Published: Dec 6, 2024 by Kelly Anthony · 52 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Painted Sugar Cookies

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These Painted Cookies are so easy to make and by far the easiest way to decorate sugar cookies! No piping skills are necessary.

The color possibilities and design options are limitless, far from boring--and your cookie flavors can be exciting too! Our watercolor cookie technique works for literally any shaped cookie, for any occasion.

Closeup shot of a Painted Sugar Cookie tree.

When I ran my at-home bakery, people went wild over these cookies. They sold out every Christmas. My sugar cookies with a homemade cookie frosting were also a hit! Try that recipe next if you're in cookie decorating mode, or for more painted cookie options, consider baking up a batch of gingerbread cookies or these adorable cut-out reindeer cookies.

Overhead shot of Painted Sugar Cookies - trees and wreaths.

Planning for Painted Cookies
How to Make Edible Paint
Painted Cookie Materials
How to Make Painted Sugar Cookies
5 More Beautiful Christmas Cookies

Planning for Painted Cookies

My kids and I have painted sugar cookies every Christmas for as long as I can remember. I like to keep my cookies extra simple with just the stroke of a paintbrush and a few colors, but my children often go the extra mile painting a nativity scene, Santa Clause, bursting stars, ornaments, and more.

The entire cookie process can be as homemade or store-bought as you'd like. Either way, you'll need to plan ahead.

Before you can set those artistic juices flow, know that for most sugar cookie recipes, you'll need to:

Make the dough.
Chill the dough.
Roll the dough.
Cut out the cookies.
Bake the cookies.
Let the cookies cool.
Ice the cookies.
Let the icing set overnight.

If that feels like too much of a process for you, know that royal icing can be applied to scoop-and-bake style cookies like these soft sugar cookies or lemon cookies. The only downside is the tops of the cookies aren't perfectly flat, and you might see some imperfections once your icing sets. But, if you're just in it for the fun, this shouldn't matter too much.

You can make or purchase royal icing from craft stores or even your local grocery store. If you need a quick-fix decorative sugar cookie, you may want to switch gears to this quick-set sugar cookie icing recipe, although I don't recommend painting on it!

How to Make Edible Paint

To make edible paint for cookies, all you have to do is add a few drops of food coloring (about a ½ teaspoon) to your dish and combine with a couple drops of either vodka or extract (about a ¼ teaspoon). Mix together, and you've got cookie paint!

However, keep reading on for tips and tools for mixing and application.

Royally Iced Cookies | Make sure your cookies are completely set and dry. Most of the time, I leave my cookies out overnight to set. They are never stale the next day. The icing seals in the moisture.
Gel Food Coloring | Gel food coloring is bright and vivid, and a little goes a very long way.
Vodka or Flavored Extract | You can use either vodka or a clear extract, such as lemon or almond extract. I prefer to use vodka to keep the flavor of the cookie as clean as possible. Don't worry; you don't taste the vodka at all. More importantly, the alcohol in the vodka will evaporate as it dries, and you are not at risk of intoxicating any children. You can also use water in a pinch, but vodka or extract is best.
Small Paint Brushes | Typically, the design detail is going to be pretty small for painted cookies. The smaller the tips of your brushes are, the better.
Eye Dropper | Trust me, this tool makes it so much easier to add just the right amount of liquid you need...if you don't have a dropper, use a quarter teaspoon measuring spoon and pour slowly or try stopping up the end of a straw and releasing the liquid slowly.
Paint Holder | You need something to keep those "paints" contained. A ceramic egg holder works great, especially if using multiple colors. You can also use a sturdy disposable plastic plate to house your painting pallet.
Wax Paper | Large sheets of wax paper will keep your counters mess-free. It definitely helps when decorating with kids.

I also like to use edible glitter to add a little sparkle to my painted cookies. You ready the glitter for painting in the same way as the food coloring--only it may require a touch more liquid before it is "paintable."

Pro tip: It's best to let the first cookie paint layer dry before adding glitter paint!

In the past, I've also used a mix of cocoa powder and water to paint cookies. For this application, you need to mix about 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of water.

How to Make Painted Sugar Cookies

Prepare the Cookies | Lay your cookies out on a sheet of wax paper. The royal icing must be completely hardened and set before painting. For my cookie design, I used Christmas tree-shaped cookies for the trees and circles for the wreaths.

Ready Your Paint | Ready your cookie paint by choosing colors and mixing with either vodka or extract. The colors I chose were a leafy green, teal blue, and brown.

Paint Your Cookies (Tree Design) | For the trees, draw a green line down the cookie and make brush strokes from the line toward the tip of the cookie. Do this until most of the cookie is painted. Then, come in with the teal and make fine brush strokes on top of the green. Lastly, paint the trunk brown.

Once the cookie paint is almost set (after about an hour), if you'd like you can come in with a yellow/gold edible glitter paint and dot lights sporadically on the tree.

Paint Your Cookies (Wreath Design) | For the wreaths, I used the same leafy green and teal. Start with the green and paint a swirly pattern along the edge of the icing. Then, using a finer brush, do the same with the teal.

Painting wreaths on sugar cookie with royal icing

If you'd like to add red berries once the cookie paint is almost set, you can top the cookies with red edible glitter paint.

Drawing red berries on painted sugar cookies with red icing

Set | Allow the cookies to set for at least 3 hours before storing.

Closeup of a Painted Sugar Cookie Wreath.

5 More Beautiful Christmas Cookies

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