Cookies bring out the child in everyone and a smile to any event. Everyone loves a good tasting cookie that looks just as pleasing to the eye, as to our tummies. They are easy to bake and decorating them to suit your needs is fun to do.
I'm not a stand out baker or anything, so if I'm able to pull these off, believe me you can too. This is a quick tutorial with links to get you started :-)
Let's talk supplies
You don't need to break the bank in this area. But there are the essentials for making your decorating time easier and faster.
You'll need:
- an assortment of tips, piping bags (disposables or reusable ones; Wilton sells both kinds and you can find them in most craft stores, including WalMart), couplers, a few of these squeezable bottles and a variety of food coloring.
Finding a good cookie & royal icing recipe
The cookies are going to be eaten, so we want them to taste good. I've tried several recipes and trust me, these are always good! Here are my to go to favorites!! Bridget @ Bake at 350, Amanda @ I am Baker, and Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker. These ladies are amazing!
Bridget's advice and recipe for Royal Icing is, in my opinion, one of the best. She gives easy to do details on how the icing should look, it's consistency, some tips, and provided great pictures for us visual learners.
Follow these simple tips in getting working the dough.
1. Divide your dough in half and wrap each portion tightly with Saran wrap and chill them for at least one hour.
2. Roll out your dough onto the actual parchment paper, using a bit of powdered sugar instead of flour. The parchment paper makes it so much easier to transfer your nicely cut shapes onto your baking sheets.
3. Lastly, chill your cut out cookies on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator. This helps the cookies maintain their shape and it does make a difference.
They are baked and ready for the icing
It helps to have an idea of what you want the cookies to look like. I make a quick sketch on some paper and jot down the colors I want to use before I even start baking.
Using a #3 tip outline your cookie according to your set design. Just keep a constant pressure on the bag and release right before you complete the outline. If there are peaks on your edges, take a toothpick and gently press them down.
Use that squeezable bottle filled with your runnier icing to 'flood' the cookie.
Just fill in towards the edges, but don't over fill (flood). Over filling equals a big icing mess! Trust me. The icing will run a bit anyway, and you'll be helping to fill in the empty spots next.
Depending on how big your cookie is, you'll use either a toothpick, a butter knife, a clean popsicle stick, or whatever you have handy, to spread out the icing.
Some air bubbles may appear after a few seconds, just pop with the toothpick.
After this stage the icing needs to harden before you can decorate. I'd give them at least 10 minutes. Since I work with several batches I start outline first, then begin to fill (flood), ending with the spreading. By the time I make my way around, the first cookies are ready for decorating.
The cool, creative part is the decorating. These are just a few samples of what you can create, especially for those special sacraments feast days.
and other fun stuff
The possibilities are endless! Think dragons for St. George, candles for Candlemas, lilies for St. Joseph or for Our Lady. I hope this tutorial has helped to inspire you to try some out and I hope to see some of your samples soon.
Thank you Jessica, for inviting me here to share!
May God bless each of you ladies who contribute your talents and time here at Catholic Cuisine. I, and my family, have benefited greatly from this site. May God reward you for your kindness and efforts!
♥ All Glory and Praise to God ♥
