A simple recipe for painting on royally iced sugar cookies.
Let’s face it, royal icing isn’t necessarily the least complicated way to ice a cookie, but it is certainly one of the most beautiful ways to do it. If you’re anything like me, and homemade is always best, by the time you’ve got your dough rolled out, cookies cut, baked in the oven, icing made, icing piped…icing dried…you very well may be ready for an end in sight.
As much as I love baking, and being in the kitchen, decorating with royal icing just isn’t my happy place. No matter how easy those Tasty videos make it look, detailed work with royal icing is a time consuming and meticulous job. However, if you’re in need of tips for working with royal icing, click here.
However, I am happy to report — there is an easy way out. I came across the decorative cookie method of painting on royal icing in one of my favorite baking books, The Art of the Cookie. Within the pages of this book were these rustic, yet elegant little Christmas trees that looked as though they had been brushed with watercolors. Those little Christmas trees spoke to me that day, and I was left with no choice, but to make them.
MATERIALS FOR PAINTING ROYALLY ICED SUGAR COOKIES
For painting on royal icing, generally speaking, you’ll need food-safe paint brushes, gel food coloring (found at specialty craft stores), and water. For these Christmas trees I used cocoa powder for the trunk, but you could also use brown gel food coloring if desired.
You can find food-safe paint brushes in a set or sold singularly at specialty craft stores, and of course, online.
MAKE THE PAINT USING GEL FOOD COLORING
To make “paint” for cookies, you simply add a splash of water to gel food coloring and mix until combined.
For this Christmas tree design in particular, I used a 1/2 teaspoon of Wilton’s Juniper Green Gel Food Coloring mixed with 1 teaspoon of water for the Christmas tree branches; and for the trunk, 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder, mixed with 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of water.
HOW TO PAINT ROYALLY ICED SUGAR COOKIES
Make sure the royal icing is completely set and dried before you begin. It is best to let the cookies set out overnight after icing, and paint them the next day.
When your cookies are set and ready to be painted, prepare your workstation by laying a large sheet of wax paper on the counter, and placing the cookies upon it. Have ready your cookie paint and brushes.
Before making brush strokes on the cookies, dip the brush into the food coloring mixture and press the brush against the sides of the bowl to rid of any excess liquid. If this precaution is not made, your paint may run and spread across the cookie.
Painting royally iced sugar cookies may be the easy way out when it comes to decorating, but I can’t imagine we’ll hear any complaints on the matter. It’s quick, it’s easy…it’s stunning. Please, enjoy!
If you’re looking for more festive cookies to give as gifts this year or just another excuse to get into the kitchen and get to baking, here are a few more cookie recipes that absolute must-tries: Bite-Sized Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, gluten-free Easy Coconut Macaroons, flavorful Almond Biscotti, and the best-ever Ginger Molasses Cookies!
5 MORE FROSTED DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE
- Royally Iced Sugar Cookies are beautiful and perfect for gifting as they can be stacked and easily transported. This recipe makes easy work of making royal icing, along with detailed tips for icing your cookies.
- Egg Hunt Blondies are an adorable Easter dessert featuring a homemade buttercream frosting made to look like Easter grass and M&M candies made to look like eggs for an egg hunt!
- Homemade Brownies with Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing and Fresh Berries features a light-as-air, whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting, topped with an assortment of beautiful berries. This dessert makes a seriously impressive presentation!
- Christmas Sugar Cookies with Sugar Cookie Icing are as beautiful as they are tasty! Simple, homemade sugar cookies with an easy buttercream frosting for cookies. Plus, how to ice tree and wreath cookies to look like grass.
- Halloween Sugar Cookies will show the secret to making your cookies look as though they are suspended in air! Yes, hanging sugar cookies is a real thing, and they’re easier to make than you think! This can be applied to bats and ghosts for Halloween, as well as ornament, shaped sugar cookies with Christmas.
A simple recipe for painting on royally iced sugar cookies.
- 1/2 teaspoon gel food coloring
- 1 teaspoon water
- 4 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon water
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In a small bowl mix together the gel food coloring and water until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
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In a small bowl mix together the cocoa powder and water until mixture is smooth.
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Prepare your workstation by laying a large sheet of wax paper on the counter, and placing the cookies upon it. Have ready your cookie paint and brushes.
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Before making brush strokes on the cookies, dip the brush into the food coloring mixture and press the brush against the sides of the bowl to rid of any excess liquid.
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Gently make brush strokes on the cookies as desired. Set aside until completely dry, 4-5 hours.
Make sure the royal icing is completely set and dried before you begin. It is best to let the cookies set out overnight after icing, and paint them the next day.
Allow 4-5 hours for the paint to dry completely.
Makes enough to paint 3 dozen cookies.
Oh wow these are beautiful!! Now I’m excited for the holidays, these look both delicious and fun to make!
Thank you, Annie! We love making these!!
I love the look of these. I noticed the brush has notches cut out of it, do they come that way or did you just trim a flat brush?
This is such a great idea! So much easier and honestly, sounds like more fun in the kitchen to me too! Pinning this for the holidays!
This is a brilliant idea! My kids would love doing this. We bake Christmas cookies together every year, but we’ve never done anything like this.
I can’t wait to make Christmas cookies this year – definitely trying this painting technique out with the kids – they will love it!
This is such a brilliant idea! Thanks for the tip!
You’re welcome, Sunrita!
Those are so pretty. You could almost use them as tree decorations. But that would not be a good thing….my tree would end up with NO decorations. They would all be eaten.
These are adorable! This sounds like such a fun project for the holidays. Pinning! Thanks for sharing.
YES! I completely agree, I just am never up for those meticulous decorations – they look good, but I want to eat them asap you know. This is so much better! And they look so pretty too.
I actually have never tried using royal icing before but these cookies are so beautiful you have inspired me to give it a try.
Hi Kelly,
These are beautiful! We have an event coming up at church where we will be decorating sugar cookies. I am definitely saving this post as a reference. Thank you!
Nelle
Thank you so much, Nelle! Have SO much fun at your event! That sounds like a blast 🙂
oh wow these are so pretty – they look so good I wouldn’t want to eat them! I would just use them to decorate the table 😉
These look adorable and would make great Christmas gifting.You have decorated them with such artistic flair.
Thank you, Nanya! 🙂
Wow, these are gorgeous! I definitely don’t have the patience to do all that, so I would just have to buy some and pretend LOL
I’ve never tried royal icing but these cookies are fabulous. I love the idea of just painting on brushstrokes! They’d make great Christmas tree decorations!
These are lovely cookies like a work of art. Nice idea to paint them so much fun to make and I bet this will be great to include the complete family in the painting process. Love the holiday season and the cookies!
I’ve always wondered how it’s done. I thought you had to go through training and stuff but your recipe makes it look so simple that I want to try it now! Thank you so much!
What a fun idea!!! I know my kids would love to use this paint to decorate cookies this year!!