I'll always be grateful to Renee from Kudos Kitchen from whom I learned the proper technique for painting on cookies. She's a master.
To make these painted Christmas Tree cookies, you'll need:
- tree cookies, using this recipe
- royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Bright White (the food coloring is optional here, but using white ensures a white-white cookie)
- disposable icing bag
- squeeze bottle
- decorating tips (#2 & #1) and coupler
- AmeriColor Leaf Green, Electric Green, Chocolate brown
- water
- artist palette
- paper towels
- small paintbrushes
- red sprinkles
- tweezers
Thin the remaining icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.
Stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop any large air bubbles that have formed. Transfer to squeeze bottles.
Fill in the trees with the thinned icing. Use a toothpick to guide into corners and pop large air bubbles.
Let the cookies dry uncovered, 6-8 hours, or overnight.
Once the cookies are totally dry, mix up your painting medium. Mix equal parts food coloring with water. (Start with 1 drop of each.)
Dip a paintbrush into the mixture, then blot very well on a paper towel, almost to the point where you feel like you've blotted all of the food coloring off. Brush onto the cookie, alternating between leaf green and electric green branches. You should be able to paint several branches with each dip into the "paint."
Repeat this technique adding a trunk with brown icing.
Remember, perfection is overrated here. Art is not perfect! Have you looked at Picasso's work lately?!? ;)
OK. Now, place a #1 tip on the bag of reserved icing. Dot icing where you'd like to place the red sprinkles.
{I used red sprinkles from a Christmas sprinkle assortment...now, what to do with all of that extra green and white?!? Remind me of this when St. Patrick's Day rolls around.}
Use (preferably only-for-the-kitchen) tweezers to place the sprinkles onto the icing.
Ta-da! Painted cookies!!! So easy, right?
Where do you find YOUR cookie inspiration?
