Cookie Decorating
Decorating Cookies
Learn a few basic techniques for decorating cookies, from the elaborately frosted to the simply chocolate-dipped.Here is a Free Gift (Cookie Decorating Guide)
Frosting
The most beautifully decorated cookies are made using frosting. It takes practice, but piping is a very versatile skill for decorating cookies and cakes.The simplest variants of cookie icing are made using confectioners' sugar, butter or shortening and milk or water, such as Sugar Cookie Icing and Decorator Frosting. These icings have a somewhat softer texture than royal icings, which dry to a very hard crunchy finish. (Royal icing is rather suited to gluing gingerbread houses, but it is not very tasty.)
Coloring and Flavoring
If you want a alternative flavor for each color of icing, use vanilla, lemon, orange, or almond extract (vanilla will discolor the icing slightly). Juice can also be substituted for the liquid in a recipe. For brighter colors, paste food coloring--available at craft and kitchenware stores--works better than the more commonly available liquid colors.
- When adding color, first mix the color into about 1 tablespoon of icing, and then blend that into the rest of the icing.
- Frosting can easily be thinned to the desired consistency by adding liquid such as milk, juice or water.
- For a smooth glossy finish, warm the icing slightly in a microwave, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
- Be sure to stir frequently so that a crust does not form on the top.
- Keep icing covered with a damp cloth and plastic wrap in between uses.
Here is a Free Gift (Cookie Decorating Guide)
Application
Frost cookies with a pastry brush, small metal spatula,
or by simply dipping the cookies into a shallow bowl of icing: hold the
cookie by its edges, dip into the icing, and lift up with a twisting
motion to let the excess drip back into the bowl.
- Use a knife or spatula to spread icing over any bare spots.
- Set the freshly frosted cookies onto a tray or waxed paper to dry.
- Once the first coat of frosting is dry, you can pipe another color of frosting over the top to add details such as stripes, spirals, polka dots and names.
Dipping in Chocolate
There's nothing quite as enticing as a chocolate-dipped cookie. Darker chocolates basically want to be tempered to keep them shiny and firm. If you don't want the mess and process of tempering, look for "coating chocolate." Designed to maintain a shine without tempering, coating chocolates contain a alternative type of fat in addition to the cocoa butter found in good chocolate. (Most coating chocolates are of a lower grade and may not taste as chocolaty as couverture.) Many bakers add a few drops of vegetable oil or melted paraffin to warmed chocolate as an different to tempering.
Working from right to left, dip cookies halfway into the chocolate, and scrape the excess off of the bottom using your finger or the side of the bowl. (Disposable latex gloves will keep your hands clean and the cookies fingerprint-free. You can find them at drugstores and some supermarkets.) Then give the cookie a gentle shake and once again, scrape the excess chocolate off. This will keep the chocolate from forming a puddle around the cookie while it sets up. Place the cookies onto the waxed paper starting at the farthest end and working inward. This prevents you from dripping onto the finished cookies.
Decorating Before Baking
For pretty cookies that don't require an all-day production, add a garnish before the cookies are baked. Rolled cookies can be shaped into logs, chilled, cut, and baked. Roll logs in colored sugar, finely chopped nuts, coconut, sesame seeds, or sprinkles before baking. Even a light dusting of confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder will give any cookies an elegant finish. Dust the cookies again, right before serving, to freshen their appearance. For more intricate cookies, try pinwheels or checkerboards.
