Month: July 2022

FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES

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Marlyn is back inspiring me, I had this tutorial bookmarked for a while and finally gave it a go a couple of weeks ago. The cookie cutter (available at amazon.com), shaped as the head of a horse, is a little tricky as far as decorating goes, but as usual, Marlyn figures out a way to make it shine. Several different techniques went into the making of these cookies. You can pipe the flowers by hand using Royal icing, or simplify a bit and go with molded, painted fondant pieces. It is up to you.

Let me walk you through the steps to make this colorful design…. First, flood the cookie with light brown Royal icing, and let it set overnight. Then add the details using a stencil and brown air-brushing color (I used Totally Brown from Cookie Countess).

Once that is done, it is just a matter of adding some details with piping consistency Royal icing in green and brown, some confetti shaped gold bits, and the fondant pieces in the end…

Once the fondant pieces are added, the cookies are ready to party!

I love the modern-romantic look of these horses… I simplified a bit the design compared to what Marlyn did, so I advise you to watch her video and consider adding all the bells and whistles. What I love about her design is how unique it is, playful and whimsical at the same time. I bet any horse lover would be very happy getting a platter of these cookies.

ONE YEAR AGO: For the Love of the Sea

SUMMERTIME, DECORATING IS EASY…

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Today I share a series of cookies inspired by my favorite season… I suggest you invest in two great colors: Americolor Watermelon, and ProGel Strawberry. You can approximate those tones making some magic with reds, pinks, corals, but I love those shades straight from the bottle. I used them to make all the cookies in this set. Greens were all from Americolor. Without further ado, here is my trio of Summer cookie fun.

DESIGN #1 – WATERMELON LOVE

I used one of my favorite shapes, the candy corn, to make 8 little watermelon slices, and a round cookie for the watermelon face. Super simple, wet-on-wet, and after setting, black icing in piping consistency was used to make the little seeds, as well as the smile and eyes.

Below some of the steps to make what I call the “Watermelon Flower”

The popsicles are even simpler to make… I started by painting the wooden handle with copper luster powder (Bakell Metallic Maroon). Then a very simple three-color piping to bring the design to life. And the mandatory seeds. Of course.

DESIGN #2 – ICE CREAM CONE

Some components of this design were inspired by Marlyn, from Montreal Confections, but I added some of my own little twists, particularly in the cone. I used my favorite little fondant baller tool to generate some texture. The vibrant color is ProGel Strawberry.

The final decorations were thick consistency white-strawberry icing for the swirl, plus sprinkles and a tiny M&M.

DESIGN #3 – STRAWBERRY LOVE

There was a little saga behind these cookies. I’ve done pineapples with a “quilt” look before, but for the strawberry, there were quite a few more little sections. They must be piped in stages, so that only regions that do not touch are piped at the same time. That meant a looong time to finish the six cookies…

Full disclosure: I had 10 strawberry-shaped cookies baked. After six were piped, I was fit to be tied, so simpler designs materialized instead… Like a solid flooding, and a Sugarprism painted alternative, perfect for those who prefer a more austere cookie, as far as icing is concerned.


You could even skip the painting for a pretty modern, unusual look…

But if you have the time and patience, consider going the extra mile and making the quilt look. Adding tiny sprinkles is also time-consuming, so in some I piped tiny dots of black Royal icing instead. For bling, you can also paint the surface with some pink luster powder.

I hope you liked these ideas to celebrate Summer with a cookie platter... A little piping with green on the tops is optional, but I liked the way it made the whole design more vibrant.

ONE YEAR AGO: Puppy Love

QUEEN OF HEARTS

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These cookies were featured in one of my favorite baking cookbooks, Sprinkle Bakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire your Inner Artist. The title says it all. The book if full of incredibly creative ideas, I love it, and highly recommend you get a copy. All things considered, these are not hard to make. Think three colors of Royal icing, black with piping consistency, white and red in flooding consistency. No complicated piping, no wet-on-wet work. What makes these cookies special is the use of fondant pieces to give extra dimension and pizzazz. In the book you’ll find templates to make life easier…

Below, a picture of the book with the template I made to make my cookies…

And a little overview of the process, which is pretty straightforward. I used a Wilton tip 3 to outline in black. And a white pearl for the earring, added right after flooding the white portion.

Once the cookie is fully set – I allowed it to sit overnight – the fondant pieces are rolled, cut, and painted, then glued with a small amount of Royal icing. All details are then added with a black, food safe pen.

You can change the expression by altering the shape of the lips or the way you place the eyes, but I must say I like the aura of introspection, maybe even a bit of sadness, that these cookies portray. Sometimes it is how I feel when I think about the world.

ONE YEAR AGO: Shark Attack!

