Eiffel Tower Cookie

You'd think piping the Eiffel Tower in royal icing would be tough to do but it's actually pretty easy.

It's just a combination of lines and "X's" and it doesn't have to be perfect to be recognizable. My version has got a slant to it but I think it's charming.

Before attempting my Eiffel Tower cookie, I made a quick simplified sketch of the tower from looking at a photo online. And then, I just went for it and iced it free-hand onto the cookie.

I surprised myself with the results and I think you'd surprise yourself too. I hope you give this a try.

Just be sure to use piping consistency royal icing and a #1 pastry tip. You want your lines of royal icing to be clean and not run together after piping.

I made the cookie for my daughter Eleanor to give to her friend Elise in celebration of her birthday.

My quick Eiffel Tower sketch.

Eleanor customized the cookie for her friend by piping a little cat face in the corner.

Coloring Tips

Choosing and creating colors is a huge part of cookie decorating and it can be frustrating when you have the perfect color in mind but you just can't seem to mix it up.

Here are few tips that I know will help.

One:  Have a visual of the color you want to create. 

It can be anything - an object, a clipping from a magazine or a color chip from the paint store.  When you actually see the color you want, it is so much easier to mix.

My friend Shannon gave me a handy color mixing chart that she clipped from the May 2012 issue of "Food Network Magazine." I use it so much that I think I just need to frame it and hang it on the wall of my kitchen.

The color mixing guide from the May 2012 issue of "Food Network Magazine."

The mixing guide even tells you how much coloring you need to add.

Two:  Use high quality colorings. 

I swear by the AmeriColor brand soft gel paste colors. The colors are vibrant and easy to mix. They also don't bleed or separate on your cookies like liquid colorings tend to do.

Black and red are the most difficult colors to mix and if you are using poor quality colors it could take the whole bottle. You'll hit every shade of gray and pink before you get to black or red.

So if you only buy two AmeriColor colorings get these: Super Black and Super Red.

You can fine AmeriColor at specialty baking shops and online.

Three:  Add a coloring just a touch at a time. 

You can always add color but you can't take it away. I use skewers and toothpicks to add just the smallest touch at a time. Absolutely never ever hold the bottle over your icing and squeeze it right in.

Four:  Be patient. 

Don't expect to get the color you want right away. Take your time and work to get the exact color you want.

I sometimes have to add more than 20 touches of a color before I'm satisfied. It's worth your time and effort because it will show in your final product.

Planning A Cookie

My current plans for a bumble bee sugar cookie.

For me part of the fun of sugar cookie decorating is the planning process.

Sometimes these plans change as I begin the actual decorating but they are a good starting point and help me visualize the cookies I want to create.

All you need is your cookie cutter and pen and paper — Just trace the cookie cutter onto the paper and start sketching.

It's also fun to involve your family in the sketching process. Ask them for their suggestions or give each family member a tracing to decorate and vote on the winner. Or, make a true family cookie using a combination of everyone's ideas.

It's also helpful to find samples of the colors you wish to use. Mixing colors can be tough but having a visual of what you are working towards is helpful. 

Cookie decorating is more fun when you take the time to enjoy the process and remember practice makes perfect but the truth is sugar cookies are delicious no matter how they are decorated.


Here's my favorite sugar cookie recipe:

Sugar Cookie Cutouts
(this recipe is from well-known pastry chef Emily Luchetti and was featured in the December 2004 issue of Sunset Magazine)

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until blended, then beat on high speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat until well blended. Add flour and salt; beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until well blended. Divide dough into two equal portions. Place dough between sheets of plastic wrap. Press evenly into a disk and chill until dough is firm, at least 20 minutes. Working with one portion of dough at a time (keep remaining chilled), peel off plastic wrap and roll on a floured board until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with floured cutters and transfer onto bare baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees (325 for convection) for 7 to 9 minutes or until firm to the touch and slightly darker brown around edges. Cool on wire racks.

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

 I like how my strawberry sugar cookies turned out and I like the fact that only two royal icing colors were needed to make them. A sprinkle of nonpareils to mimic strawberry seeds finishes the look.

Here's how to make them:

A strawberry cookie ready to be decorated.

Use green icing to pipe leaves.

Use a square tip brush to draw a line through each leaf to add dimension.

These cookies are ready for the red icing.

Outline the strawberry with red icing.

Flood the cookie and use a skewer to move the icing and fill in the gaps.

The cookie is ready for a sprinkle on nonpareils.

My daughter Eleanor sprinkling nonpareils on the cookies.

They look great. After the icing dries, they'll be ready to package and give away.

How To Flood A Cookie With Royal Icing

Here's a quick video with tips on how to flood a sugar cookie with royal icing. It's really easy once you practice a few times. Watch the video and make the "Happy Spring" cookies in the post below.