Hey Bestie! You don’t need a drawer full of expensive gadgets to decorate beautiful cookies! After years of decorating thousands of cookies, I’ve learned which cookie decorating tools are actually worth having. And honestly, the overwhelming majority of tools you’ll use every day are very inexpensive. I’m revealing the 11 tools I reach for nearly every time I decorate cookies and could never go without. And we’ll cover exactly how to use them too. The best part is that every item on this list is under $15 yet have a permanent spot at my decorating table. Let’s go!
Which Cookie Decorating Tools do beginners need?
I answer some form of this question every single day and the honest answer is “You don’t need much!” I actually encourage aspiring cookiers to start with the bare essentials until you know you love decorating and then you consider other tools to improve your icing, gain efficiency and elevate your skills. So if you’re brand new to cookie decorating, resist the urge to buy all the things. You can make gorgeous cookies with a surprisingly small collection of supplies. I cover these essentials and other tools you can consider later on in THIS post. And if you’re looking for the most effective way to learn cookie decorating, my Cookie Decorating Foundations course covers everything.
But today, we’re focusing on the super-wallet-friendly cookie decorating tools that should be staples in your collection.
11 Cookie Decorating Tools Under $15 I Actually use
Full transparency: I’m a frugal gal. And I watch out for your wallet like I do mine. Which is why I only ever recommend products and tools I use myself and are the best quality for the best price. Let’s get into the list!
rolling pin with thickness rings
I literally could not make cutout cookies without my rolling pin that measures we dough for me, seriously. THIS baby is an absolutely staple in rolling my cookie dough to a consistent thickness efficiently every time.
- Bamboo Land adjustable rolling pin includes a 13.8-inch wooden rolling pin and four sets of removable rings, giving you versatile control over dough thickness.
Emulsions & Flavorings
Life is simply too short for only vanilla cookies, bestie! I could never imagine my pantry without all my favorite baking emulsions and flavorings. I have MANY favorites and I go through some, like Butter Vanilla, Almond and Cake Batter year-round, whereas some flavors, like Peppermint and Cinnamon Spice are more popular seasonally.
You’ll find many used in my different cookie recipes HERE and you can find most of my favorite emulsions and flavors in my Amazon storefront favorite flavors category HERE!
piping bags
Not all piping bags are the same, bestie, that’s a guarantee! THESE are the only piping bags I use for all my decorating every day. For tiny, fine details, or big, stiff florals. Use them with or without piping tips. They are the only piping bags I use!
- 【Tipless Piping Bags – No Need for A Metal Tip – No Cleanup】- Soft on hands, easy to squeeze, and no need for a metal tip. Just cut the sharp tip of the bag to the size you need, and you’re able to write, outline, flood, etc. You may even use the same one bag to outline and flood by only adjusting the bag’s tip size. No more need to use or constantly change metal tips, cleanup is a breeze, def COOKIE DECORATOR’S DREAM!
Clear vanilla
Hands down, my favorite clear vanilla that I use in my royal icing for rave reviews! I’ve tried many different brands and always end up coming back to THIS! Those I bake for LOVE my vanilla icing and I love that it’s bright white without any white coloring.
- A premium baking staple ideal for any recipe that needs to be pure white
My favorite edible black marker
If you only knew how excited I am that THIS edible, black marker is available again! This baby was unavailable for about 3 years and just recently became available again. I can finally point people to it when I get this question! When you see my using a black marker on my cookies, it is this one every time. No guarantees it will remain available at a fair price though!
- Double sided pen includes thick 2.5mm nib and thin 0.5mm nib for fine detail
White edible marker
Continuing in the edible marker vein, I could never go without THIS white edible marker! It comes in incredibly handy to touch up anything on white icing, sketch a design on your cookie or use with this luster dust technique. Yet another staple in my cookie decorating arsenal.
- [Safe and Edible] These edible markers set contain 2PCS white food pens! Tasteless! Non-toxic! Vegan&Gluten Free! Provide a safety and fun way for painting and drawing for kids.
Dual-tipped colored edible markers
And finally, THIS is the set of dual-tipped edible markers I reach for when I need colored markers! A brush tip and a fine tip makes these so valuable and helpful to add beautiful details to your cookies. And fully edible, not just non-toxic, for the win!
- Upgraded Dual Tips and Ink: Our upgraded dual-tip pen offers precision for beginners and pros alike. The 0.5mm ultra-fine tip creates hairline details and crisp writing. The broad tip glides smoothly for coloring and filling. With 30% more ink, you can complete more projects without drying out
Food-safe brushes
Bestie, you don’t need a ton of different food-safe brushes. THIS one set of brushes are typically what I use every day. Whether I’m cleaning up florals, brushing away sanding sugar, luster dust, doing brush embroidery, I always have at least one brush right next to me while decorating.
- Cake decorating brushes set: the package comes in 7 pieces cake decorating brushes and 3 pieces fondant and gum paste tools, there are nice combinations with various sizes to decorate your cakes, cookies and other desserts, make them look more delicious
Palette Knife Set
Another set of tools you don’t realize you can’t live without until you have them! Perfect for scraping icing across cookies, making edible lace, using palette knife decorating techniques and more! THESE babies are always within arm’s reach when I’m decorating.
- ARTIST PALETTE KNIFE: 8 Pieces Set includes 5 Standard Paint knife Styles. and 3 plastic scrapers. Every spatula has one individual package in case the entire safety. This high quality knife has been crafted with the finest stainless blade that resists all wear and corrosion from any media including acrylics.
Cookie Bags
I’ll never stop shouting from the rooftops about THESE cookie bags. I’ve lost count of how many different brands and types I’ve tested, and these simply perform the best. Crystal clear, thicker weight so the bags don’t cling to the icing and airtight once heat-sealed. Although they do have the self-sealing strip you can use if you’d like too! I always have 4×6″ and 5×7″ in stock for all my cookies!
- 4 x 6 Inch Clear Treat Bags – These 4×6 cellophane bags are sized for single cookies, candies, mini pastries, and small favors. The flat, non-gusset design keeps packaging neat and easy to see; please check item dimensions before purchase for thicker treats.
Nesting round cookie cutters
Every kitchen should have a set of THESE nesting round cookie cutters, seriously! I make round cookies every time I bake, but I also reach for these to trace circles on my cookies, make charcuterie boards, cut out my cookie stamp cookies, and so much more. They are just incredibly handy and last forever. Don’t waste your money buying individual round cutters!
- 12 PIECES ROUND CUTTER SETS – 12 Pieces different size stainless steel circle cutters,with the largest measuring a great 4.4” (11.3cm) and the smallest a miniature 1” (2.6cm), you’ll find a cutter for every dish.Come complete with a tin storage box to reduce clutter in your kitchen drawer.
A quick video for you!
I made this short video for you in case it’s helpful to actually see these items I love so much! You’ll find it HERE or by clicking on the cookie decorating tools image below.
My advice for buying cookie decorating supplies
Start small, you don’t need to collect all the things. Buy things as you need them, as you grow your skills, want to elevate your cookies and gain efficiency. I’m always happy to help with those exciting tools like a projector or dehydrator when you’re ready. But the tools featured in today’s list are staples you’ll use forever. They make decorating easier, more successful and more fun.
I hope this was helpful! Making your cookie journey easier and more successful is always my goal. There’s no gatekeeping around here, I’m literally here to help.
If you need any more help, you can find me and thousands of fellow Besties HERE. It’s the happiest corner of the internet where you’ll find endless help, support, inspiration and celebration of beautiful bakes. And I’d LOVE to see your cookies there too!
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