Winter Cookie Decorating: Learn the secrets of the pros
We had such a SWEET time learning the tips and tricks of the pros at our recent cookie decorating workshops with Tiffany Thompson of Aunt Tiffy’s Cookie Co.
We were thrilled to host two winter cookie decorating workshops with Tiffany Thompson of Aunt Tiffy’s Cookie Co. in late November and early December.
We began the workshop with some festive cranberry margaritas and cranberry spritzes (mocktails), along with personal sized charcuterie boxes. Guests had a little time to mingle and meet one another before taking their seats and diving into the fascinating world of royal icing. Each guest received five plain sugar cookies and throughout the course of the evening they learned how to turn each one into a mini-masterpiece!
Tiffany taught us that the difference between royal icing that is “flood” consistency versus a “detail” consistency is the amount of water you use. Add more water for cookie work that calls for flooding (filling in large areas) and less when you want to do detailed line work. Our first step of the evening was to practice piping lines on a reusable tracing sheet. Getting the feel for the proper angle and amount of pressure to use when working with a piping bag took a little practice.
Once guests got the feel for piping straight and squiggly practice lines they were ready to move on to outlining and then filling their first cookie. Throughout the evening we jumped between cookies to tackle various steps in the decorating process. We learned that it’s important to let sections of your cookie dry before completing the cookie in order to create dimensionality. You would rarely ever sit down and complete one entire cookie before moving on to the next.
Our guests learned how to create a winter tree with three dimensional greens and snow, snow globes with trees created by using a fun technique with the scribe tool, a snow man with a textural scarf, a snowflake with delicate line work and a present with adorable dots. Guests used sparkly sugar, sprinkles and tiny snowflakes as one of the final steps of their decorating process. By the end of the workshop, every cookie was a stunner.
Guests also took home two additional blank cookies, along with all of their frosting bags and a scribe tool so that they could continue practicing their piping techniques at home. All attendees took home cards with Tiffany’s favorite sugar cookie recipe and directions for making royal icing.
Each guest put their own creative spin on their cookies! We LOVED the tiny fish that Joci added to her snow globe.
We think it’s fun to serve a batched cocktail when hosting a crowd! For this event we served a Cranberry Margarita that we prepped ahead of our event. We left out the tequila so the drink could be enjoyed as either a cocktail or mocktail and added the tequila at the end.
Tiffany’s Tips and Tricks:
Cookie Baking Tips: Tiffany likes to chill or freeze her cookie dough to help maintain its shape when baking. She pops cookies straight from the freezer into the oven.
You can freeze baked but un-iced cookies in an airtight container.
Frosting Tips: When cutting the tip off of your piping bags make the tiniest cut in the bag possible. You can always go back and cut more, but you can never un-cut the bag!
It may seem counter-intuitive, but holding the piping bag farther away from the cookie will actually give you more control.
Hold the piping bag upright and drop the line of icing onto the surface of your cookie. Pull up then guide the stream of icing down.
Create a barrier first by outlining the cookie, then flood afterwards.
Our top picks for cookie decorating supplies:
Now that you’re ready to decorate your cookies at home like a pro, you’ll need the proper tools. We’ve included some of Tiffany’s favorite products below. We’ve also included some of Tiffany’s recommended local bakery supply shops.
Silicone Spatulas: Tiffany loves these spatulas because they’re super sturdy and not as bulky as a standard kitchen spatula. Silicone Spatulas
Meringue Powder: Tiffany loves the texture of this meringue powder, and it’s non-GMO. Modern Mountain Meringue Powder
Holly Fox Tipless Piping Bags: These bags have a thinner feel to them but are still very strong. Tiffany also recommends checking out her cutters as well, Holly Fox is one of her favorite suppliers! Tipless Piping Bags
Killer Zebras Tipless Piping Bags: Melanie Beth is local (Maple Valley), and sells a variety of other products as well - including some super cute cookie cutters! Tipless Piping Bags
Borderless Bakery Tipless Piping Bags: Tiffany uses these piping bags for most of her decorating at the moment. She believes choosing the right piping bag is all about what feels best to you. Tipless Piping Bags
Borderless Bakery Rolling Pin Bag Clips: Tiffany says this supplier has some of the best bag clips if you’re looking to add these into your supplies. Bag Clips
Baking Supply Shops in the Seattle area that Tiffany loves: Home Cake Decorating Supply Co (Maple Leaf), Dawn’s Candy and Cake (Lynnwood)
Until we gather again!
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