A TRILOGY OF SUGARPRISM

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Today I share three different ways to decorate cookies using Sugarprism, starting from the simplest version…

DESIGN #1 – YELLOW FLOWERS

For these cookies, my inspiration were flowers I saw in my walking-jogging route. Intense orange, with a reddish center. I iced the 8 petal flower shape with orange, and once that set I drew a circle that was iced with chocolate brown plus a touch of red. Once that set overnight, I painted the details with Sugarprism red, and finally added little dots of Royal icing in bright yellow.

It is a very simple design, maybe the trickiest part is adding the little yellow dots, because the consistency of the icing has to be just right. It is a good idea to practice on a piece of parchment paper, so that you can adjust with water or powdered sugar if necessary.

DESIGN #2 – MODERN STICK FIGURE

I fell in love with this image the moment I saw it on the Instagram page of Kathy Barbro, who teaches drawing for kids. I knew I had to “cookie it.” So I started with a Royal iced white background, and drew the design with a light food pen. Then I used Sugarprism to paint the different sections, and once that was fully dry, I went over the design and details with a black food pen. You can see some of the phases in the composite below

Little black dots with Royal icing made for a fun border that complemented the design well, I think.

DESIGN #3 – SINGLE STROKE PAINTING

I consider these cookies a work in progress. If you go on youtube and search for “single stroke painting”, you’ll find many wonderful examples, and many tutorials trying to teach you how to do it. They make it seem very easy, but clearly, there is a steep learning curve. Basically, you load two different colors on opposite sides of a flattish brush, press the brush on the surface and twist it to form a petal. I made a “canvas” of royal icing to practice and – full disclosure – my countertop once I was done with the cookies looked like a war zone!

It is a fun technique to work with. I intend to keep trying and also work on different types of flowers and leaves. So expect to see more of my amateurish attempts featured here… Lolita, the flamingo, does not mind, she actually seems quite smitten with my painting!

If you want to play with Sugarprism, visit Michelle’s website with a click here.


ONE YEAR AGO: Sugarprism, a New Kid on My Block

SUNFLOWERS FOR UKRAINE

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Another design using piped Royal icing coupled with painting, this time I used Sugarprism.

Similar to what I shared recentl (click here), this version relied on a stencil air-brushed with gold as starting point… The surface was iced and fully set (color used for the base was Artisan Accents Azure Blue). White Royal icing was piped in sections that were not adjacent, so that if they accidentally touched, they would not merge.

Once all sections were piped, I waited for the center to start crusting, and then used a special little tool to add texture…

This step is optional, or you can use the handle side of a brush. But I find that it adds a more interesting look to the final design. A few hours later the fun – aka painting – starts. I used Sugarprism in Dandelion Yellow + Monarch Orange for the petals, Green + Teddy Bear Brown for the leaves. Teddy Bear Brown was also used to paint the stem.

The final step was the bling: center of the flower painted with gold luster + vodka.

It is hard to find hope sometimes. So many horrible things happen in our world, leaving us with a very intense feeling of impotence and frustration. At least through cookies, we can bring some sunshine and joy to those around us.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Sugarprism!

ONE YEAR AGO: Eyelet-Lace Strawberry Cookies

SUNNY SUMMER DAYS

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Here I am to share the outcome of yet another super fun online class taught by Amy, from Seriously Sweet on Davis St. If you like color, if you like all things Summer, this set will have your name written all over it…

To join Amy’s Facebook group and be on top of future online classes, click here.

I have to confess that joining the class was a bit of a stretch for me. We had a ton of commitments that weekend and the days leading up to it, so my prep work was rushed and I miscalculated the amount of icing needed. That led to running out of it during class, then to make everything even more exciting a very messy bag explosion! Still, I am calling this set the Miracle Cookies, because somehow I was able to make them all, with some adaptations due to the universe conspiring against me.

Here are some steps of the prep work and class…

Let me now go over each of the cookies and what was involved…

Perhaps my favorite, definitely Phil’s favorite, the Bashful Happy Sun! I did not do a good job piping the edges, but I still love it… We used two different consistencies for the Royal icing, and the hibiscus details was made as a Royal icing transfer using templates provided by Amy. I love the eye detail and the delicate blushing face…

The pineapple was Phil’s second favorite, and maybe mine also. This cookie took a tragic turn when I made a mistake and added a huge blob of green dye to its left side. I thought it was the end of its life, but I squirted vodka all over it, rubbed it with a paper towel and somehow managed to save it. It almost felt as if I was in a tent trying to avoid elimination (which, trust me, is not always possible).

The flower… Thick Royal icing in two colors were used to make it. I used a 104 piping tip for the petals and a medium-size leaf tip for the greenery. Some gold luster powder with vodka gave the cookie the necessary bling.

