Decorate cookies like a pro

By Kristy Alpert

This cookie season, kick your decorated baked goods up a notch with a few tips from the pros. Ever try adding lemon juice to royal icing for a more professional look? How about using your oven’s lowest setting to help cookies dry a bit before handing them out to friends or coworkers?

“Decorating cookies can be a much-needed creative outlet,” says Kate Cavotti, professor of Baking and Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of America. “The most important thing is to enjoy the process and remember that your decorations are an expression of you.”

With that in mind, Cavotti gives the following tips for decorating cookies like a pro:

Before you start

• Set everything out (mixed icing colors, sprinkles, etc.).
• Use royal icing because it flows nicely over the cookies and sets with a professional look. Made mostly from softly beaten egg whites, powdered sugar, and lemon or lime juice, royal icing is ideal for decorative baking. “Make sure to sift the sugar before mixing to avoid lumps in the icing.” Note: If it’s too runny, it will not set; if it’s too stiff, it will not settle out smooth.
• Use one design for each type or shape of cookie.

As you work

• Work in an assembly line fashion (i.e. outline all the cookies, then go back and fill in the sections).
• Use one pastry bag for each color, fitted with small tips so the icing doesn’t flow too fast. Keep the tips of the bags not in use covered with a damp rag to avoid drying out.
• Don’t work in a mess! Clean as you go.
• Give cookies enough time to dry. For quick drying, use the lowest temperature on the oven to help the icing set without turning the decorations brown (100 degrees or so).
• Let the kids join in. “Set them up with cookies and colored sugars and nonpareils, essentially giving them free reign over some of the cookies,” laughs Cavotti, who always makes sure to save some for herself to decorate at the same time or after the kiddos get tired and move on to the next project!