Tie-Dye Glazed Sugar Cookie
a sweet treat recipe
For as long as she can remember, Kelly Ryan has loved to bake up treats to share with loved ones. Her love of baking comes from her mother and grandmother, both talented home cooks. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Kelly worked at America’s Test Kitchen for a few years before venturing off to do food photography and recipe development full-time. Her blog, Butter & Thyme, focuses on elevated nostalgic comfort food recipes. Find more of Kelly’s recipes at
butterandthyme.com.
We used our all-natural food coloring powder to decorate these sugar cookies in fun tie-dye-like patterns. The simple sugar cookie dough can be rolled out and cut into any shape of your choice.
TIME (ACTIVE) | 1 H 5 M
TIME (INACTIVE) | 30 M
TOTAL | 1 H 35 M
8 SERVINGS
| 16 (3-inch) cookies
PRINT RECIPE
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
ELECTRIC MIXER
2.5 TO 3-INCH COOKIE CUTTERS
ROLLING PIN
make the cookie dough:
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Then add the eggs one a time, followed by salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Add the flour and stir on low speed until just combined.
Roll out dough on a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour to about ¼ inch even thickness. Stamp cookies using a cookie cutter and transfer them to baking sheets lined with parchment paper about 1.5 to 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350°F for 12-13 minutes until just beginning to turn light golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely on the trays before icing.
make the glaze:
Whisk the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and milk or water together until smooth. Divide the glaze into 5 small bowls (or however many colors you are using, keeping some of the glaze white too).
Start by adding 1 teaspoon of color powder to each. You can add more color if you want it bolder/ more vibrant.
make the tie-dye patterns:
Start by placing a couple of teaspoons of white icing on a small flat plate. Then add a couple more teaspoons of another color on top of or next to the white icing, using up to 3 colors per cookie. Gently swirl the colors together with a toothpick or fork. Then, dip a cookie into the glaze pattern and lift it straight up. Repeat the process with one or two more cookies, then wipe the plate clean and start again using a new combination of colors.
Chill the raw cookie cutouts on the sheet trays for 10-20 minutes before baking to better hold their shape.
If the glaze becomes too thick after adding food coloring powder, you can add more milk ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Pop air bubbles on the surface of glazed cookies with a toothpick while the glaze is still wet.
Avoid over-swirling and stick to 3 colors per cookie for best results.
Additional notes on glaze making from Kelly:
The exact ratio of icing to food coloring doesn’t really matter, it just depends on how bold you want it. I found 1 teaspoon to be plenty, I only added a little more for the mango which was a bit lighter.
juice
powder
Mango juice powder is a fine, bright yellow powder that can be used to give a tropical fruit flavor to foods or as a natural food coloring.
TRY ME - SAMPLE$0.75
2 oz - JAR$5
2 oz - REFILL$4
juice
powder
Sought after for its inherent tang as well as its cotton-candy food coloring effects, cranberry juice powder can be a tasty and aromatic natural alternative to standard food colorings.
2 oz - JAR$7
2 oz - REFILL$6
8 oz - REFILL$19
powder
Hibiscus flower powder is a fine, brightly-hued powder. Its bright magenta color can add a nice visual pop to your foods.
TRY ME - SAMPLE$0.75
2 oz - JAR$4
2 oz - REFILL$3
8 oz - REFILL$9
powder
A natural food colorant, Butterfly pea flower powder can be used in many sweet treats, giving them an alluring vibrant blue hue.
TRY ME - SAMPLE$0.75
2 oz - JAR$6
2 oz - REFILL$5
8 oz - REFILL$14
