Like many other girls her age, my 8-year-old daughter is going through a unicorn phase. Pencil cases, backpacks, T-shirts – she even has a unicorn bed set!
Naturally, when her birthday rolled around, we decided to throw her a unicorn birthday party, complete with her favorite unicorn cookies.
Since it was a big party, I didn’t have all the time in the world to bake, so I relied on these super easy unicorn cookies recipes (and my lemon cookies) to keep the kids happy until the big cake reveal.
Even if you’re not a big baker, don’t worry – I’ll show you easy ways to modify the recipes and make them simpler. Now, onto the good stuff!
Unicorn Cookie Recipe
These cookies are guaranteed to be a big hit at the party because A) they’re shaped like unicorns and look adorable, and B) they taste delicious. I dare you not to eat them all in one sitting!
Before you get to baking, here’s what you’ll need for the icing:
- Piping bag set
- Rainbow sprinkles (optional)
- Edible markers
- Food coloring (purple, green, yellow, pink, blue – feel free to experiment)
- 5 tbsp meringue powder
- 16-oz box of powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
Don’t forget to purchase a set of unicorn cookie cutters if you haven’t got them already! You can find them on Amazon in different shapes, so pick whichever ones you like best. Also, make sure they look like they will be easy to decorate.
For the cookies, you can either make the cookie dough from scratch or you can go to the store and purchase a sugar cookie mix and bake it according to the instructions on the box.
If you’re able to spend a little more time in the kitchen mixing the dough, then I definitely recommend making the cookie mix from scratch. Maybe you can even ask the kids to help – if they’re old enough, of course.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for the cookie dough:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 3 cups flour (all-purpose)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Prep time: 60 minutes
Total time: 70 minutes
Start by preparing the sugar cookie mix according to the box instructions or setting up the ingredients to make the dough from scratch if this is what you prefer. If you choose the latter option, the first step is to combine one teaspoon baking powder and all-purpose flour in a large bowl.
Use a separate bowl to mix the sugar and the butter until the texture becomes soft which should take about 3-4 minutes. As you’re mixing, don’t forget to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl so the butter and sugar are evenly combined.
Add a large egg and keep mixing until the mixture turns a pale color and has a soft texture.
Then, it’s time to add half a teaspoon salt and two teaspoons vanilla extract and mix it well. Get the baking powder and flour mixture and start adding it to the bowl.
It’s important not to dump the whole mix in at once but to use a cup to add it gradually to the buttery mixture so that you can combine it well.
After you’ve combined the two mixtures, cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour or so.
When the dough ball is cooled, use a rolling pin to flatten it out. Then, use your unicorn cookies cutter to cut out shapes from the dough. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and bake for 9-10 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 °F.
After they’re done, arrange them on a wire rack to cool at room temperature (and away from little fingers!) while you prepare the icing.
Use a large mixing bowl and a whisk to combine meringue powder with 3/4 cup of warm water. Then, add the cream of tartar to the mixture and combine again.
Add the sugar and keep mixing until you get a nice, thick, and creamy texture. This is when the fun part begins!
Use smaller bowls to divide the icing (one bowl per color, so if you’re using five different colors you will need five bowls). Since you will need more of the white icing, leave a bigger chunk of it in a large bowl.
Add a few food coloring drops to each bowl and mix until the icing turns the desired shade. Place the icing into separate piping bags and get ready to decorate the cookies!
How you decorate the cookies will depend on the shape of your unicorn cutter. You can leave the unicorn horn as is, but go crazy with the tail and add many different colors.
Use white icing to color the unicorn’s body and head and let your little helpers add rainbow sprinkles wherever they’d like, but you can skip the sprinkles, too.
Here’s another fun tip: You can get a few edible food markers to draw directly on the icing to add even more details to your cookies.
That’s it – your magical unicorn sugar cookies are ready!
Feel free to adjust the recipe as you wish, play around with frosting, or experiment with different cookie cutter shapes. Either way, I guarantee you that the cookies will be gone in the blink of an eye!
Rainbow Unicorn Cookies Recipe
Us moms, we’re busy, so I totally understand if you don’t have time for icing and all the decorating that goes into the recipe above. If you need a recipe that will yield cookies that look super fun and taste delicious, too, while not taking a lot of time to prepare, this is the right one for you.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Gel food coloring (at least 4 different shades)
- Salt (just a pinch)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups flour (all-purpose)
- 1 stick butter (softened, unsalted)
- 1 egg
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Prepare two large bowls. Use one to add and mix the vanilla extract, butter, sugar, egg, and milk. Keep mixing until the texture is creamy and all the lumps are gone.
In the second bowl, combine all-purpose flour with baking powder, and add a pinch of salt. Now, it’s time to add the flour mixture to the ingredients in the other bowl. Do it slowly so you can combine them thoroughly, adding one cup at a time.
Then, separate the dough into four lumps – try to make them evenly sized. Add a different food coloring to each lump of dough and mix until the dough changes color. When you’re done, you should have four lumps of dough in different colors.
Wrap the individual lumps in a bit of plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to cool for half an hour. Then take out the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten out each lump until they are evenly thick. After you have flattened out each lump, stack them on top of one another.
Gently, roll the dough up as though you’re making a Swiss roll. Using a knife cut the cookie dough into slices that are about half an inch and place them on a previously prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pop the baking sheet into the oven preheated to 375 °F and bake for 8-9 minutes. Leave the cookies out to cool for a few minutes before tasting and that’s it!
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoy making these cookies so much that you soon start baking unicorn cakes and cupcakes, too! Sure, you can’t go wrong with brownies, the classic chocolate chip or peanut butter flavor, but these unicorn cookies are guaranteed to give them a run for their money!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the recipes and give them your own twist. After all, that’s my favorite part of cooking and baking – you never know when you might accidentally create something amazing. Happy baking!
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