Royal icing is not your only option for decorating cookies. Have you tried food coloring pens?
There are several brands available, but this:
AmeriColor Gourmet Food Writer Set
is my favorite! Why? Because they come in great colors and the tips are finer and easier for small decorating.A few examples of where I've used Gourmet Writers:
{for eyelashes on frogs...}
{eyes and ♥-shaped lips on sweet peas...}
{cookie decorating with the kiddo...}
{teddy bear faces...}
{and personalization.}
My tips...
- if using on royal icing, let the icing dry overnight before using the markers. The royal icing might look dry in a few hours, but it's not...trust me. :)
- use a light hand with the markers, or you can poke a hole right through the icing (those are the cookies you get to eat!)
- store the pens in the refrigerator
- have a paper towel nearby to blot the pen tips during use. Once you've decorated several cookies, the food coloring starts flowing a little more.
- BLACK...you'll need the black pen the most. After that, I probably use pink and red most often. I still like to have all of the colors, just in case I need them.
Have you tried them on any other surfaces? I do most of my coloring on cheese and have been dying to try these markers because the kind I use only come in green, yellow, red, and blue.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have more colors but I'm not sure if they would work out or not
I've always wondered about these pens, and you're getting great results, so I'm going to give them a try. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI knew about these on your blog and I love them!
ReplyDeleteI have seen those food coloring pens but was not sure how well they worked. Seeing your cookies I see they work quite well. I will have to give them a try. Although anything that comes out of my kitchen will not look as gorgeous as what you do:)
ReplyDeleteWoohooo! Thank you!! I was waiting for this post!!
ReplyDelete~TidyMom
I want some!
ReplyDelete~ingrid
Bento...yes, I think they would work on cheese. On the back of the package, they list ides for usage. Here are some of the items they mention: hardboiled eggs, white chocolate, milk jello, rice paper, fondant, bagels....I think I need to get them out again!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI used these on some cookies the other day. I had to bake some for a benefit. There is a picture of them on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! I have been wanting to try some pens like these.
ReplyDelete~Liz
I am trying to be brave enough to try your pencil cookies. I have never done something like this before with royal icing. Where do you get it? For these I buy the actual icing not the pens, correct? Any other tips? You mentioned that you transfer the thinned down icing to a squeeze bottle. I have a bottle leftover from hair dye...can I use that? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi L! :)
ReplyDeleteI get my squeeze bottles at craft stores, or even in the WalMart craft section. I would stay away from the hair dye bottle because of all of the chemicals. :)
For the Royal Icing...I make mine...I don't think I've ever seen it packaged. Here is the recipe and some tips on using it. It is really easy to make. Meringue powder can be found at craft stores and again in the craft section of WalMart.
Have fun! ♥
Thanks so much for this recommendation! I used Wilton writers once but wasn't very happy with them. I'm going to order these!
ReplyDeleteI bought these to do the darling cookies for teacher gifts. Even my 14 year old loved drawing on the cookies and they were a huge hit!
ReplyDeleteI saw those markers at the store the other day and thought about your blog and the cute cookies you make!
ReplyDeleteI have a little something for you over at my blog... http://99percentcacao.blogspot.com/2009/08/thank-you-kris.html
:)
Hi! I was wondering how long to let the writers dry on the cookies before packaging.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Where would you recommend buying these pens, aside from the internet? A little bake shop has them and MIGHT get them in by the time I need them, but who knows. Help!
ReplyDelete