With all the holiday baking, I think my most favorite is decorating Christmas cookies.
I have a secret though……… I don’t really “enjoy” doing it, because I’m still learning and the perfectionist in me struggles with lines that aren’t straight enough, icing that is too thick/thin, too many colors to mix…..well you get the idea.
But 14 hours later…………I see happy faces!
No one cares that my lines aren’t perfect.
No one cares that my icing isn’t perfectly smooth.
or that I didn’t feel like mixing ONE MORE COLOR, and made my snowflakes white and silver, because I already had those colors mixed.
Rolling out Cookie Dough Video
I did learn two new things this time while working with my cookies!
#1) Glaze Icing: Amanda of I Am Baker has always amazed me with her cookie decorating skills and she uses a glaze icing, instead of royal icing. When I cut out stars to make my Raspberry Filled Butter Cookies, I baked a few of the stars to try my hand at glaze icing.
I have to say……….I LOVED working with the glaze! I didn’t have some of the issues I have with royal icing.
The glaze icing gets hard, but not rock hard like royal icing. My family loved it and gave it a big THUMBS UP!
Amanda’s Glaze Icing Recipe
Video on Glaze Icing at University of Cookie
While you over at Amanda’s you may want to check out her incredible Christmas Tree Cake! Be prepared to be WOWED!
#2) Lesson in Photography: Pay attention to what you are wearing if you have shinny objects in your photos…..I’m just sayin…………
Have you learned anything while doing your holiday baking ? Do you LIKE decorating cookies?
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You icing looks incredible! I’m awful at icing cookies. Thanks for the tips
Thanks Estela!!
Bwahahaha!!! That is SO funny, Cheryl!!! Best photography tip, EVER!
Your cookies are *precious*! Love the Santa bellies and the trees and the snowflakes….well, all of them!
you made me do it! hahahaha
LOL! Love the photog tip!!
Beautiful cookies, Cheryl!!!
Thanks Amanda………..and thanks for always being there to support me!?
You so went there and I LOVE it!!
Your cookies are ADORABLE!! Love the santa ones, and really, I have totally been there with not wanting to mix ANOTHER color of icing…blah.
I have yet to try the glaze icing but have been very curious. Do the cookies smudge if stacked?
you guys all encouraged me to “go there!” haha
The glaze gets hard and will not smudge, just doesn’t get AS hard as RI
What a great job with those cookies!!
Thanks so much!
so cute,..
I think they look great, but I am the same about things looking perfect!
Yummy and cute.
If only we could peek behind the star. ; )
haha……….trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty!
You are so sweet! And TALENTED!!! Love all of those beautiful and delicious looking cookies!!
Be blessed!
Amanda
Thanks for you help and recipe Amanda!!
Love the cookies and great tips too:)
I love decorating sugar cookies, a new obsession, and honestly I always use a glaze, love, love, love it, so simple, and it does dry enough to stack!!! Love your post and will have to remember the photo tip!!! ha ha!!
I can’t wait to try the glaze again!
Thank you, and that photo malfunction is hilarious! I’m a warm pants, tee, and fuzzy sock kind of girl…
I love your snowflakes, they look great!! I too am a perfectionist when it comes to the cookies so most of the time I just give up….you inspired me not to! Thanks!!!
xx-Kristyn
no matter how they look, they still taste yummy! Don’t give up!
great tips….because its so true….i love to decorate when its all set up and ready to go, but the prep work is alot of well..prep! I did star wars gingerbread characters for the kiddos recently, and i based which ones i did on which ones i could do less royal icing colors for…! great tip on the shiny objects..! and your cookies do look great!!! happy holidays
Those star wars cookies were AWESOME!
Beautiful cookies. I have cookie envy, this year I lived vicariously off of the generosity of others when it came to cookies. I think we all learned our lesson about the objects that reflect and tea pots, when that man took a photo of a stainless steal teapot he put on eBay, he wasn’t wearing any clothes.
You are super talented, Cheryl!! And imagine the traffic if you would have kept that reflection up… you’d be all over the web
not the traffic I want! hahaha Thanks Kristan!
Your cookies are beautiful! I love decorating cookies, but I never seem to get enough time to do as many as I would like to. And I have to confess, they don’t look nearly as good as yours! Thank you for the great advice and links
I’ve learned it’s much easier to do just a few at a time!! Thanks so much!
