice Cream Sugar Cookies
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Sweet summer themed ice cream sugar cookies decorated with vanilla royal icing!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups vegan butter (or real butter softened)
- 1 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- Seeds from 1.5 vanilla beans
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- FOR THE ROYAL ICING:
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 TBSP Meringue Powder
- 1/4 warm water (+ extra to thin icing)
- 1 tsp Clear vanilla extract or regular vanilla extract
- EXTRA SUPPLIES:
- Edible gold paint for finishing touches
- Food grade paint brush (for painting)
- Tipless piping bags
- Pink & Brown Food Coloring (Americolor)
Instructions
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together shortening/or butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until combined.
Mix in eggs and vanilla bean and vanilla.
Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix on med-hi until combined.
You’ll know your cookie mix is ready when most of it sticks to the mixing paddle.
Roll dough out onto a floured surface (about 1/2 inch thick)
Cut into shapes with ice cream themed cutters.
Bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 4-6 minutes. (Pull from oven before brown)
Remove from heat and cool.
FOR THE ROYAL ICING:
Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add extract and water and beat on high for about 5 minutes.
For piping:
The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few splashes at a time until the frosting is the consistency of toothpaste. This is for piping. Spoon out 1/4 of the toothpaste-like white icing to a tipless piping bag. Seal closed.
Spoon out additional 1/4 of toothpaste like icing into a separate bowl and color with a drop of pink food coloring. Stir until thoroughly combined. Transfer 1/3 of the stiff pink RI to a tipless piping bag and seal closed.
For flooding:
Thin the remainder of the stiff pink icing by adding a few drops of warm water. Stir and add a few more drops of water, or spray down with a spray bottle until the consistency of the icing is slightly runny when picked up with a spoon. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5-6 seconds to disappear. That’s when you know the icing is ready! Transfer pink flood icing to tipless piping bag and seal closed.
Spoon an additional 1/4 of white stiff icing into a bowl to color tan. Repeat the same steps as referenced above to make the tan icing. Transfer tan stiff & flood icing to tipless piping bags and seal closed.
Now add a few drops of water to the remaining white stiff royal icing in the mixing bowl and mix on medium until combined. The consistency of this icing should be slightly runny. Use a few drops of water at a time or spray bottle to achieve the desired icing consistency. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5-6 seconds to disappear. Transfer white flood icing to tipless piping bag and seal closed.
DECORATING:
For the Ice Cream Truck Cookies:
Slowly outline the the edge of each cookie with the stiff piping icing.
Pipe the shape of two windows, the ruffled awning and the wheels using the stiff RI.
Flood the body of the ice cream truck cookie with the white flood icing, using a toothpick or scribe to spread it evenly around the cookie.
Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.
Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.
Allow the icing to set on the cookies and then fill in the wheels and awning. You can use pink, white or any color of choice to add these details.
Once all the flood icing has dried, use stiff RI to add the decorative details. Write the words “ice cream”, add the lines to the front window and any other details of choice.
Allow the piped details to dry and then paint the words”ice cream” in gold.
For the Soft Serve cookies:
Slowly outline the edge of cone on each cookie with tan stiff piping icing.
Slowly outline the soft serve with white or pink stiff RI. Pipe a line of icing in-between each of the (3) swirls of ice cream to create the swirled effect.
Once dry flood the cones with the tan flood icing.
Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.
The soft serve is divided into three swirls. Flood the bottom and top swirls with flood icing in colors of choice. Once set, flood the middle layers.
Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.
Once the ice cream cookies have dried, outline the cone in stiff tan RI. Create the crosshatch lines on the cone by piping diagonal lines going both directions.
Add sprinkles to the soft serve with a little bit of edible gold paint.
For the Popsicle cookies:
Slowly outline the edge of the stick of the popsicle on each cookie with tan stiff piping icing.
Slowly outline the popsicles with pink or white icing of choice.
(Optional) Pipe a line across the center of the popsicle cookie to divide two colors.
Flood the sticks of the popsicle cookies with tan flood icing.
Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.
Flood the two sections of the popsicles with two different colors of flood icing.
Repeat steps so all cookies are fully covered in icing.
Once dry decorate the popsicle cookies with painted gold sprinkles.
Allow two hours for all cookies to dry.
Enjoy!
Notes
See royal icing decorating tips below!
Keywords: sugar cookies, baking, ice cream, ice cream cookies,
What I love most about decorating with royal icing is that it’s naturally dairy free and can also be pretty forgiving. In addition, it gives finished cookies such a beautiful and realistic look.
Below, are a few royal icing decorating tips if you’ve never used it before.
Royal icing decorating tips
- A steady hand will help while decorating with royal icing, as will a scribe or toothpick for evenly blending the icing on the cookies.
- For beginners, I recommend starting with just one or two colors of royal icing. Get familiar with the consistency and how the icing it flows from the piping bag.
- Use a few cookies to practice piping on so that you become more comfortable with the decorating process.
- If you make a mistake while outlining a cookie with stiff icing, it can easily be removed with tip of a scribe.
- I find that one day old cookies hold up better for decorating. Pat them with a paper towel to remove any excess oil from butter.
- Practice and more practice!
Wouldn’t these ice cream cookies be so fun for your summer parties?!
They’re sure to fulfill those frosty cravings without any melting.
Sweet tooth satisfying and incredibly delicious!
More ice cream treats are on the way.
This post titled Vanilla Ice Cream Sugar Cookies was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights reserved. 2019.
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