Cookie Stencils: How One $12 Tool Changed My Decorated Cookies Forever

Cookie Stencils: How One $12 Tool Changed My Decorated Cookies Forever

I still cringe — and laugh — when I think about the afternoon I tried to hand-paint a delicate geometric pattern onto two dozen Valentine’s Day cookies using nothing but a toothpick, a prayer, and what I now realize was an absolutely unhinged level of confidence. The result looked less like romantic lattice hearts and … Read more

Royal Icing 101: I Spent Six Months Learning What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Day One

Royal Icing 101: I Spent Six Months Learning What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Day One

The first batch of royal icing cookies I ever made looked like something a toddler had decorated during an earthquake. I had spent three hours cutting out perfect little snowflake shapes, only to watch my icing slide right off the edges, pool into sad little puddles, and dry with giant air bubbles cracking across the … Read more

Sugar Cookie Decorating Party: How I Hosted 12 Kids Without Losing My Mind

Sugar Cookie Decorating Party: How I Hosted 12 Kids Without Losing My Mind

I almost cancelled the whole thing the night before. It was 10 p.m., I had a double batch of sugar cookie dough chilling in the fridge, and I had just discovered — in absolute horror — that I’d forgotten to buy any powdered sugar. Zero. None. For the royal icing. For a cookie decorating party … Read more