The Art Part Of Cookie Decorating

Painted Cookies

Brushed Embroidery

I started decorating cookies one day nearly ten years ago just because I was feeling creative and needed an art project. I've always been someone who has thrived on working with my hands and trying something new.

Actually one of the first things my mom said to my husband when we announced we were getting married was, "Do you know about Heidi and her projects?" What can I say? — I like making stuff and when I was younger I wasn't the best at cleaning up my messes.

When I gave cookie decorating a shot, I had been interested in it for a while after seeing Wendy Kromer demonstrate outlining and flooding on Martha Stewart's show and saving a 2004 issue of Sunset Magazine that had tips and a recipe from pastry chef Emily Luchetti. Her sugar cookie cutout recipe was so good that it is the one I still use today with one little change, the addition of a bit of almond extract.

I didn't take any pictures of my first cookie decorating project, a batch of snowflakes, and that's probably a good thing. They were nothing special due to too runny icing and my lack of experience but they tasted great and I was hooked on the whole process of decorating cookies.

It's my art and I love it because the decorating possibilities are endless and there's always a new technique to try, learn and improve upon. Plus, I get the added pleasure of seeing smiles when I share the cookies with family and friends.

This week I've been working on some new designs for an artisan fair at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. I've been doing a little brushed embroidery work, painting and I'm making sets of cookie place cards that will be sold with an edible marker, perfect for setting Thanksgiving tables.  I can be found selling alongside my good friend Linda who makes the most adorable and super soft one-of-a-kind knitted dolls.

I hope to see you this weekend. Here are the details: 

10th Annual Artisan Invitational Fair. Saturday, November 8, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 9, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Kempton Hall. Admission: 2 cans of food or $2. Benefiting The Cathedral Arts Program and Trinity Outreach Food Pantry. Free parking.

Double Decker Owl and Squirrel Cookies

Packaged cookies that will be for sale.

I'll be selling these sweet double decker owl and squirrel cookies this weekend at the Trinity Artisan Fair. I found the owl cutter just a week ago at Cost Plus World Market for .99 and couldn't wait to put it to use.

It took two batches of dough and a full day to make 26 of these large cookies but I still think it was worth it. I love how they turned out and am especially pleased with the cohesive Fallish (is that a word?) color palette.

I still have many more cookies to make for the sale that's just days away so stay tuned....

If you would like to attend the sale, here are the details:

Trinity Artisan Fair: Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Kempton Hall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Ave, Portland, Oregon)
Admission: 2 cans of food or $2. Benefitting The Cathedral Arts Program and Trinity Outreach Food Pantry. The Fair features local, professional artisan crafters sharing their original work in fine jewelry, knitted and fabric wearables and accessories, fused glass, quilts, toys, decor and much, much more! Meet the artisans in person and purchase items for gifts or to enjoy for yourself.

And, here's how I made the owl cookies:

Bake an equal number of round base cookies and owl cookies.

Flood and fill the base cookies and set them aside to dry.

Use and edible ink marker to outline your design.

Outline and fill the head peak and side wings with brown royal icing. Let them dry a bit (about 10 minutes) and then outline and fill the bottom middle feather section. Breaking up the sections like this adds dimension.

Outline and flood the remaining section with blue icing.

Let the blue dry a bit before adding white icing for the eyes. I used a #1 tip and flood consistency icing. Be careful not to pipe on too large a dot because it spreads.

Using a #1 tip, add black icing for the eyes and orange icing for the beak. Also, add a bit more detail by piping a few squiggly lines of orange on the tummy of the owl and a few more lines of blue icing on the brown feathers. Finally, pipe a tiny dot of blue on the owl's head. Let the cookies dry and then adhere the owls to the top of the base cookie by using a few dollops of royal icing. Stick the cookies together and wait for them to dry completely before packaging.

Cookies For Sale

I've gathered together my Fall cookie cutters for inspiration. For me, planning the cookies I'm going to make is an enjoyable part of the cookie making process. I pour myself a cup of tea and sketch away.

I'm having fun planning a big batch of Fall-inspired decorated sugar cookies that I will have for sale this weekend at the Trinity Artisan Fair on Saturday, Nov. 9 and Sunday, Nov. 10.

I hope to see you there. I'll be at a table with my friends Linda and Melanie who respectively sell handmade dolls and quilts.

Here are the details:


Trinity Artisan Fair: Saturday, November 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Kempton Hall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Ave, Portland, Oregon)
Admission: 2 cans of food or $2. Benefitting The Cathedral Arts Program and Trinity Outreach Food Pantry. The Fair features local, professional artisan crafters sharing their original work in fine jewelry, knitted and fabric wearables and accessories, fused glass, quilts, toys, decor and much, much more! Meet the artisans in person and purchase items for gifts or to enjoy for yourself.