Jack-o'-lantern Cookies

If you are a beginning cookie decorator looking for a simple design that makes use of multiple decorating techniques, Jack-o'-lantern cookies are for you!

There's some brush work, edible ink work and some segmented piping and it's all basic and easy to do.

To get started, bake mini pumpkin cookies and an equal number of larger base cookies and also have ready a black edible ink marker, a small "food only" brush, a batch of royal icing, gel colorings (I used orange, delphinium blue and moss green) and two pastry bags fitted with #2 tips.


Here's how to decorate them:

Start off by outlining and flooding the base cookies with white royal icing using one the pastry bags and a #2 tip.  Let the base cookies dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Once the base cookies are dry, mix up some blue royal icing and thin it to medium consistency. Drop about a teaspoon full onto the cookie and use your brush to spread it out evenly. It won't look perfectly smooth but that's the point, you want to add a textural look to the cookie.

After you have covered all of the base cookies, set them aside to dry. Reserve any leftover icing to use as "glue" when it's time to stick the cookies together.

Now it's time for the mini pumpkins, mix up a very small amount of medium consistency moss green royal icing.

Paint the stem of all of the pumpkins.

Mix up some medium consistency orange icing and place it a pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip. Following the curves of the cookie add orange to just the center segment. Do this to all of the pumpkins and let them dry for at least 20 minutes.

Add orange to the outside segments. This segmented piping adds so much texture and realism to the pumpkin. Let the icing dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Add a dollop of icing to back of the pumpkins and stick them onto the base cookies.

It will look like this.

Now for the fun part, get out your edible ink marker and turn the pumpkins into Jack-o'-lanterns.

Let the ink and the "cookie glue" dry completely before packaging.

How To Decorate Pumpkin Cookies (In Three Easy Steps)

These Pumpkin Cookies can be decorated in three easy steps using a piping technique that adds diminision and interest.

And now is the perfect time to learn how to make them since they are ideal for fast approaching Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations.

I made my pumpkins mini-sized and used them to top a batch of double-decker Fall cookies but they are definitely cute just the way they are too.

My recent batch of double-decker cookies.

Here's how to decorate them in three easy steps:

Step 1:

Outline and fill the two outside sections of the pumpkins with flood consistency royal icing. Let this dry for at least 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.

Step 2:

Outline and fill in the middle sections with the same icing. You might need to use a skewer or scribe tool to ease the icing all the way to the inside edges of the already filled sections.

Step 3:

Finally add a green stem using a paint brush and piping consistency royal icing. I have a small stiff square tip brush from Wilton that I recommend using. By painting on the stem you eliminate having to use a pastry bag and it gives that rough textured look of a real pumpkin stem.

Fall Cookies For Sale

These double decker Fall cookies topped with acorns, leaves, pumpkins and pears are going to be for sale at the Trinity Artisan Fair this weekend.

I really like how the gold scalloped edge looks on the base cookies and it really wasn't hard to do. The most important thing when piping a contrasting colored edge is that the piping icing be thick enough to hold its shape yet soft enough to settle and not leave peaks. It's always a good idea to practice piping onto a plate first.

Here's how:

Bake cookies.

Using a #1 pastry tip and piping consistency icing, add your border. Let the icing dry a bit before flooding the cookie.

Flood the cookie and use a skewer to help ease the icing into the edges.

Wait for your icing to dry and then use stiff royal icing to glue your decorative cookies on top. Let the cookies dry completely before packaging.

Double Decker Thanksgiving Cookies

These are the perfect cookies for your Thanksgiving celebration.

I used mini acorn, pumpkin and leaf cookie cutters and large fluted square cutters to make them.

All you need is a dab of royal icing to adhere the mini cookies on top of the larger ones. I think the clean white background really makes the colors pop.

A bit of sanding sugar on the acorn and a special icing technique on the pumpkin add texture and interest.

Here's how I made them:

Bake an even number of large and mini sugar cookies. After they have baked, outline and flood the large cookies with white royal icing.

To add texture to your pumpkin, first outline and flood the two outside sections of the pumpkin. Let this dry for 10 to 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.

Flood and fill the middle section and you'll get these cute real looking pumpkins.

Add a stem and when the pumpkins are dry, adhere them to the top of your large cookies with a dab of royal icing.

 

With dark brown royal icing, flood and fill the oval on top of the acorn.

While the icing is wet, sprinkle with brown sanding sugar. I always do this over a clean paper towel so that at the end I can lift it up to pour the excess sugar back into my container.

After shaking off the excess sugar, the acorns will look like this.

Add a lighter brown royal icing to the body and tip of the acorns. After it has dried, you can add it to your large cookies.

Flood and fill the leaves with a dark yellow royal icing. I mixed a bit of brown in with my yellow coloring. After filling, immediately pipe a dark brown line down the center and add a small stem.

While your yellow and brown icing is still wet, us a skewer to pull it out towards the edges. Be sure to wipe your skewer after swipes. Let it dry before sticking to the top of your large cookie with a dab of royal icing.