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This vanilla glaze is the perfect all-purpose topping for baked goods of all kinds, including muffins, cakes, cookies, and quick breads. It only takes a few seconds to mix up and elevates any baking project.
I’m a big fan of baking garnishes and toppers of all kinds. They take any basic baked good and turn it into something special and worthy of being shared and displayed. This vanilla glaze recipe is probably the most versatile baking topping of them all, and the one I use the most often when I think that my cookies, loaves, or muffins just need a little something extra. I love that this glaze recipe only takes about a minute to mix up and drizzle over your baking, but it really makes it look like you went the extra mile to make something truly decadent and indulgent. If you’re looking for a simple glaze that just works every time, this is it!
Ingredients Needed for the Basic Vanilla Glaze
You’ll need:
- Powdered confectioner’s sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk (or a non-dairy milk such as almond, coconut, soy, oatmilk, etc.)
That’s it! Traditional vanilla extract will give the glaze a bit of an off-white color and make it more of a creamy, warm-white color. If you’d like to keep the glaze a true, bright white, just use clear vanilla extract, which can be found in baking supply stores or online.
Method for Preparing the Vanilla Glaze
If you don’t regularly mix up glazes like this, you’re probably under the impression that it’s more difficult or time-consuming than it is. Before I started obsessively garnishing and topping all of my baked goods, I definitely had the idea that a glaze like this would require me to haul out special tools like a stand mixer, or at least a whisk or something like that, but in fact, none of those tools are needed.
To make the glaze, measure out the icing sugar into a glass measuring cup, small pitcher, or little bowl. Carefully add in the vanilla extract, then the milk.
Be sure to add only a small amount of milk at first. You can always add more milk as needed, but you can’t take it out. Even a few drops of extra milk can have a big impact on the consistency of your glaze, and you don’t want it to be too thin and runny when it comes time for drizzling.
Stir the glaze vigorously with a spoon until the mixture is smooth and even, and all the lumps of icing sugar have broken up. This should take you about 20-30 seconds at the most.
When you’re ready to glaze your baked goods, place cooled cookies, muffins, or cakes on a wire cooling rack with a layer of parchment or wax paper underneath to catch drips. Gently drizzle the glaze over the baking using a teaspoon, moving your hand in a zigzag motion as you go.
Allow the glaze to set for about twenty minutes before serving your treats or packing them up to be saved for later.
Here’s the full printable recipe.
This vanilla glaze is the perfect all-purpose topping for baked goods of all kinds, including muffins, cakes, cookies, and quick breads. It only takes a few seconds to mix up and elevates any baking project.
- 1 cup Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 tbsp Milk (or non-dairy substitute like almond, oat, soy, etc.)
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Add the powdered icing sugar to a glass measuring cup or small bowl.
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Add in the vanilla extract, then the milk. Always use a small amount of milk at first, and add more as needed.
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Mix all ingredients together vigorously with a spoon until all of the sugar clumps break up and you have a smooth, even mixture.
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If necessary, add more milk to the mixture, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the perfect consistency is reached for drizzling.
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When the glaze is ready, drizzle it over cooled cookies, cakes, muffins, and loaves. Allow to set for about 20 minutes before serving or storing for later.
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.