Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating cookies. Well that’s a tall order because there are as many ways to decorate cookies as there are cookies!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKING

Cookies can be decorated before baking with materials that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on your cookies before baking are:

• colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
• jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold dragées, and
  other sprinkles
• raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
• nuts

These items can be placed on top of almost any cookie to dress it up a bit and give it a more festive appearance.

Paint a masterpiece

You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. The paint will dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance. This is a fun activity for kids!

A bit of trompe l'oeil

The folks at Better Homes and Gardens have a creative recipe for Colored Cream Dough which is a dough of frosting consistency that can be piped onto cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a writing or star tip, and then baked. The result is a cookie that looks like it has been frosted but the frosting is baked on and hard.

DECORATING COOKIES AFTER BAKING

Decorating cookies after baking them requires that you apply some kind of liquid-based substance that will adhere to the baked cookie, or that will act as a glue to attach other items. Usually, this takes the form of frosting, icing, or melted chocolate.

Frosting vs. Icing

There is a big difference between frosting and icing. Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes better because of the creamy buttery flavor.

Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the most beautiful, professional results.

Working with frosting

You can use frosting in two ways. One way is to simply use a knife or rubber spatula to spread the frosting across the whole surface of your cookie. The other way is to place the frosting in a pastry or decorating bag fitted with a small tip and piping out thin lines or rosettes of icing onto the cookie.

Either way, once the frosting has been applied to the cookie you can then further embellish it by using colored sugars, non-pareils, or any of the decorating items mentioned in the Decorating Before Baking section above. Christmas-Cookies.com has a delicious recipe for Buttercream Frosting at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=306. See detailed instructions on piping frosting from Better Homes and Gardens.

Working with icing

Icing is a little more difficult to work with but its smooth surface produces the most beautiful results! Icing should always be piped onto a cookie because it will run off the edges if spread with a knife. Once iced you can apply silver dragées, or other sprinkles just as mentioned with the frosting above, before it hardens. Christmas-Cookies.com has an excellent recipe for Royal Icing at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=42. Better Homes and Gardens also a recipe for Powdered Sugar Icing ( http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=288 ) that dries less hard than Royal Icing and has a shiny surface. Martha Stewart's website features an excellent article on how to pipe icing onto cookies for professional-looking results ( http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel172011&catid=cat258 ).

Melted chocolate

Just about any cookie can be embellished simply by dipping it in chocolate or drizzling chocolate over it. You can even dress up the everyday chocolate chip cookie for gift-giving or serving at parties. Melting chocolate is a simple process, but a few rules must be followed in order to make it a success. For Easter, try using white chocolate tinted in pastel shades with food coloring. Use the gel, paste or powdered kind of food color, because the liquid drops may make the chocolate seize up.

What you need

You can either use chocolate chips or baking chocolate (the kind that comes in 1-ounce squares) and the same process applies whether you use dark chocolate or white chocolate. A small amount of shortening should be added at the ratio of 2 tablespoons shortening for 1 cup of chocolate chips or chopped up baking chocolate.

Double boiler

Place chocolate and shortening in the top half of a double boiler or in a metal bowl that has been placed on top of a saucepan filled with hot water. The water must be very hot, but not boiling, because the steam generated by boiling water could get moisture into the melting chocolate which makes it curdle.

Allow the chocolate to melt over the hot water and stir it occasionally until it has achieved a liquid consistency.

Microwave

Place your chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it on medium power for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving 20 seconds, stir again. Keep doing this until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove it from the microwave and stir it until completely melted.

Dipping

Dip one end of your cookie, or half the cookie, or even the whole cookie into the melted chocolate. Set the cookie on a wire rack to let the chocolate harden. If you wish, you can sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut, or non-pareils over the melted chocolate before it hardens.

Drizzling

Scrape melted chocolate into a ziplock baggie. With a sharp scissors, snip off a very small corner of the baggie. Drizzle top of cookies with zig-zags of melted chocolate. Cool until chocolate is set.

Using these simple techniques will help you produce a variety of beautiful-looking cookies at Christmastime and throughout the year.

Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author
Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts." This book, "enthusiastically recommended" by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints, including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. For more information visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/ or order from your favorite online bookstore.

[Note to webmasters: you may include a link to the book using your affiliate program (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other) if you wish.]

