Cookie Decorating 101
Thank you so much for spending some time with us creating some beautiful cookies!
We loved having you and always walk away from these workshops drooling over the delectable treats you’ve all made.
If you were interested in continuing on your cookie journey, we’ve compiled everything you need to know here so let’s get stuck straight in!
First off, you’ll need some delicious cookies. The below recipe is Bella’s go-to sugar cookie recipe, be careful, they’re addictive!
Ingredients:
450g Butter, softened
2 Cups Caster sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
1 Pinch salt
5 Cups Plain flour
Method:
1. Using paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until combined.
2. Add vanilla and eggs, mix until mixture comes together.
3. Switch to dough hook.
4. Add salt and 2 C of flour. Mix on low, until flour is evenly distributed.
5. Add remaining cups of flour one at a time, allowing it to mix through between cups.
6. Once all flour is added, turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead with hands into one piece.
7. Wrap dough in clingwrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.
Baking cookies:
1. Allow chilled dough to rest at room temperature until it becomes pliable and easier to roll.
2. Lightly dust surface with flour and roll out dough approx. 1-2cm thick.
3. Cut out cookie shapes using a cutter and place them on a lined baking tray.
4. Place tray of dough in the freezer for min 30mins (longer for best results) and preheat oven to 175 fan forced.
5. Once cookies feel very hard, remove from freezer and immediately bake in oven for 12-14mins, or until gold brown.
6. Allow them to cool for 5-10mins before removing from tray.
*Uncooked dough can stay in the freezer until you intend to bake them. Once cooked, cookies will last 1 week.
Now that you’ve got the perfect cookie, it’s time to get decorating!
Here are Bella’s tips and tricks to recreate the decorating styles we went through during the workshop. The range of different styles you can create using these techniques is amazing so go crazy and have fun playing with your food just a little bit!
Applying fondant:
Technique 1: Marbling
1. Divide fondant into the number of colours you would like to use. E.g. if you would like red and yellow, divide your fondant into two. Using a small amount of gel colour (Bella uses the brand Americolour) at a time, slowing mix colour into fondant pieces through stretching and kneading. Continue doing so until the colour goes right through and it is no longer streaky. By now you should have two or three different coloured balls of fondant.
2. Next, roll each ball into a thin sausage and line them up to each other horizontally so that they are touching. Use your fingers to gently press the colours together so that they stick to each other. Then, twist the fondant into a long and thin horizontal spiral. Next, spiral the fondant into a ‘snail shell’.
3. You are now ready to roll it out. Sprinkle icing sugar (or cornflour if you prefer) on a bench and place your fondant on top. Lightly dust the top of the fondant with more icing sugar and then roll your fondant to roughly 1mm thick.
4. Using a cookie cutter, cut out a shape.
5. Using a paintbrush, brush water on top of your cookie. Too much water will make the cookie soggy – it is best to start with a small amount. Then gently place your cut fondant on top of the cookie and lightly pat down to ensure it sticks.
Technique 2: Watercolour
1. Apply fondant to cookie as per step 5, technique 1.
2. Using a paint palette, mix gel food colours (Bella uses the brand Americolour) with alcohol (rose spirit). The use of alcohol will allow your cookies to dry fast.
3. With a paint brush, dab a small amount of watercolour onto your cookie and let it bleed. Keep adding colours as you desire, keeping in mind that it is sometimes best to let it dry a bit before continuing to avoid all the colours completely bleeding together.
If you’re lacking in supplies or just want to see what else is out there, some of our favourite places to get supplies are the Weigh n Pay in Woodvale, Caking Warehouse in Joondalup and Bake Boss in Malaga but you should be able to find most items at your local kitchen supply store, these places just have a larger range.
For extra inspo and any other questions you might have, get in touch with the amazing Bella here.
We’d absolutely love to see you cookie journey so feel free to tag us on Instagram, @hohperth, to show us your new skills!
Thank you xo
House of Hobby