Polar Bear Sugar Cookies

These polar bear sugar cookies are just the thing to make if you have never decorated sugar cookies before. The shape of the bear is easy to outline and there are only two colors of royal icing needed — flood consistency white and a tiny bit of a stiffer icing in black for the eyes, nose and paws.


Flood consistency royal icing is just icing that has been thinned with a bit of water, a few drops at a time, until the icing is loose enough to spread and smooth out over the cookie. To test your icing to see if it is the correct consistency, draw a line though it with a table knife. It should take between 10 and 20 seconds for the line in the icing to disappear.

I always use a #2 pastry tip for the outline and filling of my cookies.

Here are the steps in making the bears and my favorite recipe for royal icing:

Make and bake a batch of bear sugar cookies.

With flood consistency white royal icing, outline and fill the cookies. Let the icing dry for at least 15 minutes before adding stiffer black royal icing for the details — two dots for the eyes, a larger dot for the nose and a thick line on each foot for the paws.

Royal Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Food coloring, optional

In a large bowl combine meringue powder, water and lemon juice and stir until meringue powder is dissolved. Add powdered sugar and with an electric mixer on low speed, beat until evenly moistened. Then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Divide and tint as desired and add water a few drops at a time to get desired consistency.