With this post, I share a collection of 16 cookie designs made in the past month, with a very brief description of the techniques used. It might be too late to inspire you for this Halloween, but the horror must go on next year, so keep that in mind!
Cookie cutter flip! The wreath cutter turned upside down to make friendly little monsters. Flooded with purple and orange. Eyes made as Royal icing transfers, details with black and white Royal icing, piping consistency.
Some monsters love ice cream, but it must be of a special kind… Ice cream cone cutter, flooded in orange, spider web in dark purple added after the base was set. Ice cream is thick Royal icing marbled green and white.
Bats flooded in black. Large candy corn flooded in orange. Once base is set, details in the bat made with orange Royal icing, piping consistency or a stencil for the little spider drawings, air-brushed in black.
Witches’ hats… simple wet-on-wet design, and a little store-bought skull sprinkle for a final touch…
Another cookie cutter flip, this one a tulip turned upside down. Wet-on-wet for all the design, facial features using a pen, and the flower is painted fondant.
Cauldrons, similar design to what I did last Halloween, but this time I added a few extra fondant decoration, and the Royal icing eyeballs. I am totally in love with the broom, even if it was not a very easy mold to work with, very delicate. But freezing the fondant in the mold helps.
The candy corn cookie cutter in a simple design, flooded with orange and green, then air-brushed in black with stencils.
Sometimes with just two colors of icing, you can do a lot. Green and black, eyes are store-bought sprinkles, finger is painted fondant. Talk about creepy…
Pumpkin with a hat… love this cutter! Basic flooding in stages for the pumpkin component, leaving empty space for the facial features Details in black Royal icing, piping consistency.
Another design I loved! Skeletons. Very simple, most of the cookie is left naked. All details piped in white Royal icing, including the yes. Final features with a food pen, and some pink luster powder. A spray of PME pearl luster ties everything together nicely.
Also re-visited from last year, spider web and casket are classics that you cannot skip at Halloween!
Candy Corn strikes again! I have a little video to show the drawing, over full set Royal icing.
Sally closes the post with Sally. This was the most time-consuming cookie of this set, as it was all done by hand, with the aid of a mini-projector. I might have to make one of this each year, because…. how could I not?
Every month, Marlyn from Montreal Confections suggests little challenges so that her followers can work on creativity. For October, she proposed that we work on making cookies using different colors of dough. I made two different cookies, both with Halloween in mind. I hope you like them!
DESIGN #1
DAY OF THE DEAD SKULLS
I did not have a large enough skull cookie cutter, so I cut the shape by hand. I wanted the cookie to be big so I could use smaller cutters to make the pattern. Next, I made sugar cookie dough and divided it in pieces: one left without any color that was used for the skull, three dyed in pink, orange, and purple. Below you see the steps for assembling the cookies.
Once baked, the pieces naturally join together, and the final step was to add al little black and orange Royal icing for details, and a light spray with PME pearl luster, because I love the look it gives to the cookie. A delicate shine.
So there they are, my little Day of the Dead Skulls, sitting in the sun and getting ready to scare people…
DESIGN #2
FRIENDLY GHOSTS
For this version, I opted for a marbled background (chocolate dough + sugar dough dyed with bright orange). Once that was rolled out, I distributed over it small ghosts made from plain sugar cookie dough. The steps are shown below.
I made a tactical error in the design, which you may be able to figure out quickly. I used one particular ghost that was too big, so when cutting the final cookies those were compromised, the shape of the ghost was not evident. If you try this method, make sure to think about dimensions of the design in relation to the size of the cookie you are aiming for. I ended up placing a small ghost on top of the large ones to bring the design back, and that worked ok.
A little white Royal icing to pipe the details, and that’s all you’ll need…
I hope you liked this set of cookies, and consider using this cool technique to make different designs. Once you are left with pieces of colored dough, you can marble them together and cut all sorts of shapes.
Marlyn, I loved this month’s challenge, and will be anxious to see what’s waiting for me in November!