I adore the little flamingo with the flowers on the head… and the sleepy eye… I colored the Royal icing with a powder from The Sugar Art called Sassy Pink. It is super powerful and maybe I used a bit of a heavy hand with it. So my flamingo is not a shy bird. She is out there, super confident, fearless like a Jack Russell!

I loved this class, even though I had to quit part way into it, and finish the cookies later that night. I love the sun cookie so much, I had to do a few more next day, because I wanted to get the margins better.

Techniques learned in this class: textured icing using wrinkled parchment paper, dry dusting and painting on Royal icing, piping sections for the pineapple, making flowers for decorations, piping petals with a custom-modified 104 tip, piping greenery.

Amy, thank you for another great cookie adventure! I am ready for more, whenever you are….

ONE YEAR AGO: For the Love of Audrey

CHERRY BLOSSOM TREE

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This is a very simple project, two colors of icing to flood a plaque-shaped cookie, then four additional colors needed in very small amounts, to pipe the details. I added a gold air-brushed border, but that step is optional, the cookies will look ok without the border. But as you may have noticed, sometimes it is hard for me to leave a poor cookie alone…


For flooding the cookie, make a green and light blue Royal icing, and flood the two regions, let them set….

Then make a brown thicker consistency to pipe the tree. Just free-hand it, make a few branches and allow that to set for 10 minutes or so.


Next, add little dots for flowers, and using a very small leaf piping tip (or improvising by cutting a piping bag with scissors at an angle), pipe leaves.


The air-brush on the edges is the final optional step. And you are done!

ONE YEAR AGO: For the Love of Portugal

A ROSE

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Stencils can come in very handy for those who cannot draw to save their lives. For this cookie, I coupled air-brushing with royal icing, and after the design set, I used luster powder to paint the details. It is a bit of a labor of love, I won’t lie. But if you enjoy painting, it is a pretty nice way to spend a few minutes of your time…


It all starts with a fully set, white flooded cookie. Then, a stencil such as this one, is used to lay the base for the drawing. I used only part of the stencil, which is quite large, appropriate for cake decoration.


You could conceivably stop right there. Maybe add a beaded border or spray the edges with gold. But, if you want to take the cookie one step further, get some piping consistency Royal icing and fill each section.


It is a three-day process, two-day minimum. You will need to flood the cookie on day 1, air-brush the design on the following day, pipe the icing and then wait at least 6 hours to paint, overnight is best.


Once again, the cookie could be left all white. It is polished, simple and elegant. But to me, the fun really starts with painting. So that’s what I did…


Many different kinds of stencils will work, but I find that larger designs are easier to negotiate. Depending on your skill with piping, you can go for more intricate drawings. If the areas are very close together, make sure to pipe regions that are not adjacent, let them set briefly, then continue. I will be playing more with this technique in the near future for sure…

ONE YEAR AGO: For the Love of Frida Kahlo

4TH OF JULY FUN

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Get your bags of red, white and blue Royal icing, because we will get busy here! Almost any cookie shape can be dressed up for this special holiday in the USA. Butterflies, hearts hexagons, surfboards, pretty much anything goes… Today I share a few ideas, and to get some more, visit my main food blog for last year’s post (click here).

HEARTS AND BUTTERFLIES


To make the butterflies, the body is iced first with dark gray Royal icing, thick consistency. Silver sanding sugar is sprinkled on top, then both sides of the butterfly are iced, ether in stages (white and red stripes), or as a solid layer of Royal blue. These were inspired by a recent live Facebook session with Haniela (check it out here).


The hearts are iced in stages also, following any type of wavy shape you like. A fondant ball can add texture for extra fun.



THE PATRIOTIC CAMPER


For a cute and maybe unusual shape, the camper cookie cutter can be dressed in red, white and blue… First a basic design is drawn with a food pen over the naked cookie, then the window area is painted gold. Next, the lines are piped with Royal icing in black, with a #3 tip.

PATRIOTIC SUMMER

When summer camping, don’t forget to take sandals, surfboards, some ice cream to keep you cool…


Sandals, surfboard and ice cream are simple designs, based on red and white stripes plus the classic blue. Each section needs to crust a little before you pipe the one next to it. But other than that, pretty straightforward. The blue straps need thicker consistency icing. Surfboards were wet on wet, and after it all set, I piped a center line with white icing and covered with sanding sugar.

THE AGED WOOD LOOK


Minimal icing goes in this design. I thinned royal icing and applied the different colors with a brush, painting them, so a super thin layer goes on the naked cookie. Once that set for a few hours, I added a touch of luster powder bronze and brown very diluted with vodka. Stars were cut from wafer paper with a paper punch gadget.

I hope you enjoyed this little collection of 4th of July cookies, and whatever you do to celebrate, keep in mind that fireworks are very tough for pups. Do your part to minimize their ordeal…