Hello, this is Jacinda from Ali’s Sweet Tooth and I am excited to share my tutorial on 3D Winter Cookies.

Materials

Your favorite cookie and royal icing recipe.
White piping icing with a #1 and #2 tip.
White icing thick enough to hold it’s shape, with a star tip.
Light blue for flooding your cookie with a #3 or #4 tip. Any base color
will do.
A round cookie cutter or an ornament cutter.
A small round or snowflake cutter for your base.
Edible marker or food coloring and a toothpick.
A paring knife or large holed tip.
Edible glitter in clear or luster dust. (Optional)

When making your cookies stand up, you want them to be secure, without having to worry about them falling over, or the icing separating. Stiff icing can help, but it’s not fun to eat. There are a few ways you can do this. The easiest would be to use an ornament cutter this has a base to it. If you don’t have an ornament, you can use a round or mason jar ring and cut a small rectangle out of the base. As you can see in the photo, you want to add a longer, solid piece, so it is stable.

For the base, you can use any cutter you would like. I prefer snowflakes, which can also be used on top, but a small round will do. You will want to cut a small section out of the center before baking. Try to match the lip of the cookie you will be adding, but don’t worry if it’s not an exact size as you can trim it later. Once your cookies have cooled, you can check to make sure the top fits into the base and trim if needed. If they are a little loose, it’s okay because they will be filled with icing later.

I outline my cookie with my white piping icing and a # 2 tip. You want to leave a small edge so you can add detail later. You also don’t have to worry too much about making your circle perfect because of the decorative edge. Flood your cookie with your base color and a #3 or #4 tip.

You will do the same with your base cookie, but remember to outline the center before flooding. Allow to dry for a few hours or add a small fan to speed up this process.

Once your cookies have set up, it’s time to work on your snowflake design. You will want to use your #1 tip for this. There are several ways to do this. I use a snowflake cutter as a map and mark small dots at the end of each tip and the center by using an edible marker, or toothpick with a little food coloring. These will be covered in icing, so you will want to use a light color. This ensures that your snowflake will be symmetrical. You will also want to make sure your dots are aligned with the base of the cookie so it doesn’t look off when they are put together.

I start out by piping a line from each dot and add my detail from there. I find it’s easier to do if I have a photo of a snowflake for inspiration. Once you have finished your snowflake, you can add a little edible glitter or luster for some sparkle.

Another option is to use a KopyKake projector, or make a transfer. You can trace your snowflake cutter with an edible marker on parchment, and flip it over before you begin piping. Or, you can print a photo of a snowflake and tape parchment over it and trace. If you chose to do a transfer, you will want it to be sturdy and may want to do several layers and use a larger tip. This would be added to a freshly flooded cookie and will sink a little, which will hold it in place. Once it sets up, you can add finer details with your #1 tip.

When your cookies have set up enough to touch, you would add your border. You will use your thicker piping icing with a star, or any larger round tip. You can do a simple star, by pressing and lifting the bag. You can also make a trail by squeezing your bag and pushing down towards the end. You may want to practice this on parchment if you have not done it before. Another option is to do dots all around. It’s a simple, but elegant look. You will do the same with your base cookie, but you don’t want to pipe the center, only the outside. I would allow your cookie a few hours to dry before adding them to the base.

The base is fairly simple to do. I fill the hole in the center with your thick royal and add the cookie. I like to add a small star design on the reverse of the cookie to make it even more secure. Depending on your fit, they should stand up on their own. If not, you can use a baking rack to hold them in place. You will find that once they are dry, they can be handled and moved without fear of them breaking apart. That small lip makes for a very sturdy cookie without having to use a lot of thick, hard icing.

After you have become comfortable with using a base, you will find that it works well for most cookies. I have shown some others I used like a snowflake, but you can use this same design for ornaments, tree’s, or whatever cookie you have on hand. Another option is to do a Winter scene which will give off the look of a snow globe. These also make wonderful place cards for a Winter themed dinner party.

I hope I have helped you to create your own 3D cookies. I would love to see your photos if you would like to share your link here. Please let
me know if you have any questions and thank you so much for looking.

Jacinda Harper – Ali’s Sweet Tooth