Baby Bloom Flower Cookies (Printable)

Buttery flower-shaped treats with soft pastel icing, ideal for festive occasions and springtime.

# Ingredient List:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
04 - 0.75 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 0.75 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Royal Icing

08 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2 tablespoons meringue powder
10 - 4 to 5 tablespoons water
11 - Pastel food coloring gels (pink, yellow, green, blue, lavender)

# Steps:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Beat in egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
04 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
05 - Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to 0.25-inch thickness. Cut flower shapes using a cookie cutter.
08 - Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Re-roll scraps as needed.
09 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are just golden. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in a bowl. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until smooth and thick but spreadable.
11 - Divide icing into small bowls and tint each with a different pastel gel color.
12 - Spread or pipe icing onto cooled cookies. Decorate as desired. Allow icing to set completely before serving or packaging.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're buttery and tender in a way that melts on your tongue, not at all like those dense, hard cookies from the bakery.
  • The royal icing is forgiving—if you mess up a petal, it honestly looks more charming.
  • You can make the dough days ahead and bake fresh whenever you need them, which saves so much stress when hosting.
02 -
  • Don't bake these a minute longer than needed—the golden edges are your signal to pull them out, because they'll harden as they cool and you want that tender interior to stay tender.
  • The icing consistency is everything; too thick and you'll struggle to pipe, too thin and it'll slide right off the cookies like water.
03 -
  • Gel food coloring is worth buying a small set of—it tints royal icing without thinning it like liquid colors do, which means your pastels come out truly pale and pretty.
  • If your icing gets too stiff while you're working with it, add a single teaspoon of water and stir gently; it warms up slightly and becomes spreadable again.
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