Are you looking for a way to make your sugar cookies stand out from the rest? Why not try decorating them with edible markers! Sugar cookies are the perfect canvas for edible art!
With just a few strokes of an edible marker, you can turn plain sugar cookies into masterpieces. It’s a fun and easy way to add some personality to your cookies. Plus, it’s a great way to let your creativity shine.
Food coloring pens come in a variety of colors, so you can create vibrant designs that will impress your friends and family. Plus, they’re easy to use
So, gather up your supplies and get ready to get creative!
Supplies needed:
- Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Royal Icing
- colorful edible markers
- Gel Food Colors or liquid food coloring for colouring cookies in vibrant colors
- Piping bags
- Scissors
- Toothpick or skewer
- Parchment Paper
Craft stores like Michaels stores are good options to purchase your supplies because of their affordable prices.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Edible Ink Markers
To begin, bake cookies and let your cookies cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Lay a plain sugar cookie on a flat surface like a cookie sheet to decorate.
Frost Your Plain Cookie
The best option for cookie icing is to use Royal Icing. When you are not mixing, it is a great idea to keep a wet paper towel or plastic wrap over the royal icing until it is inside of the piping bag. Royal Icing should not be too stiff, nor too loose.
The best way to test your icing to see if it is ready is by sliding your spoon down to the center of the mixing bowl, touching the bottom. Count how long it takes the line to disappear from the icing. You want it to take 13-15 seconds. If the icing closes immediately your icing is too loose and will run off the cookie.
If the icing is too loose, add more of the stiff royal icing mix or add sifted powdered sugar to thicken it up. The powdered or icing sugar must be sifted to minimize the risk of clumps in the icing coming out of the piping bags.
Fill Piping Bags
- Place a pastry bag inside of a tall cup, flattening the tip of the bag downward. Add a decorating tip if you are using one.
- Scoop the icing into the plastic bags making sure not to get icing on the overhang of the piping bag on the outside of the cup.
- Lift the side of the cup straight up, press out any air and tie the bags in a knot, with bag ties or seal them with a rubber band or something similar, to keep the icing from coming out the incorrect end of the bag.
- Fill each of the bags with the different colors and seal off the open end. To get a pastel color for your icing, you will have to dye the icing the base color, then add white to lighten it up.
- Cut the tip slightly and test how the icing flows out the bag. Remember to cut a fine tip first to make a fine point, then gradually make it larger. If you cut too much off at once, you will have to create a new bag.
Decorate the Cookies
- Once you have a flow of piping icing that does not hurt your hands and is easily managed, outline the cookie with icing.
- With a little more pressure add icing to the center of the cookie. Use a toothpick or skewer to move the icing around on the cookie.
- Place newly flooded cookies on a firm surface like a baking sheet to dry.
- Be sure to give your cookies enough time to dry.
- Icing will be hard to the touch when cookies are ready for the next step. The drying time can take anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on your weather. If you live in a moisture rich area, allow for a longer drying time. If it is raining, allow for an extended drying period.
Use the Edible Pens to Make Small Details
After the icing has dried, use the edible ink pens to decorate your cookies.
Edible food markers will dry out faster than regular markers so please keep the tops on when not in use.
Store your cookies in an airtight container.
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How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Edible Markers
A basic sugar cookie recipe is the base for these adorable Conversation Heart Cookies, perfect for Valentine's Day treats!
Ingredients
- Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Royal Icing
- Gel Food Colors
- Edible Markers
Instructions
- Make your sugar cookie dough using this recipe and a heart cookie cutter.
- Let the cookies cool completely.
- Prepare your royal icing. To get a pastel color you will have to dye the icing the base color, then add white to lighten it up.
- Keep a wet paper towel over your royal icing until it is inside the piping bag.
- Your Royal Icing should not be too stiff, nor too loose. Make sure you follow the directions on the royal icing mix and do an icing consistency test.
- To test your royal icing:
Slide the spoon down the center of the bowl, touching the bottom. Count how long it takes the line to disappear from the icing. You want it to take 13-15 seconds. If the icing closes immediately your icing is too loose and will run off the cookie.
If the icing is too loose, add more of the stiff royal icing or add SIFTED powdered sugar to thicken it up. The powdered or icing sugar must be sifted to minimize the risk of clumps in the icing coming out of the piping bags. - Using a tall cup, place the piping bag inside of the cup, making sure you flatten the tip of the bag downward on the cup.
- Scoop or pour the icing into the bag making sure not to get icing on the overhang of the piping bag on the outside of the cup.
- Lift the side of the cup straight up, press out any air and tie the bags in a knot, with bag ties or seal them with a rubber band or something similar, to keep the icing from coming out the incorrect end of the bag.
- Cut the tip slightly and test how the icing flows out the bag. Remember to cut a small hole in the tip first, then gradually make it larger. If you cut too much off at once, you will have to create a new bag.
- Once you have a flow of icing that does not hurt your hands and is easily managed, outline the cookie with icing.
- With a little more pressure add icing to the center of the cookie. Use a toothpick or skewer to move the icing around on the cookie.
- You want the icing to be puffy and not flat on the cookie. Place newly flooded cookies on a baking sheet to dry.
- Icing will be hard to the touch when cookies are ready for the next step. The drying time can take anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on your weather. If you live in a moisture rich area, allow for a longer drying time. If it is raining, allow for an extended drying period.
- Use the Pink Wilton Food Writers to write your love notes onto the cookies. The pink is the closest to mimicking the actual Conversation Heart cookies, but any color writer will work.
Elina Brooks
Thursday 2nd of February 2023
I've been baking a lot as a hobby lately, so I was thinking of buying food pens to use for decorating the pastries I've been making. I appreciate your advice.