Marbled Glazed Sugar Cookies
Buttery drop sugar cookies swirled with red dye for visual appeal. Dough is marbled by rolling two colors together, chilled, then cut into shapes and baked until edges set. Finished with a smooth powdered sugar glaze and dried completely before serving.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rollinggluten-free all-purpose flour1:1dietary
texture may vary
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- red food coloring
- 1 cup powdered powdered sugarpowdered confectioners sugar1:1
same product, regional name
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- 2
Beat in egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- 3
Whisk flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt together in a separate bowl.
- 4
Beat flour mixture into butter mixture until combined.
- 5
Divide dough in half and dye one half red with food coloring.
- 6
On a floured surface, arrange small balls of each dough color in a random pattern.
- 7
Roll doughs together with a floured rolling pin, folding and re-rolling as needed to achieve a marbled effect.
- 8
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- 9
Preheat oven to 350F.
- 10
Line or grease 2 cookie sheets.
- 11
Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters and place on prepared sheets.
- 12
Bake for 4-6 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and set.
- 13
Cool cookies completely.
- 14
Combine glaze ingredients and stir until powdered sugar lumps are gone.
- 15
Dip each cooled cookie into glaze, letting excess run off.
- 16
Place on cooling rack or sheet and allow to dry 1-2 hours before storing or serving.
Tips
Fold and re-roll dough multiple times to achieve desired marbling intensity.
Allow glaze to dry completely, 1-2 hours, before stacking or storing to prevent sticking.
Good to Know
Airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
Dough can be prepared, wrapped, and refrigerated up to 2 days. Baked cookies can be frozen up to 1 month.
At room temperature. Glaze can be re-dipped before serving if desired.
Common Mistakes
Skip chilling to avoid soft, uncontrollable dough and thin, flat cookies.
Do not over-roll after marbling to avoid muddy color; stop when pattern is distinct.
Do not store until glaze is completely dry to prevent stickiness and glaze transfer.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
same product, regional name
texture may vary