Hey Besties! Today I’m providing some additional beginner-friendly design ideas for Valentine’s Day sugar cookies. This time, my focus was to help address those who struggle, or are working on, perfecting their outlining. This is a common challenge for people starting out because they are worried about “falling over the edge”. I will promise you that your outlining and flooding will improve with every batch that you do! But in the meantime, there are ways around hiding flaws or imperfections and still make beautiful cookies!
Recipes
Before we get into the designs, in case you are still looking for the recipe you LOVE, you can find ours HERE. It’s no-chill, because that’s how we roll around here, does not spread and is delicious! If you still need a great royal icing recipe, we’ve got you covered, HERE. Easy to make, easy to work with and flavor is great!
Pretty little accidents
So, if you do have a flaw or imperfection, there’s no need to give up on the cookie. The answer? Sprinkles. Well, sanding sugar too. In addition to adding a lot of color and fun to baked goods, sprinkles and sanding sugar are another one of your besties! If something is not perfect and your scribe just isn’t helping, consider how sprinkles or sanding sugar might be able to turn it into a pretty, little accident that no one will notice!
In these design examples, I outlined my cookie, covered with sanding sugar or sprinkles and then flooded the middle. If your outline isn’t perfect, guess what?! Who cares! Cover that outline in sprinkles and move on! Immediately after flooding, I added some easy wet-on-wet designs. I really encourage you to play around with wet-on-wet designs because you can make some REALLY fun designs. One quick reminder about wet-on-wet designs: you have to do each cookie as soon as you flood them. Once you flood, your icing will start to crust within a few minutes, so you need to execute on your design as soon as you flood. If you want to learn more about wet-on-wet techniques, we have a whole post for you, HERE.
optimize your strengths, hide your weaknesses with sprinkles!
Just like all areas of life, you need to learn your strengths and leverage them to set you apart! Every baker has certain things that come way easier to them and some that are much harder. For me? Fondant and I are not friends. But I know bakers who are brilliant with fondant but can’t make a cake pop to save their life! Now, cake pops I consider besties, they’ve always been easy for me.
It’s the same thing with cookie decorating skills! Some people are naturally good at outlining and flooding. Some are not, but they can write on cookies (calligraphy) like nobody’s business! Figure out which skills you excel at and design your cookies around those. And don’t forget that stencils, airbrushing and projectors are commonly used tools for cookie decorating for a reason.
Comparing your work to others
The more time you spend comparing your cookies and skills to someone else’s, the more discouraged you may become. Everyone starts at the same place and certain skills and techniques come easier or harder to everyone. And some people may have 8 hours a day to practice cookie decorating, whereas many may not find 8 hours to practice in a month! So, while it’s fun to see and admire cookies others have made, remember to use it for inspiration and goals, not to make yourself feel bad. And don’t forget to design your cookies around what comes easy to you! When all else fails, slap a sprinkle on there.
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Example 1
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Example 2
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Example 3
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Example 4
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Example 5
Endless options, right?!
As you can see from these examples, you could stop after step 2, step 3 or continue through all the steps! Don’t feel like your cookies need to be “extra” in order to be loved. Sometimes the simplest designs and the “less is more” approach make for really beautiful cookies.
If you are working to perfect your outlining and flooding, stick to simple designs that help you gain practice in those areas. Remember, LOTS of practice and even more PATIENCE! You will find the designs that work best for you and those will start creating your style! Celebrate and optimize what comes easiest to you because it just may be the thing someone else really struggles with!
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