The 5 Easiest Ways to Decorate Sugar Cookies
With so much else going on this time of year, giving sugar cookies and other kinds of roll-out or cut-out cookies like gingerbread intricate icing decorations isn’t always in the cards.
To be completely honest, as much as I love the look of them, I usually don’t bother even when I do have the time. That’s because there are so many easier ways to decorate cookies that look plenty nice and are a whole lot less fussy. Here are five of the simplest ways to dress up your cookies this year.
Use candy melts for icing.
Skip the hassle of measuring cups and drops of food dye, and reach for candy melts instead. They come in a wide array of colors and when melted in the microwave become a glossy icing that’s perfect for decorating sugar cookies. The icing can be spread on with a spatula or drizzled via a squeeze bottle or piping bag.
Read more: Use Candy Melts for Easier Cookie Decorating
Drizzle icing with a fork.
Don’t want to even bother with a spatula or piping bag? Grab a fork. Dip it into whatever icing you’re using (or even just a bowl of melted chocolate) and let it drizzle over your cookies. The effect is understated but pretty darn fancy-looking.
Buy (or make) cookie stamps.
Add texture to your cookies with cookie stamps, which come in a wide array of seasonal patterns. Embossed rolling pins are fun, too. If you’d rather not add to your collection of kitchen tools, though, dig around your drawers for objects that could create a pattern on your cookies. A potato masher, the side of a cut whiskey glass, or even the tines of a fork can be used as DIY cookie stamps.
Grab the powdered sugar.
For darker-hued roll-out cookies like chocolate and gingerbread, all your really need to dress them up is a little powdered sugar. Dust them generously with the sugar before serving and they’ll look like they’ve rolled around in the snow.
When all else fails, use sprinkles!
Sprinkles can hardly be deemed a failure, though. In fact, they’re my cookie decoration of choice. Picking out a mix of shapes and colors always has a way of making you feel like a kid, and cookies with sprinkles on them are guaranteed to be received with a smile. Just sprinkle them all over your cookies before baking, pressing them in slightly to ensure they’ll stay put in the oven.