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Marbled Sugar Cookies

Marbled Sugar Cookies
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Soft and tender cream cheese sugar cookies with a beautiful, easy-to-achieve marbled royal icing.

Ingredients

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  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 1 tsp almond extract – optional
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 Tbsp meringue powder
  • 1/4 cup water, room temp
  • 2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
  • Additional water to bring to flooding consistency
  • Gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. Beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth.
  2. Add granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until lighter in color.
  3. Mix in the egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and optional 1 tsp almond extract on medium speed until incorporated.
  4. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated.
  6. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions.
  7. Divide the sticky dough in half.
  8. Wrap each dough portion in plastic wrap, flattening it into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
  9. Chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours or freezer for 30 minutes.
  10. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) 30 minutes before rolling out the dough.
  11. Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  12. Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other chilled.
  13. Unwrap the dough and lay the plastic wrap flat on your counter.
  14. Dust both sides of the dough and your rolling pin with flour.
  15. Roll the dough to be 1/3 inch thick.
  16. Cut out shapes with a flour-dusted cookie cutter.
  17. Brush any excess flour off the cookies with a kitchen brush.
  18. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
  19. Chill the cut-out cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes or freezer for 5 minutes.
  20. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 10-12 minutes on the top rack of your oven.
  21. Pull cookies out before the edges start to brown.
  22. Let baked cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes.
  23. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  24. While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together cookie dough scraps.
  25. Rewrap scraps in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.
  26. Pull out the second chilled dough portion and repeat steps for rolling, cutting, chilling, and baking.
  27. Repeat with chilled dough scraps.
  28. Whisk together 3 cups powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp meringue powder in a large bowl or stand mixer for the icing.
  29. Add 1/4 cup water and 2 tsp vanilla or almond extract.
  30. Mix on low speed to incorporate liquid, then increase to medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form (about 4 minutes).
  31. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  32. Add additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a flooding consistency is reached (approx. 3 Tbsp total).
  33. Perform the Figure 8 test: lift a spoon and create a figure 8 with runoff icing; it should disappear in 8 seconds.
  34. Adjust consistency by adding 2 Tbsp powdered sugar if too thin, or 2 tsp water if too thick.
  35. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the royal icing to prevent crusting.
  36. Once cookies are cool, use 2/3 cup of royal icing for each color you want.
  37. Color each portion of icing with gel food coloring.
  38. Place each colored icing into its own small piping bag and seal the top with a rubber band.
  39. Transfer the remaining uncolored royal icing into a smaller bowl for dipping.
  40. Cut small openings (1/4 inch) in the tips of the piping bags.
  41. Drizzle the colored icings on top of the uncolored icing in the dipping bowl.
  42. Use a toothpick or scribe to drag lines through the colors to create a swirled pattern.
  43. Dunk cooled cookies into the glaze one at a time, covering the entire surface.
  44. Shake off excess icing before flipping the cookie over.
  45. Set dipped cookies aside to dry.
  46. Drizzle and swirl more colored icing in the bowl after each cookie to ensure vibrant marbling.
  47. If icing in the bowl starts to crust, carefully scoop off the top layer before dipping the next cookie.
  48. Let cookies dry for 1 hour or until firm to the touch.
  49. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

Ensure butter and cream cheese are at room temperature for a smooth dough.
Chill dough thoroughly to prevent spreading during baking.
Do not overmix the flour to keep cookies tender.
Use gel food coloring for vibrant icing without affecting consistency.

Find it online: https://theflakytruth.com/marbled-sugar-cookies-easy/