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Here I am to report on yet another great online class taught by Amy. If you don’t want to cut the cookies by hand (which is what I did), the set is available at dotsandbowsdesigns, with a click here. Amy’s classes are great to teach several different tricks using the same basic cookie and this was no exception. This particular set takes the pumpkin concept to a higher level of elegance, and it would be a perfect centerpiece to a Fall get-together or a Thanksgiving meal. I learned so many cool tricks… So let me just briefly walk you through the process. Obviously, I cannot share specific details, as it is part of her class.
The cookies are baked, and the pumpkin piped in stages to allow the different sections to have enough definition…
This step is quite straightforward, the only thing you need to master for that is the icing consistency, but that is pretty much the most important aspect of cookie decorating, and only practice will give you what it takes. Keep in mind that no one was born with that skill, we all more or less struggle through the learning process until it becomes second nature. Do not get discouraged. The real fun begins with the side floral panels, and a progression is shown below.
Every step of this process used a new technique. Once again, it is all in the consistency and I got all of them ok, except the blue roses, the icing was just a tiny bit too soft. But I think I still got the shape to stay. My favorite bit is the grapevine, such a cool way to pipe it! And the little pumpkin shown from the top, another brilliant way to bring that to life. Cookie life, that is…
To finish the set, I just added a little shading to the pumpkin and a little touch of luster powder (Khaki color) on the stem and leaves.
I just love all the details and how much I learned in this class. Amy is very encouraging, and even when we need to do something that is intimidating, she insists it is easy and doable, and makes us try it on parchment paper first. That really helps a lot.
Amy, thank you so much for this fantastic online experience!
Recently Marlyn from @montrealconfections shared several ideas to make very cool cookies using colored dough instead of relying on icing. I love the concept! You can see one of her videos clicking here. If you are a member of her Patreon site, a much more detailed tutorial is available here.
Without further ado, my first attempt with this technique…
I love the way these cookies are super “decorated” but without a single drop of icing. You can follow Marlyn’s video to get a better idea of how it is done, but it all starts with a batch of chocolate dough (any recipe you like), and several batches of sugar dough, split in different colors. What I do is make a regular batch, and before the dough gets fully mixed, I divide it in portions. Then, I grab the first portion and place it in the Kitchen Aid, adding the lighter color to it (in this case, yellow). Mix that, add the other dough, add another color, no need to wash the bowl.
From that point, all you need to do is roll the colored dough and play with shapes and colors…
Roll the chocolate dough, place the pieces on top, roll it again (with a parchment paper on top) to make it all flat…
Cut shapes…. and bake!
Any leftover dough can be squished together to make a nice marbled dough that you can use in many different ways…
Marlyn proposed the Inspiration Challenge for October using this type of technique, so stay tuned for my “homework” coming up in my next post…
If you read this cookie blog of mine, you know that I follow a few cookie artists, trying to learn their techniques as demonstrated in tutorials and Facebook live sessions. Amber, from @sweetambs, is one of my favorite cookie decorators. She was a regular presence in Facebook lives, but last year took some time off to work on a special project. It turns out that the special project was the making of her latest cookbook, Cookie Canvas! I am absolutely thrilled to share with you two cookie compositions from this new book, as well as a little overview of the different chapters. In two simple words: the book is a “must-have” if you are into cookie decorating, or if you are simply fascinated by this unique art.
Without further ado, this is my version of her composition entitled “FALL BOUQUET” (page 124).
I was mesmerized by this set from the moment I laid my eyes on that page. The trickiest part is definitely the vase. It requires piping one of Amber’s trademark designs: the filigree! For Amber, piping filigree is second nature. She can do it on live camera, they turn out perfectly spaced, it all works like a symphony. I admit that I had to resort to the mini-projector. Still, it is a very nice design to practice, because you can use it in countless types of cookies that call for a touch of elegance. Once that is done (and the instructions on the book are flawless), the other components are not hard at all. Bake the cookies (template for the vase is provided in the book), make icing colors, and dive in!
