Home » About Cookies » Cookies Decorating

Cookies Decorating

The idea of decorating cookies dates back to the 14th century. It was first practiced in Switzerland, where Springerle cookie molds made from wood was used to create Biblical designs in cookies. The history of cookie molding and decorating can also be tracked back to Medieval Germany, where the cookies, known as Lebkuchen, were made into fancy shapes and were decorated with sugar. Gingerbread cookies made into Christmas cards was inspired from the story of “Hansel and Gretel”. German and Dutch settlers, during the 17th century, made the introduction of cookie decorative molds, cookie cutters and festive decoration to the United States.

During the present age, cookies decorating have become a sort of tradition in many countries around the world. It has also been made into social events like parties where only cookies are decorated and eaten and competition where the production of the best cookies by some of the best pastry chefs of the world. Some of the popular choices cookie decorations are royal icing, glaze and fondant. A few practical ideas of cookies decorating are,

  • Use a lint-free cloth or a microfiber to wipe the extra icing from the tip of your piping tube. If any other cloth is used, little fibers may get into the icing on the cookies
  • Since piping tips are quite small, they tend to get lost. So, use containers that are used for storing beads to store the piping tips.
  • Have a lot of piping tips and piping couplers handy so that you can prepare many bags of icing and change tips without going through the trouble of washing them
  • Keep rubber bands handy so that you tie the ends of piping bags so that the icing doesn’t fall from the piping bags.
  • Use toothpicks or pins to pop air bubbles in the icing that is on the cookies and also for unclogging the tips of the piping bags.
  • Have a glass of water handy so that you can drop off the piping tips in it for soaking before they are ready to be cleaned.
  • Use spatulas only for royal icing.

These are but a few tips which you can use while decorating cookies. They are quite easy to follow, and you will have no problem following them. Happy Baking!