We used
Stonewall Kitchen's easy to make
Sugar Cookie Mix
 for all these beautiful cookies
and just so you know, each one was decorated by our own amateur decorators!
Many of our staff came in to help (knowing that perhaps at the end of the photo
shoot they would get a treat!). The mix makes a dough that bakes a generous
amount of cookies, is easy to roll out and tasted delicious.
Anyway, we
wanted to show you how easy it can be to decorate beautiful cookies at home. We
used the classic Royal Icing recipe below and a variety of sanding sugars and
dragees that can be found in many supermarkets and in craft stores
everywhere.
Here's some of our general hints and recipes for frosting to
help make cookie decorating a fun and yummy experience this holiday
season! |
| How to Use a Pastry Bag |
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It is much easier to use disposable plastic piping
bags that can be found in most supermarkets in the baking aisle. You'll avoid a
lot of messy cleanup and stained cloth bags. |
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Insert the pointed end of an empty pastry bag into
a heavy drinking glass and fold the top over the rim of the glass (much like
you would insert a garbage bag into a bin). It is much easier to spoon frosting
into the bag this way. The glass is a great place to hold the bag while you
switch tips or take another batch of cookies out of the oven too! |
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Tightly close the pastry bag with a bread bag
twist tie to keep things neat. |
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| General Tips |
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Use a drinking straw to poke a hole in the top of
cookies that have been baked to use as tree ornaments. A string can then easily
be run through and tied to decorate a tree in a very special way. (see recipe
for tree ornaments below) |
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Dip cookie cutters lightly into flour after each
cookie is pressed. This will make cleaner outlines for sugar cookies. |
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Roll cookie dough directly onto very lightly
floured parchment paper. Place uncut sheet on a heavy weight baking sheet and
cut the cookies directly on the pan. Remove the excess dough and the cookies
stay right where they belong without ripping or stretching. |
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After the cookies have been cooked and cooled use
the royal icing to decorate. |
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| Decorating Tips |
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Prepare your Royal Icing, and tint to all your
desired colors. Remember to keep the icing covered with a damp cloth because it
does dry out quickly. |
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Cover the cookies with icing to your desired
pattern. While the icing is still wet use the sanding sugar to accent the
design. |
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If you only want to do a section with sanding
sugar, let the royal icing dry in the areas that you do not want covered and
then put icing on the areas that you do want covered and then coat with sanding
sugar. You can repeat these steps and layer the icing with multiple colors and
sugars. Just allow enough time in between layers for the icing to dry. |
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Here are a
couple recipes for you to try this holiday season. |
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Traditional Royal Icing
Enough for about
24 cookies |
Ingredients |
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¼ cup meringue powder |
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½ cup cold water |
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4 ½ cups confectioners sugar |
Directions |
| 1. |
Mix meringue powder with cold water and beat to stiff peak
stage. |
| 2. |
Add confectioners sugar and continue beating until smooth and
thick. |
| 3. |
Tint with food coloring. |
| 4. |
Keep icing covered with a damp cloth or paper towel in between
uses as it dries quickly. |
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Non-Edible Cookie Ornaments
This recipe
makes cookies for ornaments for the tree, not for consumption. Kids love making
them, decorating the cookies themselves and you end up with adorable keepsakes
for years to come. |
Ingredients |
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4 cups flour |
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1 cup salt |
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1 ½ cups water |
Directions |
| 1. |
Combine the flour and salt. |
| 2. |
Add the water gradually until the mixture has a consistency
like putty. Knead the dough for about five minutes. Be sure the ingredients are
thoroughly blended. |
| 3. |
Roll the dough on a floured surface, to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut
with cookie cutters. (Dip cutters in flour before cutting to prevent them
sticking in the dough.) |
| 4. |
Skewer a hole at the top of each ornament (for the hook to go
through later to hang the ornament. |
| 5. |
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 1/2 hour at 325
degrees (until light brown). Or instead of baking, you can let the ornaments
air dry on a cooling rack for 48 hours. |
| 6. |
These cookies can then be decorated with paints, glitters and
sanding sugars. Finish them with a coat of clear nail polish to keep them
preserved. Remember, don't eat these cookies! |
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