I changed just a few details, to incorporate extra cookies in the shape of small flowers. The vase would work for many different arrangements: big flowers, tropical foliage, fruits on sticks… Just tweak the shapes and colors. Of course, if the filigree is too intimidating, you can do something else, including air-brushing with a stencil. But in my opinion, the filigree really makes this set absolutely whimsical.
Another cookie I made from the book was a Lantern design. I could not quite do it the same way Amber instructs, because I did not have matte white powder. If you have her book, you can look for it on page 106, and you will see that by using that product she managed to produce the perfect effect of light getting dimmer and dimmer as you move away from the lantern. Absolutely gorgeous. I went with a sparkly background instead, spraying a bit of Diamond Dust.
And now that I shared two of my cookies, let me walk you through the book…
The book opens with three chapters that will cover all the basics needed to indulge in the hobby of cookie decorating. If you are a total beginner, that’s where you should start.
Chapter 1: Cookie Decorating Basics In this chapter she talks about the equipment needed, shares her favorite recipe for cookies and frosting, and goes over the basic methods of dyeing the icing, checking consistency (VERY important), flooding, piping borders and making piped roses. It ends with troubleshooting, I urge you to read that part, it will come in handy at times (wink, wink).
Chapter 2: Icing and Frosting Recipes Amber shares several recipes to make alternative icings, and it really shocked me that I’ve never departed from my basic vanilla-lemon base. Will work on that soon, stay tuned.
Chapter 3: Cookie Recipes I am always trying different ways to flavor my basic sugar cookie dough, and in this chapter Amber offers several tasty possibilities, such as Pumpkin Spice, Lemon and Almond, Lime and Coconut, Maple, Strawberry. I have tried a couple, and the Strawberry Cookie is worth buying the book for. There, I said it!
Chapter 4: Celebration Cookies Now the decorating fun begins! This chapter is perhaps the one with most advanced cookies. You will learn how to make piped roses (wet on wet), use filigree (for beautiful wedding cookies), and brush embroidery to decorate a gift box (which you can of course simplify and make as a regular cookie). I love all the designs in this chapter, the Birthday Cake maybe is my favorite. The Graduation Cookie teaches a very cool way to do a marbled background (which I intend to try soon), and the Back to School, that closes the chapter, shows how to come up with a chalkboard look. Super cool.
Chapter 5: Seasonal Cookies I love this chapter, beginning to end! It opens with Valentine’s Day. Amber is a pro at making designs that mimic leopard print, and that’s what she chose to feature a heart-shaped cookie. Totally modern! I considered making it to feature the post, but ended up picking the Fall Bouquet instead. Tulip Bouquets (with clear explanation on how to make the cookie stay on the stick), Marbled Eggs, Fall Bouquet, Lanterns and Stars (I made the lantern as a bonus featured in this post), are just a few of the examples. Maybe my favorite of this chapter is the Goth Pumpkin, on page 117. I absolutely MUST make it soon, before Halloween says goodbye. It is unique, elegant and vibrant. I am also smitten by her take on Snowflakes. I would say that in this chapter you’ll find designs that are friendly to beginners and even the Snowflakes (page 142) that look absolutely stunning, are in fact doable with her detailed step-by-step instructions.
Chapter 6: Anytime Cookies This is simply FUN. She opens the chapter with Pizza Slices, perfect for a Summer party. Ice Cream Cups, Coffee and Donuts (love this series), Fruit Slices, Tie-Dye T-Shirts (cool to the limit!), Butterflies… I think (but it is hard to choose) my favorite would be the Dinosaurs (page 175). Very creative and not too difficult to put together. The way she cracked the icing to have the dinosaur little foot coming out of the egg, is just brilliant. Yes, I want to make that one soon.
Chapter 7: Templates In this chapter you will find everything you need to make cookies that need to be cut by hand (such as the vase I featured), or piped on the cookie (like the lantern, also featured today). Also sketches to help you pipe borders and the amazing filigree.
