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The Spruce / Kristina Vanni
These decorated unicorn sugar cookies look impressive, but they are easy to create when you break down the icing technique step by step.
Unicorn shaped cookie cutters can be purchased online or in your favorite kitchen store. Edible gold shimmer is also easy to purchase online and it really make these cookies shine!
For this recipe, you will need an edible cookie pen to draw the unicorn's eyes. These are also available online and at specialty baking shops.
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies:
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
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1 cup granulated sugar
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1 large egg
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2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Unicorn Icing and Decorations:
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3/4 cup warm water
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5 tablespoons meringue powder
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1 teaspoon cream of tartar
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16 ounces confectioners' sugar
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Pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green food coloring
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Edible gold shimmer, or glitter
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare baking sheets by covering with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl once while mixing. Add the egg and mix until pale and fluffy.
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Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine.
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Slowly add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing each time until incorporated.
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Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut into unicorn shapes. Place on prepared baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
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Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.
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For the icing, in a large mixing bowl whisk together water and meringue powder until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk again.
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Add the powdered sugar all at once and mix on medium speed for 10 minutes or until thick.
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Place 2/3 of the icing in one bowl and keep it white. Divide the remaining icing into 6 other smaller bowls. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to dye each of the bowls, pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green. When the desired colors have been achieved, place each color in a separate piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
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Pipe the white icing into all of the cookies first. Start by outlining the edge of the cookie and then fill in the center.
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Brush edible gold shimmer or glitter on the horn of each unicorn.
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Use the pink icing to fill in the ears, to make small dots on the cheeks, and to make one pink flower in the center of the forehead.
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Use the purple icing to make a flower to the left of the pink flower.
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Use the blue icing to make two small flowers to the right of the pink flower.
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Add miscellaneous yellow dots around the flowers.
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Add miscellaneous green dots around the flowers.
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Once the white icing has set, use the edible pen to draw on eyes and eyelashes. (To quickly set, the cookies can be placed in the freezer.)
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Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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254 | Calories |
9g | Fat |
43g | Carbs |
2g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 24 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 254 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 9g | 11% |
Saturated Fat 5g | 25% |
Cholesterol 30mg | 10% |
Sodium 61mg | 3% |
Total Carbohydrate 43g | 16% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 2% |
Total Sugars 30g | |
Protein 2g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 19mg | 1% |
Iron 1mg | 5% |
Potassium 47mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |