I've spent many of my cookie decorating years with a deep-seated fear.
The fear of the Eiffel Tower Cookie.
I mean, it's big, and detailed, and involves lots of diagonal lines. Piping diagonal lines well is not a gift that God bestowed upon me. It's ok...I'm still gifted at EATING cookies with diagonal lines, so there's that.
So, we "adopted" kiddo's French teacher for dinner one night recently. During one designated week at school, each faculty member's family gets adopted and a school family will drop dinner off for them one night.
I knew immediately that cookies would be part of the deal. Madame Bracht helped me with the French names for flowers in writing Decorating Cookies Party.
I also knew that it was time for me to face my fears...the tower of cookie decorating terror, er, the Eiffel Tower.
Things didn't go well when I started with pictures of the actual Eiffel Tower. Then, I found this drawing. I loved that it was still the Eiffel Tower, but it was a little whimsical. It had a few scallops and the x's weren't perfect. It was exactly what I needed for inspiration.
Here's what you'll need to make your own Paris Cookie set:
- the perfect cut-out cookie recipe
- cookie cutters: Eiffel Tower, heart (you can find these most anywhere), and poodle
- royal icing
- gel/paste food coloring: I chose Ivory, then mixed a little ivory in with Soft Pink and Turquoise for soft, muted shades. I also used Super Black.
- disposable icing bags
- squeeze bottles
- couplers and icing tips
- sanding sugar for the poodles
The cookies were outlined, then flooded with thinned icing. To thin icing for flooding, add water a bit at a time, until it is the consistency of maple syrup. Stir gently with a silicone spatula. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill in the outlines.
Once dried, the details were added...for the Eiffel Tower details, the details were piped with a #1 tip.
For step-by-step instructions for decorating the poodle cookies, click here. (Old post, but decorated in the same manner.)
Even without the other cookies, I love these hearts. A heart cookie with a black outline is one of my favorites.
Is there a cookie design that is scaring you? I say, go ahead and try. Look for the whimsical, not-so-literal translation. Remember...it's just a cookie!
Bonjour, mon cherie!
