I am really hoping to make some decorated Christmas cookies this year. Unfortunately, I do not have any supplies and no cake decorating store/michaels/etc. in our entire area. I will need to order stuff online so I need to order it right away or I am going to run out of time. to add to it, I am definitely not a good baker! I would still like to give it a try though. I was reading through the sugar cookie tutorial..do you think taht would be too hard for a beginner? is that the kind of icing you would recommend starting with?

what things should I order? I know I will need cookie cutters, a rolling pin...what else??? If you dont mind please be very detailed so taht I don't forget something and have to reorder or not be able to make them.
any tips before I give it a try?

Thanks...I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!!!

oops..forgot to ask if there are any store you would recommend ordering from? and which type of cookie cutters are best? thanks!!!

Cookie Cutters-durable plastic, they don't bend out of shape or rust like the tin ones, and simple designs, the intricate ones like a reindeer are difficult to get on to the cookie sheet without twisting out of shape and the fine edges burn easily.
Rolling Pin- again a simple wooden one is your best choice.
Two cookie sheets- good quality this where you should spend your money
parchment paper-to line your cookie sheets- this is available at most grocery stores. Silpat mats are nice, but they are expensive and can be added to your list at a later date.

The NFSC (no fail sugar cookie) recipe
The following is an excellent tutorial with a icing recipe. http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-guides.html

Thanks soo much for taking the time to respond. I didn't know that cookie sheets made such a big difference. shows how clueless I am about all of this! Are there any particular ones you would recommend? since I'm going to have to order the cookie cutters anyway, I don't mind ordering the cookie sheets too.
Thanks again! can't wait to hear more tips!

Always buy good quality baking pans- it makes a huge difference. I like heavy aluminum ones without the non- stick surface. At least one of them should be a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan, you will get double or triple duty out of it. It will work for sheet cakes, jelly rolls, all sorts of frozen junk food, baking chicken, catching pie drippings etc.

You will also need cooling racks for your cookies- These can be the cheap ones from the grocery store.

thank you...I can probable get some cooling racks at walmart then (it's the only store we have..haha!) this is probably a very dumb question, but if you get the non-stick ones what do you use to prevent sticking? it doesn't make the cookies greasy or something? sorry! I really appreciate your help!

The parchment paper keeps stuff from sticking. The shiny metallic surface bakes better. And non stick surfaces wear off and get scratched with time. Good heavy pans without the non-stick coating will last a life time. And it doesn't matter if they get scratched with time and use.

If you have a Walmart close to you, I would buy cookie cutters and baking sheets there as well as your cooling racks. I wouldn't go through the trouble of ordering them and paying for shipping.

I have used the cookie tutorial on this website and found it extremely well written and easy to use. I loved the icing included in the tutorial. It was fantastic!

I would advise you to buy some squeeze bottles if you can find them. My Walmart sells them in their craft department. They are useful for putting the icing in to decorate with. They keep the air out of the icing, which keeps the icing from drying out.

When baking, make sure that you roll your dough out to the specified thickness, and follow the instructions exactly when cooling them and transferring them from the cookie sheet to the rack.

Good luck!

Buy the rings that you slip onto the ends of the rolling pin so you can get a uniform thickness to your dough. Or even easier, buy some dowel rods that are the size thickness you want, and use those as a guide for rolling the rolling pin on. I love my marble roller, too.

What are the rings that you are talking about to get even? I have an old wooden roller. If I am going to buy a new one what type and where do you get rings?

The rings are rubber bands that fit over the ends of the roller. They come in different thicknesses and you can't roll any thing thinner than the thickness of the band. It's a gadget some people like.

I have a marble rolling pin, but I prefer using my grandmother's wooden one. It just has a better feel; I have greater control of the dough with it than the marble one.

Thanks for all the help and tips! I think that the rollihng pin with the rings on the ends would be perfect for me because I have no idea how thick to roll the cookies out. since I haven't done this before, I think I would get much more even results that way.
thanks again for all of the help!

I've been thinking this over. Decorated cutout cookies are the most difficult in cookiedom. If you have never made cookies before, get your good cookie sheets, cooling racks and parchment paper then buy some of those break apart cookies in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and bake the cookies. Slide the parchment paper and cookies on to the racks. Cool and serve.
This way you learn to handle the baking and cooling process.

Second step, find a recipe where the dough is made, then rolled into balls and then rolled into sugar either before or after they are baked. Then bake on parchment paper, slide onto cooling racks etc. There are lots excellent cookies made this way- snickerdoodles, ginger cookies, peanut butter blossoms, pecan puffs, chocolate crinkles... This step will get you familiar with making and handling dough.

Ok, now try the cutout cookies.