Baby in Bloom Sugar Cookies
This recipe creates bakery-quality sugar cookies decorated with royal icing in floral and baby themes. They are suitable for baby showers and gender reveal parties. The flavor combines vanilla and almond extracts.
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Wire Rack
- Cookie cutters (baby-themed and flower shapes)
- Piping bags
- Small round tips
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the Royal Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5 tablespoons water Use 5-6 tablespoons total, adjust for consistency
- 1 package Gel food coloring (pastel pink, lavender, mint green, peach)
- 1 package Edible gold luster dust Optional
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until these wet ingredients are combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, mixing on low speed until everything is just combined. Divide the dough into two disks, wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies using baby-themed and flower cookie cutters, such as onesies, bottles, daisies, or roses.
- Place the cut cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are barely golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the royal icing by beating the powdered sugar and meringue powder together. Add water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency; use a stiff consistency for outlining and a thinner consistency for flooding.
- Divide the icing into separate bowls and tint them with gel food coloring in soft pastel shades. Fill piping bags fitted with small round tips.
- Outline each cookie using the stiff icing, then flood the center with the thinned icing. Let the base layer dry for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
- Once the base layer is dry, pipe delicate floral designs, baby details, and other decorative elements using contrasting pastel colors.
- For a final touch, brush dried flowers or accents with edible gold luster dust mixed with a drop of vodka or lemon extract. Allow all decorations to set completely before you serve or package the cookies.
Notes
I developed these cookies for my sister's baby shower last spring, wanting to create something that felt as fresh and beautiful as the season itself. The combination of soft pastels, delicate floral piping, and classic vanilla-almond flavor made them the centerpiece of the dessert table, and guests photographed them often before eating. Since then, I have made them for many showers, customizing the colors and designs to match the parents' vision of welcoming their little one into bloom.