Description

School Bus Cookies are charming, kid-friendly treats shaped and decorated to resemble classic yellow school buses. These delightful sugar cookies are made with a buttery dough, cut into bus shapes, baked to perfection, and then decorated with vibrant royal icing to capture every whimsical detail from windows to wheels. Perfect for back-to-school parties, classroom celebrations, or simply to bring a smile to any child’s face, these cookies combine playful fun with delicious homemade goodness.

Ingredients

For the Sugar Cookies

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

For the Royal Icing Decoration

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons meringue powder
4–5 tablespoons water
Yellow gel food coloring
Black gel food coloring
White gel food coloring
Red gel food coloring
Blue gel food coloring (optional for window details)

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Instructions

Prepare the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing well to combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to form a smooth dough.
Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to roll out.
Roll and cut the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough disk to about ¼ inch thickness. Use a school bus-shaped cookie cutter or a rectangular cutter with rounded edges to mimic a bus shape. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake the cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare royal icing: In a large bowl, beat together powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until stiff peaks form and icing holds its shape. Divide the icing into separate bowls and tint with respective gel food coloring for yellow, black, white, red, and blue colors.
Decorate the cookies: Outline each cookie with yellow royal icing and flood the inside with more yellow. Let dry for 15-20 minutes. Use black icing to draw wheels, windows frames, and other details. Use white icing for highlights and window panes, red for tail lights, and blue for window details as desired. Allow to dry completely, preferably overnight.
Serve and enjoy: Once decorated icing is fully dry and set, the School Bus Cookies are ready to be served. Store in an airtight container to maintain freshness.

Notes

Ensure the dough is well chilled before rolling out to prevent sticky handling and maintain cookie shape.
If a school bus-shaped cookie cutter is not available, use a rectangular cutter and add details with icing to mimic the bus shape.
Use gel food coloring to avoid watering down the royal icing and maintain stiff consistency.
Store decorated cookies in a single layer within an airtight container for up to one week.
These cookies freeze well at the dough stage; thaw completely before rolling and cutting.