Make these easy-to-make dinosaur sugar cookies in no time. Just mix, roll, bake, and decorate.
How to Make Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
- Prepare the dough: Add the cornstarch, flour, salt, and baking powder together and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with sugar. Mix the egg and vanilla into the butter, then add the flour and mix well.
- Chill the dough: Put the dough onto plastic wrap and press it into a flat rectangular shape. Wrap and place into the fridge. Refrigerate the dough for four hours.
- Cut the cookies: Dust your work surface and the surface of the dough with extra flour. Roll the dough into the desired thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter into the shapes you want. Freeze the cookies for another 30 minutes.
- Bake: Remove the cookies from the freezer and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dinosaurs are golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the icing: Add the sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla extract together. Mix on low until the icing is smooth and glossy.
- Dye the icing: Divide the icing between bowls. Add drops of food dye and stir, continuing to do so until you’ve reached a shade or two lighter than the desired color. The colors will darken a bit as they dry.
- Decorate: Place the blue, orange, yellow, and green icing in pastry bags fitted with #2 tips. Using the icing, outline, and flood dinosaur cookies. Draw on them with food coloring markers. Let the icing dry completely before storing.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
To Store: Dinosaur sugar cookies can be stored in layers between sheets of parchment in an airtight container for up to five days. They can also be refrigerated to keep them fresh for up to two weeks.
To Freeze: Sugar cookies also freeze really well. Let them cool completely, decorate, and freeze for up to three months. To defrost, put them in the refrigerator overnight or enjoy them while frozen.
Recipe Variations for Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
Swap the extract: For a nutty twist, substitute the vanilla with the same amount of almond extract in the cookie dough.
Gluten-free option: Replace the wheat flour with a gluten-free flour blend in equal amounts. Ensure the blend contains xanthan gum for proper texture.
Lemon zest cookies: To add a refreshing citrus flavor, add the zest of two lemons to the cookie dough. Mix it in along with the vanilla extract.
Chocolate chip dinosaurs: Fold one cup of chocolate chips into the cookie dough before rolling it out.
Coconut sugar substitution: Substitute granulated sugar with coconut sugar for a healthier alternative. Use the same amount of coconut sugar as granulated sugar in the recipe.
Cinnamon spice: Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
Orange icing: Replace the blue icing with orange by using orange gel food coloring instead. Simply swap out the blue coloring with the orange one for a vibrant citrus hue.
Mint chocolate chip: Add one teaspoon of peppermint extract to the cookie dough and fold in half a cup of mini chocolate chips.
Rainbow sprinkles: Roll the cookie dough in rainbow sprinkles before cutting out shapes. The sprinkles will be pressed into the dough and stick.
Maple syrup glaze: Mix a quarter cup of maple syrup with one cup of powdered sugar to create a delicious maple glaze. Drizzle it over the cooled cookies for a sweet finishing touch.
Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, large
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For the royal icing:
- 4 tbsp meringue powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- blue gel food coloring
- green gel food coloring
- orange gel food coloring
- yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
- Add the flour, corn starch, salt and baking powder to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, cream the butter with sugar.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix well.
- Put the dough onto plastic wrap and press into a flat rectangle shape.
- Wrap, and place into fridge.
- Refrigerate the dough for 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dust work surface and surface of dough with extra flour.
- Roll the dough 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick or desired thickness.
- Cut with cookie cutter shapes.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet on parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer then bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- To make the icing, add the sugar, meringue powder, water and vanilla extract to a bowl.
- Mix on low speed until icing is smooth and glossy.
- Divide the icing between bowls.
- Add in a few drops of coloring and stir, continuing to do so until you’ve reached a shade or two lighter then the desired color.
- Colors will darken a bit as they dry.
- Place the blue, orange, yellow and green icing in pastry bags fitted with #2 tips.
- Using the icing, outline and flood dinosaur cookies.
- Draw on them with food coloring markers.
- Let the icing dry completely before storing.
- Store cookies between parchment in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Chilling dough: Refrigerating the dough helps it firm up, making it easier to work with and prevents the cookies from spreading during baking.
- Freezing tip: After cutting out the cookie shapes, freeze them for 30 minutes and then bake them straight out of the freezer. This helps the cookies to hold their shape and maintain crisp edges while baking
- Icing consistency: If the icing mix is too thick, add a few drops of water; if the glazing is too thin, add more powdered sugar and mix until the desired consistency is reached.
- Color mixing: When adding food coloring to the icing, start with a drop or two and add a drop more while mixing until you reach the desired shade. Remember, colors will darken slightly as they dry.
- Drying time: Allow the icing to dry completely before storing or stacking the cookies. This prevents smudging or sticking and ensures the decorations stay intact. If the glaze is very thick, the icing can take up to 24 hours to dry completely, so be patient.
- Storage: Store the cookies between layers of parchment paper in a resealable container to prevent them from drying out. They can be stored for up to five days, but chances are they won’t last that long!
