15 Creatively Iced Sugar Cookie Designs and Recipes to Inspire You
Updated on March 13, 2023
When it comes to getting creative, we’ll fully admit that somethings our stomachs get the best of us and we choose to put our most artistic skills to use in the kitchen rather than on the knitting needles or our sewing machine, or perhaps the crafting table. We’re just such huge food lovers that sometimes getting crafting where meals and desserts are concerned is the most fun! Because we often talk about having such a sweet tooth, we’re sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone reading this that cookies are one of our favourite things to make. Even though we adore cookies in all shapes, kinds, and flavours, we’ve gone through a bit of a sugar cookie obsession recently that has let us explore a whole range of new kinds that we’d never tried before, which is something we love doing (and which our family has quite enjoyed indeed, since it means they’ve had a nearly constant supply of sweet treats over the last few months). We’d only ever had classic sugar cookies as kids, so we had no idea just how many exciting kinds were out there!
Just in case you love sugar cookies as much as we do, if not more, here are 15 of the very best designs, ideas, flavours, and recipes we’ve come across so far in our delicious baking and taste testing mission.
1. The perfect sugar cookie
Let’s start off with the basics; just in case you’ve actually never tried baking sugar cookies yourself from scratch but you’re interested in learning because you love their taste so much, here’s our favourite simple recipe for a classic tastes that hearkens back to happy childhood days! Try this “perfect” sugar cookie from The DIY Foodie out first so you’ve got a great base and then try getting creative and putting fun twists on the idea from there!
2. Lemon Greek yogurt sugar cookies
Even before we started our delicious mission to try as many unique sugar cookie recipes as we possibly can, we already knew just how scrumptious adding a few drops of lemon to the mix can be. It’d the same texture and sweetness you love, but with a bit of a fresh tasting twist! When we found this recipe and tutorial from Dreaming in DIY, however, we were beyond excited to take the idea even further. Besides adding lemon to your cookie mix, they also show you how to make a deliciously creamy icing from Greek yogurt.
3. Paintable watercolour sugar cookies
Are you actually the kind of artistic person who adores nothing more than combining your various creative skills together in one place? In that case, we have a feeling you’re going to get along very well indeed with this fantastic hand painted cookie idea that, believe it or not, is actually hand painted! Momtastic guides you through the process of making a harder, fondant-like icing as your base and painting a delicate, sweet, and very colourful layer on top like you would with water colour paints.
4. Sprinkled swirl sugar cookies
If you’re going to get creative in the kitchen when it comes to baking, would you rather make something super brightly coloured and a little extra sweet that you just know your kids will go wild for? Then we have a feeling you’ll all get along very well indeed with this fantastically colourful spiralled sugar cookie design encrusted with rainbow sprinkles. Fab Art DIY shows you how to make it happen.
5. Marbled sugar cookies
Were you quite intrigued indeed by the idea of making more artistically inspired sugar cookies like the water colour ones, but you’ve actually never found that you have quite a delicate enough hand to really get that water colour effect you love? Then perhaps this similar but slightly more marbled cookie icing design would be a better option for you! Learn how this beautiful alternative is done in more detail on The Wood and Spoon.
6. Super soft gluten free sugar cookies
If you’re going to make a batch of sugar cookies big enough to get your family excited, or perhaps to share at an upcoming party or dinner you’re hosting, would you rather make sure everyone present can enjoy them… even if they have certain dietary restrictions? In that case, we’d definitely suggest bookmarking this delicious gluten free sugar cookie recipe outlined step by step on Cleverly Simple! We love this particular recipe because they really do taste just like the cookies you’re probably used to, even if they’re made with different ingredients.
7. Mini pizza sugar cookies
For you and your kids, has half the fun of sugar cookies really always been in the decorating and presentation, since you already know you’ll always love how they taste? Then we think you’re going to get a very big kick indeed out of this delicious miniature pizza design outlined step by step on Shaken Together Life! They show you how to used candy and chocolate to transform the tops of the cookies, as well as how to make little “pizza boxes” to put them in for a bit of presentation.
8. Tie dye sugar cookies
Are you feeling very interested indeed in these unique cookie icing methods that look like other art techniques you might have tried before, but you’d prefer one that’s ever so slightly simpler so that your kids can get in on the fun too? Then we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how DIY Beautify made these awesomely bright tie-dye inspired sugar cookies by icing their shapes strategically and then carefully dragging the colours into each other.
9. Sugar cookie snowflakes
Are you the kind of very prepared DIY enthusiast who loves to keep track of different seasonal cookie designs that you might use all throughout the year, even if it’s not quite that season right now? In that case, even though the weather is warm and the sun is shining, we think you absolutely must take a look at the way Catch My Party made these wonderfully detailed monochromatic snowflake cookies that will practically melt in your mouth.
10. Chai spice sugar cookies
Have you actually been scrolling through our list and admiring all the icing designs but thinking about how you’d actually prefer to try something a little more unique and creative regarding the flavour of your cookies? Well, if you’ve ever been a warm drinks enthusiast, then we have a feeling these Chai spice sugar cookies featured on My Frugal Adventures might be right up your alley! They show you how to make your cookies taste just like a deliciously creamy and perfectly spiced Chai latte in just a few simple steps.
11. Spicy sugar cookies
For a long while now, we’ve been really big fans of any recipe that combines sweet and salty in one place. There’s just something so delicious about the way those flavours play off each other with every bite! Recently, however, we discovered another similar bit slightly more fiery flavour combination that we just can’t get over: sweet and spicy! We’re sure you can imagine, then, how pleased we were when we stumbled across this sugar cookies from The DIY Mommy that serve you precisely that.
12. Monster sugar cookies
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about sugar cookie recipe that might really appeal to your kids but you know your little ones have always loved characters and funny faces a little more than they have random bright colours and shapes? Then we’re very pleased to direct your attention to these adorable little monster shaped cookies from Suzy Lizz! They show you how to combine the icing swirling technique we showed you earlier with some simple edible marker drawing for a really fun decorating process.
13. Miniature stacked sugar cookie cakes
Are your absolute favourite cookie decorating designs, no matter what kind of cookies you’re making, always the ones that involve a little bit of shape and construction, rather than just fancying up a simply flat and circular cookie? In that case, we think perhaps Something Turquoise has just the design for you! Take a closer look at their tutorial to see how they created miniature cake towers by stacking several cookies in decreasing size on top of one another, with icing in between the layers just like a real cake.
14. Starburst sugar cookies
Speaking of silly recipes that will probably really appeal to your kids, have you ever thought of getting really unique with your baking process and combining your cookies with candy? Well, believe it or not, that basic concept actually makes for one of our very favourite flavour ideas on this whole list. Take a look at the step by step instructions featured on Smart Schoolhouse to see how they added flavour to their sugar cookies using Starbursts candies rather than just icing!
15. DIY sugar cookie scented body scrub
Now, we know that we said we’d talk about actual cookie recipes on this list, but when we came across this fantastic cookie inspired idea within our search, we simply couldn’t resist including it on our list for the DIY lovers out there whose favourite things to make are spa products that smell like their favourite treats! Sugar & Soul Co. guides you step by step through the process of making a sweet, exfoliating body scrub that smells just like the sugar cookies you love so much.
Do you know a fellow baking lover and DIY kitchen enthusiast who loves sugar cookies just as much as we do, if not more, and always has their eyes peeled for even more cute cookie decorating ideas and unique tasting recipes than they already have up their sleeve? Share this post with them to give them a few more fun things to try out!