Web recipes-on-the-net.com

5 Secrets for Making an Award Winning Chili by Kevin Kannmacher
A Delicious Christmas Recipe To Make Your Mouth Water by Clive Jenkins
Artful Cooking (ebook package with over 14,000 recipes and over 190 bonus ebooks)
Banana Pudding and Vanilla Wafers... the Perfect Crowd Pleaser! by D. Marie Giolitto
Best Recipes: Holiday Mint Brownies by Donna Monday
Black-Eyed Peas: A New Year's Day Tradition by Suzanne Lieurance
Break Out the Barbeque by Marg Ruttan
Buttermint Sugar Cookie Recipe by Griffin Wetzstein
Chinese Dumplings on Chinese New Year by Shelia Woo
Chocolate Valentine's Day Recipes by Jill S
Christmas Cheesecake by Andrew Krause
Christmas Cookie Decorating 101 by Mimi Cummins
Christmas Dinner Made More Festive by Susan Dunn, MA, Personal Life Coach
Easter Baking and Cooking Tips (Plus a Bonus Easter Recipe) by Jill Seader
Easter Recipe For Kids by Christine Steendahl
Easy Holiday Quick Bread Recipes by Rachel Paxton
Five Fun Food Tips - How to Beat the Post-Holiday Blues with Great Food Ideas by Marybeth Gregg
Fourth Of July Barbecue - Two Ways To Make Corn On The Cob by Julia Hayes
Fourth of July BBQ - Spare Ribs Recipe by Julia Hayes
Fourth of July Recipe – Flag Cake by by Jill Seader
Frugal and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes by Cyndi Roberts
Fun Baked Birthday Treats by Susanne Myers
Fun Halloween Recipes and Ideas by Audrey Okaneko
GourmetLicious! - Plan Great Dinner Parties
Halloween Cakes Centerpiece And Dessert by Susanne Myers
Halloween Recipes by Jill S
Here's The Beef by Carol A Hill
Holiday Nut Bars Recipe by Griffin Wetzstein
Holiday Recipe: Filled Cookies by LeAnn R. Ralph
Hot and Spicy Cookout for Memorial Day Weekend by Pat Schraier
How to Create a Birthday Cake They Will Remember by Melissa Kelly
How to Host Thanksgiving Dinner and Enjoy it Anyway by Skip Lombardi
How To Make A Romantic Fondue Dinner For Valentine's Day by Anthony Tripodi
July 4th Celebration ...More Than A Double Ration Of Rum by Donna Hager
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Ideas by David Urmann
Magical Cakes For St. Patrick's Day by Samantha Mitchell
Memorial Day Party Menu Ideas for a Relaxing Memorial Day Party by Gail Leino
Mother's Day Breakfast - Start Mom's Special Day With These Ideas by Susanne Myers
My Mother's Recipe Box by Rachel Paxton
Not Sure What To Serve For Easter Dinner? by Donna Hager
Outside the Box Gingerbread Houses by Marti Mayne
Party Appetizer Recipes – So Easy And So Affordable! by Jonathan Teng
Party Themes - Luau Birthday Party Recipes by Hilary Basile
Pineapple Palm Tree Fruit Display - Good for Luau Party
Quick And Simple Halloween Recipes by Jeff Layer
Recipes for Superbowl Party - Tangy Barbecue Wings by Brandy Summers
Setting A Festive Table Tips For A Striking Presentation by Bob Kiefer
St Patrick's Day Party Menu Ideas for a Rollicking St Patrick's Party by Gail Leino
St. Patrick's Day Treats by Susanne Myers
Tempting Holiday Treats by Rachel Paxton
Thanksgiving Recipes: Brining Your Turkey For The Juiciest, Tastiest Turkey, You'll Ever Eat.. by Allison Twitt
Theme Recipes for Valentine's Day - Salad / Main / Dessert by Noraini Maskuri
The Top Three Recipes Every Halloween Party Must Have - Revised! by Colin Joss
This Thanksgiving Serve A Turducken And Delight Your Guests by Neil Street
Top 10 Holiday Turkey Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Dinner by Nicole Anderson
Valentine Recipes - Delicious Puddings for Your Sweetheart by Amy Tylor
Valentine's Day Baking Recipes by Jill S
Valentine's Day Menu by Noraini Maskuri

< Back to Holiday Recipes