So that’s that, my friends. Amber’s book is clearly a labor of love! Every design has many step-by-step pictures and a very detailed list of everything you need, from equipment to colors and consistencies of icing, to make the cookie come to life. I cannot imagine the amount of work that went into the making of this book! Beginners in cookie decorating will find plenty of designs to play with, and those who like to stretch their limits will also have a blast with the book. I think Amber says it all in the final paragraph of her Introduction to the book, and I will transcribe it here for you:
The designs in this book came with step-by-step instructions and are meant to be recreated by you so you can learn to decorate cookies. As you get more comfortable with decorating, I encourage you to combine these techniques to create your own unique works of edible art. Most importantly, have fun!
Amber, thank you so much for allowing me to share the designs I made so far. I cannot wait to make more of them, and to continue following you on tutorials both through Patreon and Facebook lives. It is a hobby that I embraced a couple of years ago, and thanks to the help of cookie artists such as yourself, I love more and more each day!
This cool design was demonstrated by Amber in a recent Facebook live, and later she shared full details through her Patreon site. I loved everything about it, and of course wanted to give it a try. She designed it as a cupcake topper, making legs that hang to the sides, super realistic. I made a single one with that feature, but opted for piping the legs sitting on a larger cookie instead. Later I made another version with a different cookie cutter. If you want to practice piping fine lines, this is a great project. Just don’t be disappointed if yours lacks the elegance and finesse of Amber’s. Mastering these techniques takes time and patience. We all have the former, but some of us lack the latter (cough, cough).
Below, some of the steps to make them… First flooding in black, then adding the marbled effect with luster powder diluted with vodka. Legs piped over parchment paper using thicker consistency icing, details on the body with piping consistency. Finally, all the details and legs are painted with gold.
I baked large spider web cookies to accommodate the little spiders on top. In the end, these are very large cookies, probably best to share with a friend. Or call it dinner & dessert!
The spider webs were super simple, just wet-on-wet Royal icing, black over purple.
After I made these, I decided to try a similar decoration using a small cookie cutter, in which the legs are incorporated in the shape. The basic preparation was the same, but since the legs are piped on the cookie itself, it is a lot easier.
It is not as dramatic as the original, but it is also fun to put together. I made some leaves to go along with them, perfect for those who prefer little to no icing in their cookies. Just pipe an outline in black with a tip 2 icing tip, let that dry and paint the surface with luster powder + vodka.
I hope you liked this little spider series, and consider joining the Live Facebook sessions every Tuesday at 1pm EST. Follow this linkto watch previously recorded sessions and to join future recordings.
Just in time for Halloween, Marlyn shared a tutorial to make Frankenstein’s little creature. Let’s call him Frankie and see how he came to life. Not in our lab, mind you. In the comfort of our own kitchen.
Once again, I was not sure I could go through this little marathon of cookie decorating, but it seemed like too much fun to pass. Through her Patreon site, Marlyn provides the stencil (svg file) to facilitate piping on the cookie, and all templates for the Royal icing transfers (nose + eyebrows and chin). Still it was a bit intimidating. I started with three large cookies but one of them had a very sad death when Sally lost her temper. Enough said. He was going to be too ugly even for Viktor Frankenstein’s standards. Obviously, I cannot go through every single detail, as this is a paid tutorial from Marlyn, but the composite picture gives you an idea of what is involved: making the transfers, piping each section (including the eyes), and assembling everything. The screws are molded fondant painted with silver dust.
One of the things I need to be more attentive to, is making enough icing so that I don’t run out of the color and have to make more midway in the design. Especially when making large cookies, I tend to underestimate amounts. As a result, my poor monsters have two different shades of green, plus the green used for the transfers. Not a huge problem, but definitely something to correct in future projects.
What I enjoyed the most about this was piping the eyes! Odd, because I was so scared of it, but that part did not give me any troubles. The icing on other areas had some boo-boos, but the good thing about Halloween is that the cookies don’t have to be perfect. So there you go…
If you follow cookie artists, I’m sure you are a fan of Tunde’s work. Her cookies are elegant, often leaning towards the romantic and whimsical. Recently she shared a tutorial to make designs that celebrate Fall. I could not wait to give them a try… To join her Facebook page and gain access to her tutorials, visit her site with a click here.
