Spring Flowers & Smiling Sun Sugar Cookies are delicious, crunchy chocolate cookies decorated with super simple designs. These bright and cheerful cookies are easy to make, even for beginners, using corn syrup icing.
Why you'll love this recipe
- The chocolate sugar cookies can be made ahead and frozen for when you have time for decorating.
- This recipe uses Glaze Icing which is easy to make and work with. Even children can have decorating success with this icing.
- The icing dries firm for easy storing or packing.
- This bright and cheerfull design is super easy to create!
These Spring Flowers and Smiling Sun cookies were created for a spring time care package. They would be perfect for any spring time or summer event.
The designs are simple and each uses just two colors of icing. The details are added with sprinkles and a food coloring marker.
Whether you are creating a care package or celebrating spring/summer sunshine, these pretty cookies are sure to brighten anyone's day.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cookies
- Combine the ingredients to form the dough.
- Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to slightly less than ½” thick (about ⅜”)
- Cut out 2 ½” circles.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet about 1” apart and bake for 7-8 minutes.
Icing
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the icing ingredients to the consistency of white glue.
- Spoon about 3 tablespoons of icing into each of four small bowls. Color the icing light green, dark green, orange, and yellow. Spoon each color of icing into a separate piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip.
Spring Flowers Cookies
- Pipe the light green background color onto 12 cookies, then allow to dry at least one hour.
- Use the dark green icing to create stems and leaves. Stick a flower sprinkle on the tip of each stem.
Smiling Sun Cookies
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- Use the rim of a small plastic container to gently imprint a circle at the center of each cookie.
- Go over the circle outline with orange icing. Allow the outline to dry slightly before filling in with yellow icing and adding the candy eyes.
- Add straight and wiggly lines with the yellow and orange icing,to create rays of sunshine.
- Let the cookies dry completely (overnight or longer) then use a food writer to draw on eyebrows and smiles.
Storage
Store Spring Flowers and Smiling Sun Sugar Cookies in cellophane cookie bags or between wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Spring care package
- Simply line the box with sunny yellow wrapping paper.
- Glue on some clip art.
- Fill with brightly colored boxes of candy, puzzle books, and outdoor toys for de-stressing.
Tips
- Always air dry iced sugar cookies overnight to allow the icing to harden before storing or packing.
- For shipping, use plastic wrap to double wrap each cookie before placing snuggly in a column in freezer weight ziplock bags.
Related recipes
Strawberry Lemonade Bars are the new recipe included in this care package. These soft and fruity bars are bursting with strawberry and lemon.
Cookie Press Butter Cookies are an easy way to make dozens of pretty flower cookies quickly with just 4 ingredients and no decorating needed.
May Flowers Cookies are another iced sugar cookie perfect for a spring care package or event.
Jam Butter Cookies are delicioiusly crunchy cookies that will melt in your mouth. Make them with your favorite jam flavors.
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Spring Flower and Smiling Sunshine Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup cocoa
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
CORN SYRUP ICING
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk plus extra for thinning
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring
Instructions
Cookies
- Pre heat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar just until combined.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla. Then mix in salt, baking powder and cocoa.
- Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time. If making the cookies right away, use 3 ½ cups of flour. If refrigerating dough for use in several hours or several days, use only 3 cups of flour.
- Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper to slightly less than ½” thick (about ⅜”)
- Cut out 2 ½” circles.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet about 1” apart and bake for 7-8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
Icing
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the icing ingredients and mix until smooth. The icing should be the consistency of white glue. Add more milk in tiny increments if needed to thin the icing to the desired consistency.
- Spoon about 3 tablespoons of icing into each of four small bowls. Color the icing light green, dark green, orange, and yellow.
- Spoon each color of icing into a separate piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip (#5 for the background color and # 3 for the details).
- For Spring Flower cookies, pipe the light green background color onto 12 cookies, then allow to dry at least one hour.
- Use the dark green icing to create stems and leaves. Stick a flower sprinkle on the tip of each stem.
- For Smiling Sun cookies, use the rim of a small plastic container to gently imprint a circle at the center of each cookie. Go over the circle outline with orange icing. Allow the outline to dry slightly before filling in with yellow icing and adding the candy eyes.
- Change the tip on the yellow icing to a smaller circle opening (#3). Add straight and wiggly lines with the yellow and orange icing,to create rays of sunshine.
- Let the cookies dry completely (overnight or longer) then use a food writer to draw on eyebrows and smiles.
- Store in cellophane cookie bags or between wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
Packing tips
- Stack individually wrapped cookies (using cellophane cookie bags or plastic wrap) in an airtight container or freezer weight ziplock bag.
- Pad the box carefully to ensure no movement within the box during shipping.
Nutrition
First Published: May 6, 2015. Last Updated: June 24, 2023. Updated for additional information, improved photos, and better reader experience.
Frugal Hausfrau
Darling! You've really outdone yourself this week! Thanks for sharing on Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
The Monday Box
Thanks, Mollie!These were made easy with the ready made flowers and the ready made eyes! The smiles on the suns make me smile. 🙂 Thanks for hosting Throwback Thursday!
Mir
These cookies are GORGEOUS. I am full of awe. I get the hand shakes when icing cookies and then they all look like relatives from a similar family, but not the same. Yours are completely perfect!
What an amazing care package!
By the way, Party City is one of my favorite places. Along with Target, and Michaels, and well...everywhere that sells baking blogger stuff!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Mir, but honestly, I pick/create the designs for these cookies based on their super simpleness. Truly, if I can make them, anyone can! I love how these can be easy enough for ANYONE to make but be impressive enough that the time and caring that went into making them is obvious. 🙂 p.s. A gift of cookies that each look unique and special (like relatives from a similar family) rather than carbon copies of one another, is even more wonderful. 🙂
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
These are so adorable!! And doesn't everyone have a sprinkle cabinet?? LOL
The Monday Box
Thanks, Dorothy! If they don't have a sprinkles cabinet, where would they keep all their sprinkles?? 😉
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
Oh I can't wait until your cookbook comes out! Your decorating is inspired and your generosity amazing. Have a wonderful Mother's day! These are adorable.
The Monday Box
Tricia, you have the job as my personal cheerleader. 🙂 You are so incredibly supportive. I don't know about a cookbook, but I do know that I love what I am doing. Recently, I was chatting with a stranger on an airplane. He told me that he had just given a graduation speech. The theme of his speech was, "Don't just do well, do good." I try. 🙂 I hope you had a joyful weekend and Mother's Day!
Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine
Wendy, these cookies are adorable! And you are so thoughtful to take such care for your soldiers. I know they must be so excited when a box comes from you!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Chris! I have so much fun searching out or thinking up design ideas for these military care package cookies! Simple is key. I hope they bring smiles to the soldiers. I know I smile when soldier B. sends me a message that the package arrived and was received with enthusiasm. 🙂
Ashley
I love that you have a sprinkles cabinet! That made me smile!
And those daisy cookies I just love! They are so pretty and perfect for this time of the year!
The Monday Box
Thanks,Ashley! I will be sure to tell my husband that other bloggers approve of my "collection" ! 😉
Monica
haha - I really want a sprinkles cabinet, too, now! These cookies are fantastic - love the flowers and they would not have been the same without those marvelous sprinkles, so well done! : ) Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, Wendy!
The Monday Box
Purchasing sprinkles is a slippery slope, my friend. Be careful what you wish for! 😉 I hope you enjoy your Mother's Day with lots of hugs, Monica! 🙂