Let’s Get started 1Cookies are kind of fantastic. You put them in your mouth, and they make you happy because they taste like scrumptious little bites of love. But did you know that cookies can also LOOK incredible? It’s true. And if you wanted to, you can learn to make these delicious tasting, incredible-looking cookies in your own home—in your pajamas if you want to. I’m not going to judge you. Cookies are a judging-free zone. And we are not talking about the stale, crumbling cookie you get from the grocery store that vaguely resembles an octopus but might also be a popular children’s cartoon character. We’re talking about show-stopping cookies with a depth of texture, vibrant colors, and piping creativity that will keep your eyes moving until you finally give in and take a bite. You know—the kind of cookies you want to take home to show your mother. And your father. And everyone else in your life because you are just so proud that something so delicious and impressive could actually come from your very own kitchen. Let’s make those kinds of cookies.Are you in? Let’s get you started. The first thing you need is a good recipe. It’s no secret that cookies are meant to be eaten. The recipe should taste like deliciousness in cookie form and should keep its shape when baked. We don’t want your tray of bicycles to turn into Halloween amoebas in the oven, do we? I think not. Luckily for you, I’ve got three fantastic options—Vanilla Sugar Cookies (page 143), Chocolate Sugar Cookies (page 65), and Gingerbread Cookies (page 98). Go check them out and see which ones you already have the ingredients for. I’ll meet you back here in three minutes. LET’S GET STArTEd2 Let’s Get startedWhoa. You were faster than I expected. You know what I love about those recipes? (Besides everything!) They don’t have a “chill time” in them. You can just mix up the ingredients and get right to rolling out the cookies. Start with a lightly floured surface. Toss a ball of dough on there and roll it flat. You can use rings that go on the end of rolling pins to make sure everything is the same thickness, or you can put some flat sticks on each side of your dough to do the same thing. Or if you’re really brave, you can just throw caution to the wind and eyeball the thickness. I like to roll the cookie dough out until it is about twice the thickness I need, and then carefully lift the dough and rotate it so I’m sure it isn’t sticking. Add a sprinkle of flour here and there if anything starts to stick where it shouldn’t. You could also roll that dough out between two sheets of parchment paper and save yourself from a floured-up counter. Once your dough is flat and smooth and the exact thickness you want it to be, grab a cutter, a drinking glass, or even a kitchen knife and start cutting out shapes. Dip the cutters in flour before cutting out each shape. It helps the dough release from the cutter and also keeps the dough from spreading when baked. Bake according to the recipe and allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating. While your cookies are hanging out on the cooling rack, you can make up some decorating icing to keep your mind off eating them immediately. I prefer Royal Icing with Powdered Egg Whites (page 126) but you can also make Royal Icing with Meringue Powder (page 126) or even try making some Glaze Icing (page 100). You can get more definition with royal icing, but glaze will always have a softer bite. It’s really your choice. Try them both and see which one you like better. Either way, once you’ve gotten the icing all mixed up, the trickiest part of cookie decorating will be staring you in the face. You need to color your icing and then adjust the consistency. If you ignore everything else I tell you, please listen to me now. Getting the right consistency of icing before you start decorating will be the difference between things ending in tears and ice cream pity parties—and cookies that make you so proud you can’t help but throw open your door and show them to the world. (I will not be responsible for startled mailmen.)The cookie projects in this book use four different consistencies of icing: thin, medium, thick, and extra thick. It’s not complicated; it just takes a little time to get them right. Put your icing in a bowl, stir it around, and then pick it up and give it a good tap or two on the counter. If everything settles out into a glossy surface, you’ve got yourself some thin icing right there. If it takes five to six taps before everything settles out smoothly, that would be medium-consistency icing. Let’s Get started 34 Let’s Get startedThick icing doesn’t really settle out, even after tapping it on the counter seven or eight times, but it will still move a little on its own if you tilt the bowl. Extra thick icing doesn’t go anywhere, even if you turn the bowl upside down. Extra thick icing doesn’t like you and will give you the cold shoulder when you try to use it. We will only use extra thick if we have no other choice. Changing the consistency of the icing is as easy as adding water or powdered sugar. If the icing is too thin, add some powdered sugar. If you have one cup of thin icing, you only need about one tablespoon of powdered sugar to move it up to medium icing. If your icing is too thick, add some water to thin it out. If you have one cup of medium-consistency icing, three to five drops of water should take it down to thin icing. It’s not an exact science, so sometimes you will have to add a little powdered sugar, and then a little water, and then maybe some more powdered sugar before you have the icing right where you want it. Trust me though; it will always be worth the effort to get it right.ThinMEdiuMThiCkExTrA ThiCkLet’s Get started 5icing Cookies Fit a pastry bag with a coupler and tip. Put the tip down into a small glass and fold the edges over the rim of the glass. Gently pour or spoon the icing into the pastry bag until it is about half full. Overfilling the bags will result in icing smooshing out the top and making a mess all over your precious creations. Don’t do that; you won’t be happy. You can twist the piping bag or put a clip on the bag above the icing to keep it all inside while you pipe. 6 Let’s Get startedTo fill a cookie with icing, start by touching the tip to the cookie. While squeezing the icing, gently lift the tip just slightly above the cookie so the string of icing touches down on its own. This will keep your outline from getting all squiggly on you.1Outline the entire cookie, being careful to touch the icing tip down at any point in the outline where the icing changes direction. Touch the tip down again when you come back to the beginning. You can use either thick or medium icing to outline your cookie.2Fill in the middle section with medium or thin icing. The process for filling, or “flooding,” the cookie is pretty much the opposite of outlining. 3Let’s Get started 7To add dimension, allow one color or patch of icing to dry before adding another. Let the entire cookie dry overnight, or for at least 6–8 hours before attempting to package or stack the cookies. 4You want to keep your tip low, almost touching the cookie. Squeeze the pastry bag so the icing pillows out around the tip. Use the tip to push the icing into corners or smaller spaces. Some people start on one side and go back and forth, while others start around the edges and move toward the center. You can do pretty much whatever you want—start on one side, then go to the other, draw a smiley face in the middle first . . . it all works out the same. 5For more in-depth information on cookie decorating basics, read these entries in the back of the book:Chocolate Sugar CookiesColoring icingConsistency of icingdrying Cookiesoutliningpiping Bagpiping Tipsroyal icingStoring CookiesVanilla Sugar CookiesNext >