How to Decorate Cookies

Decorate cookies like a pro with our video and step-by-step guide.

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How To: Decorate Cookies With Royal Icing

Make professional-looking decorated cookies at home with just a few tools and a little imagination.

Tools to Use

These tools make decorating easier: candy sprinkles, mini offset spatula, squirt bottle, piping bag and food coloring.

Royal Icing

First, let cookies cool completely. Then make royal icing, a mixture of egg whites and confectioners' sugar.

Get the Recipe: Royal Icing

Start With Outlining Icing

For outlining icing add a little extra confectioners' sugar — you want the consistency to be thick like paste.

Add Food Coloring

Remember, a drop of food coloring goes a long way.

Outlining

Use a piping bag with a small tip to outline the shape of the cookie. If the icing is too loose, add some more confectioners' sugar.

Steady Hand Tip

For a solid color, use the squeeze bottle or a spoon to fill in the outlines. This is called "flooding the cookie."

Filling in Cookies

For a solid color, use the squeeze bottle or a spoon to fill in the outlines. This is called "flooding the cookie."

Adding Solid Colors

Use a thinner icing for this step, with a soft pudding or gravy consistency. If your icing is too thick, simply add water.

Cookies With a Solid Color

Let the base color dry a little before decorating.

Decorate

Use a piping bag to decorate the cookies.

Toppings

This is the time to add cute candies or sprinkles for decoration.

And You're Set

Have fun and use your imagination when decorating.