✔ Updated · clearer method, fixed card amounts and times, icing guide
These Baby Yoda cookies are fan-made sugar cookies inspired by the big-eared green character fans nicknamed Baby Yoda. The clever part needs no special cutter: a regular angel cookie cutter does the work, and Lucy still thinks it’s magic.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Freeze the cut-out dough for 15 minutes before baking. Cold dough keeps the ears sharp instead of spreading into blobs.
Trim off the angel's head and the wings become the wide ears, the robe becomes the body, and green and tan royal icing finish the look. Below is a no-spread vanilla sugar cookie dough, a royal icing guide with the right consistencies for outlining and flooding, and decorating tips, so they're easy enough for a first-time cookie decorator and fun to make with kids.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- No special cutter: a standard angel cookie cutter creates the shape.
- No-spread dough that keeps clean edges for decorating.
- A fun project for birthdays, movie nights and baking with kids.
How the Angel Cookie Cutter Trick Works
The shape idea spread on social media because it uses a cutter many bakers already own from the holidays. An angel cutter has a round head on top, two wings that point out and up, and a wide robe. Cut off the head and round the cut edge with a butter knife, and the wings sit at the top of the cookie like a pair of wide, pointed ears.
From there, it's all icing: green on the top for the head and ears, tan on the lower half for the body, then two large black dots with a tiny white highlight for the eyes. This is a fan-made, character-inspired cookie, not an official or licensed design.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Measure the flour carefully. Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Too much flour makes the dough crack when rolling; too little makes the cookies spread. I weigh mine when I’m decorating, because the shapes matter here.
- Roll between parchment. Rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment avoids extra flour, and you can chill the whole sheet for 10 minutes if the dough gets soft.
- Get two icing consistencies. Stiff icing (like toothpaste) for outlines and details, and thinner flood icing that settles smooth in 8 to 10 seconds. Too-thin icing runs off the edges and dries blotchy.
- Let colors set before they touch. Give the green 20 minutes to crust before flooding the tan beside it, or the colors bleed into each other.
- Easier option: skip the royal icing and spread the cooled cookies with a thin layer of green-tinted buttercream (1 cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla). Buttercream stays soft, so the cookies can't be stacked.
Baby Yoda-Inspired Sugar Cookies
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cookies1
hour15
minutes11
minutes220
kcal7
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minutesFan-made, character-inspired cut-out sugar cookies: a no-spread vanilla sugar cookie dough cut with a regular angel cookie cutter, trimmed into shape, baked, then decorated with green, tan, black and white royal icing.
Ingredients
- For the Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- For the Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or clear vanilla
6 tablespoons water, at room temperature, plus more as needed
green gel food coloring
brown gel food coloring (for tan)
black gel food coloring
- Equipment
1 angel-shaped cookie cutter (about 3 1/2 inches)
piping bags or zip-top bags, and toothpicks
Directions
- Make and Cut the Cookies
- Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then the baking powder and salt.
- On low speed, add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes with the angel cookie cutter and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
- With a butter knife, trim off the angel’s head and smooth the cut edge into a rounded dome. The wings become the wide, pointed ears and the robe becomes the body. Re-roll the scraps once.
- Freeze the cut cookies on the sheet for 15 minutes so they hold their shape. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating halfway, until the edges are just set and barely golden. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then on a wire rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
- Make the Royal Icing
- Beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla and 6 tablespoons water on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, until thick and glossy with stiff peaks. Add more water 1 teaspoon at a time if it is too stiff to pipe.
- Divide the icing: about 2 cups for green, 1 cup for tan (a tiny drop of brown), 1 tablespoon for black and 1 teaspoon left white. Tint with gel coloring and keep each bowl covered with a damp towel.
- For flooding, thin part of the green and tan icing with water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until a ribbon drizzled across the surface disappears in about 8 to 10 seconds. Keep some stiffer icing of each color for outlining. Spoon each into piping bags.
- Decorate
- Outline and flood the head and ears with green icing and the body with tan, letting the green set for 20 minutes before flooding the tan next to it so the colors don’t bleed. Pop air bubbles with a toothpick.
- While the icing is still wet, pipe two large black dots for eyes and add a tiny white dot to each with a toothpick. Add a thin line of stiff tan icing for the collar if you like.
- Let the cookies dry uncovered at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, until the icing is hard before stacking or packing.
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Royal Icing Consistency Guide
Thin the icing with water a little at a time, and thicken it with a spoonful of powdered sugar if you go too far. For more cut-out cookie ideas, see our easy sugar cookies.
| Consistency | What it looks like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff | Holds a peak, like toothpaste | Outlines, collar details |
| Medium (15-second) | Ribbon disappears in about 15 seconds | Outlines and the eyes |
| Flood (8 to 10-second) | Ribbon disappears in 8 to 10 seconds | Filling in the green and tan areas |
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Dough: wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before rolling.
- Baked, undecorated cookies: airtight at room temperature for 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Decorated cookies: once the icing is fully dry, store airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Gifting: bag each fully dried cookie in a cellophane bag and heat-seal or tie it closed to keep it fresh.
More Cookies to Try
Frequently Asked Questions
What cookie cutter do you use for Baby Yoda cookies?
A regular angel cookie cutter of about 3 1/2 inches works well. Cut out the angel, then trim off the head and round the top with a butter knife: the wings become the ears and the robe becomes the body. Character-shaped cutters are also sold, but you don't need one.
Can I make the icing without meringue powder?
Yes. Use 2 pasteurized egg whites in place of the meringue powder and about half the water, or make a simple glaze of powdered sugar, a little milk and light corn syrup. A glaze dries softer and more matte than royal icing, so handle the cookies gently.
How long does royal icing take to dry?
The surface crusts in about 1 hour, but allow 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, for the icing to dry hard enough to stack, bag or pack the cookies. A fan in the room speeds it up; humid weather slows it down, and a Tennessee summer slows it a lot.
How do I keep the cookies from spreading?
Use butter that is softened but not greasy, measure the flour carefully, and freeze the cut-out shapes for 15 minutes before baking. Bake on cool baking sheets lined with parchment, and don't add extra baking powder.
How do I store decorated sugar cookies?
Once the icing is completely dry, store the cookies in a single layer or with parchment between layers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Undecorated baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months, and the raw dough keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
