{How-To Feature} Simple Valentine’s Day Cookies

I firmly believe that simple desserts are the best desserts. Sure, it can be fun to succeed at making something totally complicated, like a soufflé. Then you can present it to your family and they will “ohh” and “ahh” and then you get a trophy. Or maybe a medal. Isn’t that what happens when you make a soufflé? I’m convinced that is what happens.

Anyway -

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple, sweetie!

If you’ve ever been interested in trying your hand at decorated sugar cookies, this is a great technique to try! The “wet on wet” technique just means that you are applying icing onto a wet base, so it looks like one layer on the cookie. You can also use toothpicks to create beautiful patterns that look much harder than they actually are! My instructions are below, but if you’re a visual person, here is a wonderful video that shows this technique.

Simple Valentine’s Day Cookies

Ingredients and Tools

• Heart shaped cookies, baked and cooled
• Red royal icing, 15-20 second consistency (here is a great starter icing recipe and here is a video on icing consistency)
• White royal icing, 15-20 second consistency
• Pastry bags, couplers, and two #2 tips (here is a video on putting together a pastry bag – it is the technique I use!)
• Toothpicks. Lots and lots of toothpicks.

1. Outline and flood your cookie with royal icing and a #2 tip (I chose to do a red base with white accents, but you could switch them if you want). Your cookies will look like this:

Already pretty, but we’re going to make it better!

2. To make each of these cookies, you will be applying the white icing on top of the red icing, and then using a toothpick to make pretty swirls.

Top Left Cookie (I’m referencing the picture at the top of this post):

Easy peasy! Just pipe different size dots onto the cookie:

Bottom Left Cookie:

Pipe three lines of white icing with a #2 tip onto the cookie:

 

Then, in one continuous motion, drag a toothpick through the icing like this:

 

Top Middle Cookie:

Create horizontal lines across the entire cookie, and then drag the toothpick through in alternating directions:

 

Bottom Middle Cookie:

Pipe dots around the edge of the cookie:

 

In one continuous motion, drag a toothpick through the dots, like this:

 

Top Right Cookie:

Pipe dots in random spots on cookie:

 

Draw toothpick through dots to make hearts with swirly tails (I also added a couple small dots):

Bottom Right Cookie:

Create circles with the white icing, starting in the middle of the cookie. Then, drag a toothpick from the middle to the edge:

 

This is a simple technique that is sure to wow that special someone!