These look great. Boy, if you are struggling, then I am in big trouble! Love the J-O-Y stars.
I have been wanting to make Santa belly cookies too! They are so cute! Though I love all of your Christmas cookies, my favorite part of this post might be your “Lesson in Photography” tip #2:) That cracked me up!
Your cookies look fabulous!!
I always WANT to decorate beautiful cookies…but they never turn out like yours!
you’re so funny! And too crafty and sheesh… I wish I had time for all the goodies!
They all turned out great! I have been putting off decorating mine for the last few days. I’m calling it a ‘cookie funk’ and I don’t think I’ve ever been in one. After looking at your cute cookies I’m inspired to get into the kitchen today and finish up. Thanks for the push.
You made me laugh out loud with your photography tip! Good thing that you didn’t place a giant Christmas Ball there. LOL! Your cookies are wonderful and I like the silver snowflakes. Best wishes to you and your beautiful family for a lovely Christmas and wonderful New Year.
Beautiful! Are you getting private lessons from Bridget?
You inspire me to decorate some cookies this afternoon!
Beautiful cookies! And I love the shiny object tip…that has totally happened to me before! LOL! Clever cover up!
They all look wonderful!!!!
I love your christmas cookies!! And yes, I have experienced the issue with the shiny objects myself on some occassions… lol..
BAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh my word, Cheryl! That is the funniest thing ever!!!
OH…I am smitten with those snowflakes! SO pretty!
I’m glad it’s not just me who had trouble with the ornaments this year. I took all these beutiful pictures of my Christmas tree, then was sad to have to majorly trim the pictures. Trust me, nobody would want to see me in my bathrobe and no make up!
All your cookies are pretty, even if you don’t think they are perfect. I learned a long time ago that if you don’t point the imperfections out, when it comes to food, most people won’t even know or care.
I’m just jealous you have sugar cookies. Nobody but me is too fond of them in my family, so I haven’t really had homemade ones in years. I might try to do some this year if I can find the time.
Thanks for the excellent photography pointer! Too funny.
Your cookies look gorgeous! Almost too pretty to eat. Nice work they turned out great!
Love the idea of the glaze. If I get time I will try your adorable Santas. I would love to put those out on the plate on Christmas Eve, and I wouldn’t mind having to eat them to cover up the evidence. So so cute.
I too love iced Christmas cookies and struggle with the same thing. However, my family does not care about how beautiful my icing is they just want the cookie.
I think these look SO good Cheryl. You should see my cookies – a hot mess. So I let Josh go crazy over my mistakes and everyone ohhh and ahhh’s over his cookies instead! One day I’ll be good!
I featured your santa belly cookies. I’m in love with them!
Todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
Amanda
These are seriously the cutest things EVER! I’m Jewish and I want to make them!
Your Christmas Cookies are some of the prettiest I have seen!! Just beautiful. Thanks for posting.
Kathleen
TOO cute, and thanks for the laugh!
Such pretty cookies & I LOVE the santa bellies!! Happy Holidays
XO
I hope you can forgive me for “borrwing” you pictures in my blog. I will put them out 4.12. and use them in my christmascalender in the blog. Its ment to be tips for how to decoret you christmas coocies. I will link to your blog, if they “click” the picture.
:0)
First of all, I am appalled that you even THINK about anything BUT decorating cookies…Not like it?! I’m calling Bridget and staging an intervention
Second of all, I just startled Bernie LOLing at the robe thing! No wonder I like you…I do things like that all the time! AT LEAST you noticed, LOL!
I love those santa cookies! I made christmas trees in 3 different colors this year. I tried to keep it simple so that I wouldn’t get so stressed out and it still took me over 9 hours to make 50 cookies. I start off loving it and then by the end my wrist is cramping and I’m frustrated and I just want to get them done. But when I see those happy faces and everyone says how good they are I know it’s worth it. I just wish they realized how long it takes sometimes before they ask me to bring them only a day before the party haha!
Hello, I was just wondering, for the Santa bellies could you tell me the process you did? I tried googling how to do them or what to use and got nothing. Thank you.
nothing tricky, it’s done just how it looks. I covered the cookie in red royal icing. Let that dry, then used black royal icing to draw a belt and buttons, and grey for the buckle and a little white at the bottom.
Have fun!