Welcome to the official National Cookie Network Internet Cookie Decorating guide!

You’ll find a few links to things I’ve written in the past, and lots of new stuff as well. Enjoy!

Frosting vs. Icing. What’s the difference? There’s much debate about this topic. Everybody has their own idea of what frosting is and what icing is. You will also find that opinions vary depending on what region of the country you are in. So here, along with some recipes, is my official stance on this debate. Do you agree with me, or do you think I’m way off my frosted rocker?
Click here.

If you love decorating with icing, here is a tutorial on how to keep it from bleeding.
Click here.

And last but not least, here are 10 tips for decorating your cookies with royal icing.
Click here.

Need more help with piping, sugaring and filling? Here’s a great video to walk you through the process.
Click here.

Frosting / Icing Top Tip: When decorating cookies, it’s vital to get your icing at just the right consistency, or you’ll have nothing but one big mess. This comes with a little practice, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quick. Just be ready to adjust your icing recipe.

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Fondant. Ever thought of making your own fondant? It’s really not as difficult as you may think. (For recipe, click here.)

But whether you make it yourself or buy it at your local craft store, there are tons of things you can do with it. So where to begin? Try this page at Wilton.com. They have fabulous techniques for working with fondant. They also have a wonderful tutorial on how to flavor and color your fondant. You can find that here.

Fondant Top Tip: Roll your fondant thin to avoid cracking and smooth rough surfaces by rubbing a little corn starch on your hands and then smoothing your rough spots.

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Beginners If you are a beginner when it comes to cookie decorating and don’t know your sprinkles from your off-set spatula, this beginner’s video will give you a helping hand.
Click here.

Beginners Top tip: Don’t rush the decorating process. Slow down and enjoy it, especially if you are new to the process. Don’t expect perfection. You might get a good laugh out of it in the end, and your cookies will taste good anyway. And aren’t good times what baking cookies is all about?

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Ideas If you’ve decorated a cookie or two in your time and just need a few ideas for holiday decorating to get you going, here’s a great video to get those cookie decorating wheels turning.
Click here.

If you need to recap on a few different ways of decorating cookies or just want to learn a new technique, here are some helpful resources.

• Stained Glass Cookies
  Learn how to decorate your cookies to look like stained glass, using icing.
  Click here.

Another method of creating Stained Glass cookies is in using “cut out” cookies. Cut out your shapes as usual, and then cut out a shape in the center. Fill that center with clear hard candies, such as Jolly Ranchers or Lifesavers (chopped into 1/4 inch pieces), and bake as usual. The candies will melt giving your a “see through” stained glass panel in your cookies. These make wonderful tree ornaments, and you don’t even have to pack them away when the holidays are over. You can just eat them!

• Chocolate

Almost any cookie can be decorated using melted chocolate. You can dip half your cookie in the chocolate and then sprinkle with nuts or colored sugars, or dip the entire cookie in. You can also pour melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate into a plastic bag, cut the tip of the bag to create a small whole, and then “pipe” or “drizzle” your chocolate in zig-zag lines over your cookies. Here are the instructions for properly melting chocolate.

Ideas Top Tip: If you need a little inspiration, look at the world around you. The possibilities are endless. Use nature, other foods or other cookies as inspiration. But don’t push yourself. Great ideas rarely happen under stress.

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Cookie Cutters

Don’t forget, when all is said and done, your cookie cutters require special care and handling if you want to keep them around for a while. Here is the “need to know” on how to care for your cookie cutters so they will last for years.
Click here.

If you need some resources for finding new cookie cutters, here is the National Cookie Network guide. (I should warn you, this resource is brand new. Still working on finding sources for you.)
Click here.

Cookie Cutters Top Tip: Purchase good quality cookie cutters the first time around to avoid having to repurchase them in the next year or two.

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Miscellaneous Information

Here are some other cookie baking tips you may have missed here at the National Cookie Network.

How to properly freeze cookie dough: click here.

How to properly bake and cool your cookies: click here.

Baking conversions for cookie recipes: click here.

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Cookie Recipes

Here are two basic recipes for “decoratable” cookies.

For a basic sugar cookie…. click here.

For a basic gingerbread cookie… click here.