To make the cookies, you follow two different video tutorials. In the first one, Tunde provides all templates and guidance to make the Royal icing transfers: flowers, pumpkins, acorns, and leaves. In the same video you’ll learn how to make little ghosts, and candy corn. Those can be made days in advance. For the basic cookies, you’ll need flooding consistency and thicker consistency pink. In the hexagon and basket, air-brushing with copper provides a totally different look. Texture in the house and hexagons are made with a needle or toothpick, all super clearly explained in her second video tutorial. Some steps are shown below.
The heart cookies are stamped with a handwritten text, which I thought was a very nice touch…
I really enjoyed making these cookies… Once the transfers are made you are more than half the way there. For the house, after adding the details with piping consistency Royal icing, I did the painting with Sugarprism.
I hope you enjoyed this set of cookies. I think they demonstrate that a single tone of icing (in this case a pastel pink) can be used to get totally different looks by playing with texture and colors, both with an air-brush or simple painting techniques.
Tunde, thank you for yet another great tutorial! Looking forward to the next adventure…
To join Amy’s Facebook group and be on top of future online classes, click here.
One more class under my belt, but this one I messed up a bit. The full set contains 4 cookies, but you will only see three, because… tragedy took place. What is Sally’s life without a little drama?
I cut the cookies by hand because instead of buying the cutters. Their shape is so unique, I did not anticipate using them again until next Halloween. If you’d like to buy them, the set can be found online (check the store clicking here). Lots of little details went into the making of this composition. Before class, we made fondant decorations and prepared all the icing. I also made a few bones as Royal icing transfers. If you have a mold for that, you can go with fondant or modeling chocolate.
In the beginning of class, we made the little green eyeballs, and with that step out of the way, we were ready for decorating action!
The bottom cookie, which had a door and two tombs, gave me a lot of trouble. I made a few mistakes, ran out of black icing in the middle of the class, had to rush to make more, and things went downhill fast. So that cookie was sacrificed to the Cookie Gods, hoping that they will be kinder on me in future projects.
They work great together as a set, but also as individual cookies, as you can see below. The one with the windows was a lot of fun to make. Amy makes us draw everything free-hand, which blows my little mind. One line at a time, she takes us there. I love it!
And of course, the spider web piped as wet-on-wet is a great technique to keep in mind for this time of the year. You can add that to all sorts of cookie shapes, place a fondant spider or a ghost on top, and you are all set! Simple, yet effective…
Amy, thanks again for yet another amazing class! I just wished I had not messed up the bottom cookie, but I know everybody else in class did a great job with that one, so trust me, not your fault!
With Halloween quickly approaching, spooky cookies are hard to resist. Today, two more projects inspired by Marlyn from Montreal Confections. The first using the candy corn cookie cutter, a favorite of mine, and the second one, a little more involved, to bring a haunted house to life.
Let’s start with the simpler one, the Spooky Candy Corn…
Marlyn brushed the facial features with thick Royal icing using a stencil, for a very polished and uniform look in all cookies (watch her video clicking here). I simplified quite a bit, by drawing the features with a food safe pen. Next, I painted them black with Sugarprism. The classic combination of three bands of colors were then piped, and once that crusted, the additional features – teeth, eyes, eyebrows were added with thicker icing or food pen. I searched for cartoon images of facial expressions to help me out, but if you have artistic inclinations, play with what your imagination offers you.
I love their goofy look, and of course had to put my little platter to use!
Moving on to the Haunted House…
This is a simple project once you have the Royal Icing Transfers made in advance. Watch the whole process by visiting Marlyn’s Facebook page with a click here.
I cut the cookie by hand using the template she provided, but you can easily adapt the features to any house-shaped cookie cutter you own. Some of the steps involved are shown in the composite picture below.
Making the Royal icing transfers is really a lot of fun and together they add a lot to the cookie. You can of course pipe them all over the set cookie, except for the ghost. It works better as a transfer to get the right lifted look, as Marlyn explains in her video.
Halloween is one of the best seasons for cookie decorating, so stay tuned for a lot more in the near future!
For the Love of Cookies 