How to Ice Cookies

By Allison Kociuruba

‘Tis the season and like many of you, I can’t wait to make holiday cookies for gifts (and to satisfy my sweet tooth). If you liked my simple methods for decorating sugar cookies from a couple weeks ago, check out this more advanced technique. Learn how to make royal icing and create cookie creations straight out of a bakery window. It’s easy to do with a little time, patience and lots of confectioners’ sugar!

Follow along (it’s a long one so grab your coffee or tea) and see how to:

• Make royal icing (I just use the recipe from the meringue powder container)
• Color royal icing
• Fill pastry bags (and make pastry bags out of standard plastic bags)
• Ice cookies
• Add pizzazz with candies and sprinkles
• Adjust royal icing to make filled cookie designs

Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you can make fun and colorful cookies year-round for all sorts of holidays and occasions. I’ve made these types of cookies several times as wedding favors for friends. Remember that they don’t have to look perfect, just let your creativity flow. Happy baking!

Allison Kociuruba is a freelance recipe developer and food writer who honed her skills (and her chef’s knife) as the Senior Food Editor at Good Housekeeping magazine after graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. She also spent time working in the kitchens of top New York City restaurants Café Boulud and Butter. Allison is now living and cooking in the Bay Area where she develops recipes and web content for Whole Foods Market and Driscoll’s Berries. She is also a consultant to the Center for Culinary Development in San Francisco, tracking and reporting on the latest food trends.

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