Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Blog

At Taste Buds Kitchen we love all things kids, families and food! Stay up to date with our latest happenings,
delicious recipes, kitchen tips and at-home cook-along videos.

CATEGORY FILTER:

Back to Blog

Holiday Cookie Decorating

a wooden cutting board with a cake on a table

It’s Holiday Cookie Season at TBK!

We are always looking for creative and easy ways to decorate cookies that will impress both young and old and are simple enough that everyone can do!

We love this Sugar Cookie Recipe which we use for our Holiday Cookie Camps and Summer Bake Sales.  It is a quick and versatile dough that can be flavored, colored and shaped for any event. And this is our tried and true recipe for Meringue Royal Icing, it works every time!

 

Sugar Cookie & Decorating Instructions

  1. Follow Sugar Cookie recipe above to make the cookie dough.  Dough should be dry enough that it does not stick to your hands – this will ensure less mess as well as a cookie that holds it shape through baking.a bag sitting on top of a tableOnce dough is done, scoop into plastic wrap, in log shapes and let dough chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes, so butter can harden again.a knife sitting on top of a table
  2. Work with a small piece of dough at a time, keeping the rest of the dough refrigerated.  Roll dough flat between two pieces of parchment until a little less than 1/4 inch thick.  For our two Holiday Cookie shapes we don’t use cookie cutters, our first shape is a triangle – which we create by shaping flat dough into long rectangle and slicing triangles out.a close up of food on a table
  3. Cookies can be pretty close together since they don’t spread at all.a cup of coffee
  4. For our circle ornament cookies we use a small bowl to cut out the circle shape – you can get creative with cups, jars etc for this anything with a sharp enough edge to cut through the cookie dough.
  5. Use a straw to make small holes at the top of ornaments (that you can string yarn through when they are done).a plate of food on a wooden table
  6. While cookies are baking make your Meringue Royal Icing and prepare your colors. Check consistency of icing, icing should be thin enough that it is easily squeezed out of small hole.a close up of a plate on a wooden table
  7. When cookies are cooled and all icing is colored and bagged, you are ready to decorate.  Cookies look great when they follow a consistent decorating technique.  Start by outlining the edge of the cookie with icing, then filling in with a thin layer.a toothbrush that has some food on a table
  8. Quickly follow with your accent colors and make thin straight lines across cookie.a hand holding a piece of food
  9. Before icing has a chance to dry, using a toothpick drag through icing up and dough through the accent colors to create marble design.a wooden cutting board
  10. Final Ornament cookie will look like this!  Mix and match colors and patterns on cookies for variety.a doughnut sitting on top of a wooden table
  11. Another variation on the ornament cookie is our wreath decorating technique.  Start with the same outline and fill on the cookie, instead of straight lines across, decorate with small green dots going around the cookie.a hand holding a cell phone
  12. Using your toothpick and starting at the dot closest to the hole, drag through in one circle motion all the way around.a piece of cake sitting on top of a table
  13. Finish wreath with accent of small red dots all around.a person sitting on a wooden table
  14. For our triangles – to create Christmas Trees, outline cookie with green icing and then fill with thin layer.a hand holding a piece of wood
  15. Using a lighter green icing, white icing or combo of both colors pipe thin line across cookie.a wooden table
  16. Follow the same technique as the ornament cookie, using a toothpick drag lines alternating up and down going through the accent colors.
  17. Finish with accent for tree topper and colorful dots for ornaments.food on a wooden table
  18. Let cookies dry completely before serving, it takes at least 1 hour to dry – the longer they get to dry, the better.