Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating
cookies. Well that’s a tall order because there are as many ways
to decorate cookies as there are cookies! Here are a few guidelines for
novices and experienced bakers alike to help you generate your own
ideas for cooking decorating.
DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKING
Cookies can be decorated before baking with materials
that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on
your cookies before baking are:
colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold dragées, and other sprinkles
raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
nuts
These items can be placed on top of almost any cookie to dress it up a bit and give it a more festive appearance.
Paint a masterpiece
You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make
an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food
coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. The paint will
dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance.
This is a fun activity for kids!
Decorating cookies after baking them requires that you
apply some kind of liquid-based substance that will adhere to the baked
cookie, or that will act as a glue to attach other items. Usually, this
takes the form of frosting, icing, or melted chocolate.
Frosting vs. Icing
There is a big difference between frosting and icing.
Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those
you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to
the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes
better because of the creamy buttery flavor.
Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid
substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the
surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the
most beautiful, professional results.
Working with frosting
You can use frosting in two ways. One way is to simply
use a knife or rubber spatula to spread the frosting across the whole
surface of your cookie. The other way is to place the frosting in a
pastry or decorating bag fitted with a small tip and piping out thin
lines or rosettes of icing onto the cookie.
Just about any cookie can be embellished simply by
dipping it in chocolate or drizzling chocolate over it. You can even
dress up the everyday chocolate chip cookie for gift-giving or serving
at parties. Melting chocolate is a simple process, but a few rules must
be followed in order to make it a success. For Easter, try using white
chocolate tinted in pastel shades with food coloring. Use the gel,
paste or powdered kind of food color, because the liquid drops may make
the chocolate seize up.
What you need
You can either use chocolate chips or baking chocolate
(the kind that comes in 1-ounce squares) and the same process applies
whether you use dark chocolate or white chocolate. A small amount of
shortening should be added at the ratio of 2 tablespoons shortening for
1 cup of chocolate chips or chopped up baking chocolate.
Double boiler
Place chocolate and shortening in the top half of a
double boiler or in a metal bowl that has been placed on top of a
saucepan filled with hot water. The water must be very hot, but not
boiling, because the steam generated by boiling water could get
moisture into the melting chocolate which makes it curdle.
Allow the chocolate to melt over the hot water and stir it occasionally until it has achieved a liquid consistency.
Microwave
Place your chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe
bowl and microwave it on medium power for 1 minute. Stir. Continue
microwaving 20 seconds, stir again. Keep doing this until the chocolate
is almost melted. Remove it from the microwave and stir it until
completely melted.
Dipping
Dip one end of your cookie, or half the cookie, or even
the whole cookie into the melted chocolate. Set the cookie on a wire
rack to let the chocolate harden. If you wish, you can sprinkle chopped
nuts, coconut, or non-pareils over the melted chocolate before it
hardens.
Drizzling
Scrape melted chocolate into a ziplock baggie. With a
sharp scissors, snip off a very small corner of the baggie. Drizzle top
of cookies with zig-zags of melted chocolate. Cool until chocolate is
set.
Using these simple techniques will help you produce a
variety of beautiful-looking cookies at Christmastime and throughout
the year.
Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.
Mimi Cummins is co-author
of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and
Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts." This book, "enthusiastically
recommended" by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints,
including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. For more
information visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/ or order from your favorite online bookstore.
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