Cookie Borders

My recent batch of barn owl cookies. The cookies with a border look better to me and more complete.

A piped border whether it be dots, a line or a combination of the two, is a really nice way to finish off decorated cookies.

I just think a border makes a cookie feel really complete, it's a frame for your art — And that's why I added a variety of them to my recent batch of barn owl cookies.

When adding a border you want to use icing that is piping consistency and holds its shape yet isn't so stiff that it holds a peak and you can see your stop and start points.  You want icing that holds yet settles to a smooth surface. This might sound complicated but it really isn't and just takes patience and practice.

Having the correct consistency of royal icing when piping borders is the key to success so it's important to take your time to get the consistency right. Always test icing first by piping onto a plate before adding it to your cookies.

Once you have your icing right, it's time to add the borders. Here are a few ideas:

A line following the shape of the cookie is the simplest design.

A dot border. Practice making even-sized dots before adding them to the cookie.

Closeup.

Alternating dots and lines for a border is another option.

Adding dots all over the cookie creates a wide border and also helps "frame" the owl.

Barn Owl Cookies

I made these double-decker barn owl cookies by using the brushed embroidery technique to add texture and details to the owls and then later added the color by painting them with food coloring.

The cookies weren't difficult to make but they were definitely labor intensive. I achieved the pretty blue color for the base cookie by mixing four colors -avacado green, electric purple, violet and royal blue.

Here's how I made them:

Make a batch of sugar cookie dough and get your cutters ready.

Base cookies ready for the oven.

Outline the base cookies with medium consistency royal icing using a #2 tip. Wait for the outline to dry before filling in the cookie.

While you are waiting for your basecoat outlines to dry, outline and fill the owls with flood consistency royal icing using a #2 tip.

You might need to use a skewer or scribe tool to evenly distribute the icing.

Wait for the iced owls to dry completely.

Using flood consistency icing and a #2 tip, fill in the base cookies.

Once again, you may need to use a skewer or scribe tool to help evenly distribute the icing.

Let the cookies dry completely. This takes anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on the humidity.

Once your owl cookies are dry, you can add the brushed embroidery details using piping consistency royal icing and a #2 tip. First, outline the face.

Use a square tip brush to pull the icing from the outline in towards the center of the face. Rinse your brush after every few swipes.

Add the eyebrows and nose by piping them and using the small brush to maneuver and tweak the shape of the icing.

Also add wings by piping two sets of waves on the owl and using the square tip brush to pull the icing towards the edges of the cookie.

After adding the details, the cookies need to dry completely before painting.

A plate with the food colors I used. To thin them, I used plain water. A little drop of coloring goes a very long way and I added way too much to my plate.

With a soft brush begin adding color to the owl. To keep the color from being too dark, I swiped my brush a few times on a paper towel first to remove some of the excess coloring. Then go on to add two black eyes and a touch of light pink at the end of the owl's nose. I also added some black spots to the owl's chest.

A finished owl. To attach the cookie to the base cookie, just use a few drops of stiff royal icing.

I decided to embellish the cookies with decorative borders using medium consistency royal icing. If your icing is too stiff, your dots will have peaks.

Make sure the cookies are completely dry before packaging.

Another owl cookie with a different decorative border.

A cookie closeup.

I like that every one of these cookies is different. This was a fun and satisfying cookie decorating/art project.