Pink Butterfly Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing Easy Decorated Cookies)

These pink butterfly cookies were one of the sweetest details on our Bambi-inspired spring brunch table. Inspired by the soft woodland palette and delicate florals of the season, they add a light, whimsical touch that feels perfectly at home in a spring garden setting. With their soft pink icing and simple white scrollwork, these cookies bring a bit of storybook charm to the table. If you’d like to see how they fit into the full brunch, you can explore the entire Bambi spring brunch here.

Butterfly Cookies with Royal Icing

Makes 2 dozen cookies

COOKIE INGREDIENTS

¾ cup (1½ sticks butter), room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2¾ cups flour, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

COOKIE INSTRUCTIONS

Make cookie dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.

If dough feels sticky, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until workable. Shape into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours.

Bake cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into butterfly shapes.

Place cookies on prepared baking sheet 2–3 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until edges are set and lightly golden.

Cool completely before decorating.

ROYAL ICING

4 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6–8 tablespoons warm water
Pink gel food coloring

Make Royal Icing
Combine confectioner’s sugar, meringue powder, and 6 tablespoons of warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed for approximately 2 minutes. When you lift up the whisk, the icing should drizzle down smoothly. Add more water ½ tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency. If icing is too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar.

2. Divide icing into bowls. Tint one portion soft pink and leave one portion white.

COOKIE DECORATION

Pink Royal Icing (flood consistency)
White Royal Icing (piping consistency)

Add pink royal icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Outline the butterfly cookie, then fill in the center. Use a toothpick to smooth the icing and remove air bubbles. Allow to set until firm, about 2–4 hours or overnight for best results.

2. Add white royal icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe delicate scrollwork, swirls, and dots onto the wings. Allow icing to fully set before serving or stacking.

Chill for success
Chilling the dough ensures your cookies hold their shape and gives you those clean, defined butterfly edges.

Roll evenly
Aim for an even ¼-inch thickness so the cookies bake uniformly and create a smooth surface for decorating.

Master your icing consistency
Flood icing should settle smoothly within 10–15 seconds, while detail icing should hold its shape for clean scrollwork.

Let layers fully dry
Allow the pink base layer to dry completely before adding white details to prevent bleeding and keep designs crisp.

Use a toothpick for perfection
A toothpick is your best tool for smoothing icing and popping any air bubbles for a polished finish.

These butterfly cookies are such a simple addition to the table, but they add just the right amount of softness and detail to the overall setting. Paired with florals and natural textures, they feel like a small extension of the spring season.