Decorating Sugar Cookies...some questions

[skiweaver9]

I am kinda new to the decorating world, I can do nice cakes with shells etc etc but am lost when it comes to sugar cookies. I want to decorate some cookies, and i want them to look GOOD (AND taste good). I dont know which kind of icing to use, however.
I know buttercream tastes good, but they don't stack well, and frankly, look more messy (at least when i do it).
I hear royal icing looks great, but hardens a lot....and doesn't taste good either? That wouldn't be good.
I hear of run sugar....but i dont know what that is.
And fondant looks great, but i hear tastes horrible. I want people to be able to EAT the cookies!!

Secondly, I am at a loss as to whether i should stick to my Wilton Decorator Pro, or should switch to regular decorating bags...which is easier??

Lastly, can anyone recommend some good books with pictures of cookies etc? I can follow pictures well if I have them. Im not good at coming up with creations myself. LOL.

 

[suziquzie]

Sometimes I just put colored sugar right on the cookie before I bake, no frosting.
As for frosting, I use powdered sugar a teeny bit of milk, and almond extract. I also use the almond in the cookies instead of vanilla. Makes 'em taste a little more special? My mouth gets bored easily. I cant tell you how thick to make it, I just eyeball it. I wouldn't get it too runny though, that I can say. then food coloring in a few batches of the frosting. Mine look better than my kids do! Ha!

 

[SixSix210]

You are right on all counts as for the ease of stacking, taste and look. I like to use a combination of frostings, sugars when i decorate. Slather on the butter cream, and hide it with fancy sprinkles, fondant flowers, or any decorations. You can also use extracts to add a bit of flavor to just about any icing recipe you find. Just do it a few drops at a time, and taste, and add, and taste, and add

As for the snazzy wilton kit... yank the tips out, grab a 1 quart storage bag, snip a hole in the corner and put the tip through it. Pop the tip out when you're done and chuck the rest. Saves a TON of clean up time.

 

[GotGarlic]

I just made some sugar cookies on Sunday - they're heart-shaped and I added raspberry extract and red food coloring to the dough. For the icing, I had about 3/4 of a cup of confectioner's sugar; I added about a teaspoon of light corn syrup and 1-2 tbsp. of milk. I dipped half of each cookie in the icing and then sprinkled it with tiny white, pink and red candy hearts. CUUUUUUUTE!

 

[skiweaver9]

You are right on all counts as for the ease of stacking, taste and look. I like to use a combination of frostings, sugars when i decorate. Slather on the butter cream, and hide it with fancy sprinkles, fondant flowers, or any decorations. You can also use extracts to add a bit of flavor to just about any icing recipe you find. Just do it a few drops at a time, and taste, and add, and taste, and add

As for the snazzy wilton kit... yank the tips out, grab a 1 quart storage bag, snip a hole in the corner and put the tip through it. Pop the tip out when you're done and chuck the rest. Saves a TON of clean up time.

ok so if you were to slather on buttercream, and then put say fondant flowers, or something on it, people just take those off instead of eating them, right? (I never tasted fondant)

 

[GotGarlic]

ok so if you were to slather on buttercream, and then put say fondant flowers, or something on it, people just take those off instead of eating them, right? (I never tasted fondant)

Fondant is edible: Fondant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Some people like that much sugar, but I couldn't eat it like that.

 

[skiweaver9]

I know its edible, but everything that i read so far says that it doesn't taste good.

 

[Barb L.]

For my sugar cookies, I just use powdered sugar, little vanilla and milk. Like this so I can layer them .

 

[GotGarlic]

I know its edible, but everything that i read so far says that it doesn't taste good.

I don't know, I've never eaten it, but I've seen people at work parties eat it

 

[SixSix210]

you can definately eat fondant. It really is a matter of taste though. Personally, I sneak some flavoring into it to make it more tasty. If you do a good enough job with it, they won't want to eat it, it will be too pretty for most people to eat.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I just made about 70 huge heart sugar cookies yesterday for a Valentine's party my little guy went to today. The icing I used came out perfectly. It dries hard and glossy and takes food coloring (liquid or paste) very well. The recipe is:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
3 tsp. milk
3 tsp. light corn syrup
You can add more milk and/or corn syrup to get the desired consistency. After stirring all ingredients together until smooth, add small amount of coloring if desired and spread or pipe onto cookies. It takes about 90 minutes for the icing to dry hard.

 

[CanadianMeg]

There's two kinds of fondant though, isn't there? I've heard a ton of praise for marshmallow fondant while regular fondant takes the brunt of the criticism.

Try marshmallow fondant for better taste...
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe | Recipezaar