I always get lots of questions about decorating cookies. Over time, I’ve shared plenty of tips here and there, but I thought it would be helpful to gather them all in one place. That way, whenever you have a question, you can easily come back to this post for guidance.
Cookie decorating isn’t hard, you just have to give it a try, and you’ll see it gets easier every time. Trust me, I’ve muttered quite a few curse words over cookies that didn’t turn out the way I had pictured them.
With all of these tips, I hope it will go more smoothly for you. Maybe not all of them are “by the book,” but they’re what works for me and hopefully for you too.
It all starts with the cookies themselves. When baking, it’s important that the cookies hold their shape in the oven, otherwise your cookie designs won’t look as nice. These are my go-to favorite cookie recipes because they bake evenly, keep their shape, and taste delicious:
When rolling out dough to cut into shapes, dust your work surface with flour. Place the dough on top and dust the dough lightly too, this keeps your rolling pin from sticking. Make sure to bake cookies of similar size together, since small cookies bake faster than large ones.
Once your cookies are baked, it’s time to decorate – and for that you’ll need royal icing. Here’s the royal icing recipe I always use. Royal icing is essentially a glaze, but one that dries hard, creating a crisp layer on top of your cookies.
You can tint icing in any color of the rainbow using food coloring. I prefer gel coloring over powder. I divide my white icing into small glass bowls and then add color. Cover bowls you’re not currently using with a damp towel to prevent the icing from drying out.
Glass bowls make it easy to see if all the icing is fully mixed, or if there’s still some white at the bottom. Always keep some white icing aside, you can use it to lighten a color that’s too strong or to thicken icing that’s gotten too thin.
Traditionally, decorators use three royal icing consistencies: thin, medium, and thick – one for outlining, one for flooding, and one for details.
Honestly, I find that pretty fussy. You end up with multiple piping bags for every color, and half the time the ratios aren’t quite right anyway. So I switched to 20-second icing and never looked back!
This icing is just the right consistency for outlining without it running off the cookie, and also perfect for filling. The bonus? Outlines and filling blend seamlessly, so you don’t see the harsher, sharp edges you get with thicker icing.
To make it, start with the basic recipe and add a little water at a time until the surface smooths out within 20 seconds after stirring.
For decorations that need to hold their shape (like trees, leaves or drop flowers), use thick icing. This is just the basic recipe without extra water. The icing keeps its peaks, and you’ll clearly see the texture of the piping tip you used.
Of course, there are countless more tips you can use, but these are my favorites for cookie decorating.
Patience is key. Icing needs time to dry between layers of color. For example, if I had piped Rudolph’s red nose (see the cookie picture below) before the base of his face dried, it would have sunk in and bled. Not pretty!
After applying a base layer, let the icing dry for about 8 hours before adding a different color. The easiest routine is to decorate the base in the evening and continue the next day. For smaller details, you don’t need to wait as long. Once the surface looks matte, it’s safe to add on top.
You’ll almost always have icing left over. Don’t waste it!
Drop flowers: With thick icing, pipe small flowers and add a dot of contrasting icing in the center. Store them in an airtight container for ready-made sugar decorations.
Transfers: With thin icing, pipe shapes onto parchment paper, let them dry, then transfer onto cookies. It’s the same method as with chocolate decorations.
Piping bags: Disposable bags work well and I prefer those, but candy bags (the thin cone-shaped kind) are a cheap alternative. For thick icing, use sturdy piping bags or double up candy bags.
Prevent clogs: Icing dries when exposed to air. To avoid blocked tips, use rubber tip covers or keep bags upright in a tall glass with a damp paper towel at the bottom.
Clumps: If sugar lumps clog your tip, don’t squeeze harder! Use a pin to poke it out instead.
Storing icing overnight: If you prep one evening and continue the next day, just make sure tips are sealed and bags are closed tightly. They can be stored at room temperature.
It’s normal for cookies to soften after decorating because of the moisture in the icing. Personally, I don’t mind the softer texture combined with the crunchy icing.
But if you prefer crisp cookies, there’s a fix: Preheat your oven to 120°F (50°C), place decorated cookies inside with the door slightly ajar, and leave them for an hour. This acts like a homemade “drying cabinet”. Once cooled and stored in an airtight container, they’ll stay crisp.
Have fun decorating! With these tips, I’m sure you’ll do great. And if you have questions, feel free to ask
Cookies that hold their shape while baking, like cut out sugar cookies, gingerbread, chocolate sugar cookies, and lemon sugar cookies. You can also use an embossed rolling pin for another fun way to decorate cookies.
Traditionally, yes. But I recommend using 20-second icing, which works for both. It saves time and blends outlines and filling seamlessly.
Stir the icing and watch the surface. If it smooths out in about 20 seconds, it’s ready for outlining and flooding.
Yes, but gel food coloring works best. It gives strong color without thinning the icing too much.
Allow about 8 hours for a base layer to fully dry before adding details. For small decorations, you can pipe on top once the surface looks matte.
You can make drop flowers or transfers and store them in an airtight container for future cookie decorating.
Use tip covers or keep your piping bags upright in a tall glass with a damp paper towel at the bottom. If a tip clogs, gently clear it with a pin. Don’t squeeze harder.
Yes! Just make sure piping tips are sealed and bags are closed tightly. Store them at room temperature.
The moisture from royal icing seeps into the cookies. If you prefer crisp cookies, dry them in a 120°F (50°C) oven with the door slightly ajar for about an hour.
Links in this article may be affiliate links. If you purchase something through such a link, I will receive a small commission, without you paying anything extra.
Welcome to Laura’s Bakery! You’ve come to the right place for the most delicious baked goods and appetizers. With my easy recipes for home bakers I will show you that baking is fun and delicious.
Have fun baking!
