Great any time of year, but especially fun in the springtime, these cookies are always a hit. Everyone assumes they are more difficult to make than they actually are, so it’s time to demystify the process …
You will need:
Icing Tips
Skip the large set, a few round-holed tips are all you will need. I use mainly the #2 size, but #1 is great for fine details. Ming Wo sells single tips. It’s worth having a few of each size.
Don’t forget to get a handful of the plastic couplers that attach the tips to the bags.
Icing Bags
Various types are available, but I prefer the 12-inch Wilton “Featherweight” style. They aren’t cheap, but last for years without discolouring. It’s best to have four or five bags, so you can work with several colours at once.
A small icing spatula
A butter knife will also work, but an angled spatula is great for getting into corners.
Mix sugar and egg whites, then add milk slowly until desired consistency (see next step for details). Add vanilla.
You will need a thick and thin consistency of each colour—I do all of my outlines first (done with the thicker version) and then thin down what’s left for filling in, so the colour stays the same.
Thick: approximately the consistency of creamy peanut butter, it should emerge from the tip in a solid line. If it curls into spirals, it’s too thick. If the lines spread out, it’s too thin. Put just a little into the bag for your test batch—to avoid annoying and messy refills, make sure it’s a good consistency before filling the bag.
Thin: should be milkshake consistency. Not too runny, but thin enough that it can be pushed around the cookie rather than spread.
Fill your icing bag with the thick icing and twist the top of the bag. I like to fold over the twisted top and wrap an elastic band or twist tie around it to keep it sealed.
Outline each cookie right at the edge. This will be tough at first, squeezing the bag and moving the tip, but soon you will get the hang of it. There is no better way to develop your lower arm muscles for your Popeye anchor tattoo. No need to get terribly detailed with this line, but don’t cut corners, as this will provide the overall shape of the icing. Leave for one hour to harden.
Next, use the thinner version to “flood” the cookie. I plop a good dollop in the middle of the cookie with a spoon and coax it to the edges with the spatula. If you get any “spread marks,” dip the spatula in a mug of hot water and smooth over it; this will leave a glossy sheen.
Last: pipe on the final details: eyes, beaks, feet, sweet pink noses. Make sure the icing below is hardened before you do this step, or the colours may run.
Cookie recipe and step-by-step photos here:
Bambi Edlund believes that the intersection of baking and baby animals is about the sweetest place on earth.
