Day of the Dead Cookies
Back to Recipes & MoreIngredients
- 1 Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe - rolled, cut, baked, and cooled.
- 1 batch Royal Icing – divided and mixed into desired colours with gel food coloring; one of the colours should be black and be of a medium consistency.
Instructions
1. Fit piping bag with a #3 round tip. Fill piping bag with the coloured royal icing.
2. Start by placing the tip of the piping bag about a quarter of an inch in from the edge of the cookie. Firmly squeeze the top of the piping bag with your dominant hand and use your other hand to direct the tip. Make a starting point by pressing down on the cookie then lifting the tip up, gently pulling the icing in the direction you want it to go. To complete the outline, press down at the point where you started and pull away, releasing the pressure on the piping bag. Leaving a bit of space between the edge of the cookie and the icing makes it easier to handle the iced cookie.
3. With the same piping bag, fill in the area that was outlined. Once the area is filled, carefully hold the edge of the cookie and gently tap the cookie on the table until all the gaps are filled and the icing is smooth.
4. Let flooded cookie dry overnight, before decorating.
5. Fit piping bag with a #1 or #2 round tip. Fill piping bag with black royal icing.
6. Begin by determining where you want to place the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can pipe free-hand or you can use an edible food-colouring pen or a sharp tip to mark in the skull's eyes, nose, and mouth. You can trace objects (we used a piping tip for the eyes) or stencils for better symmetry. Once the basic facial features are in place, pipe the features in with the black royal icing. Be creative and decorate the rest of the skull. Common design patterns used: dots, flowers, swirls, spiderwebs, hearts, and vines.
7. Let decorated cookie dry for several hours or overnight.
- Cookies are easier to decorate if they are completely cooled.
- When royal icing is not in use, cover bowl or piping tip with cling wrap to prevent drying.
- Leave some space between the edge of the cookie and the icing to make it easier to handle the iced cookie.
