GUITAR CUTTER
You’ll notice I took liberties with this cutter’s shape when I outlined the guitar—I just gave it a more realistic-looking silhouette. Do this whenever your vision of a cookie isn’t exactly the same as the cutter you find. Putting six strings on the guitar can be tricky; practice before you take the tip to the cookies. Make the lining icing for them slightly tighter—and make only three strings if you’re not yet comfortable making tight, straight lines.
The Paintbrush cookie is fun to make because you actually get to dunk the cookie into flooding icing like you would a real paintbrush into a bucket of paint. Try it with a few of your favorite colors.
GUITAR
beginner intermediate 
advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch guitar cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3½ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: super black, chocolate brown, sunset orange, whitener, buckeye brown, ivory
7 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
6 #1 tips
1 #1.5 tip
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make flooding icing for the black hole and paint in. Mix 2 tablespoons royal icing in a bowl with super black gel to make black. Thin to loose flooding consistency. Using a paintbrush, thinly paint in the guitar hole, thinning it out to where the body overlaps it. Let set for 1 hour.
- 3. Make orange-brown lining and flooding icing for the body of the guitar; outline and paint in. Mix 1 cup royal icing with sunset orange and chocolate brown to make orange-brown for the body. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, outline the body and a hole in the center of the guitar, making the body narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, paint in the body of the guitar. Let set until hard, 4 to 6 hours.
- 4. Make dark brown lining and flooding icing for the neck of the guitar. Mix ¾ cup royal icing in a bowl with chocolate brown and buckeye brown gels to make dark brown for the neck of the guitar. Thin to lining consistency and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Outline the guitar head and neck and paint in. Make the saddle. When the body is set, use the dark brown lining icing to outline the guitar head (where the strings connect at the top) and the neck, making the neck wide enough to accommodate six strings. Make the thin rectangle for the saddle (where the strings connect at the bottom) by butting (see here) up two or three lines next to each other. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the dark brown flooding icing, paint in the head and neck. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 6. Make lining icings for the tuning pegs, frets, and strings. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup into each of three bowls. Cover two with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add super black and whitener gels to make light gray for the pegs. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1.5 tip. To the second bowl, add ivory gel to make tan for the frets. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the third bowl, add whitener gel to make white for the strings. Thin to tight lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 7. Make the pegs, frets, and strings. Using the light gray lining icing (and the #1.5 tip), make the tuning pegs on either side of the head of the guitar. Make a dot next to each peg where the string is threaded through. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the tan lining icing, make horizontal lines across the neck for the frets. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the white lining icing, make the strings, beginning at the gray dot on the bottom left of the pegs, going over the frets, and touching down on the saddle. Work across the neck; skip the second and fifth strings if you find you can’t fit them in.
- 8. Make lining icings to re-outline the neck and body; re-outline. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add chocolate brown and sunset orange gels to make darker orange-brown to re-outline the neck. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add chocolate brown and buckeye brown gels to make dark brown to re-outline the body. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Using the darker orange-brown lining icing, re-outline the guitar body, excluding the area where the neck overlaps. Using the dark brown lining icing, re-outline the guitar head and neck.
SHIP IN A BOTTLE
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch guitar-shaped cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
4 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: bright blue, whitener, ivory, gold, chocolate brown, bright red, super black
9 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
9 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make blue lining and flooding icing for the bottle. Mix 1 cups royal icing in a bowl with bright blue and whitener gels to make light blue. Thin to lining consistency and spoon cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline and paint in the bottle. Position the cookie so that the bottom of the guitar is the left side of the cookie. Using the blue lining icing, outline the bottle, including the area where the cork will be. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, paint in the bottle and let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make lining and flooding icings: tan for the cork, reddish-brown for the boat, and white for the sails. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ½ cup icing into each of three bowls. Cover two with plastic wrap. To the remaining bowl, add ivory and gold gel to make tan for the cork. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. To the second bowl, add chocolate brown and bright red gels to make reddish-brown for the boat. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. To the third bowl, add whitener to make white for the sails. Spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Outline and paint in the cork, hull, and masts. Using the tan lining icing, outline the cork, going over the light blue flooding icing. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the tan flooding icing, paint in the cork. Using the reddish-brown lining icing, outline the ship’s hull, then make two dots for the hull’s stand and a line for the bowsprit (the pole going forward from the stern of a ship). Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the reddish-brown flooding icing, paint in the hull. Using the white lining icing, outline the sails. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the white lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the sails. Reserve the white flooding icing. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 6. Make lining icing to re-outline the cork, bottle, hull, and masts. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup icing into each of three bowls. Cover two bowls with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add ivory and gold gel to make golden brown to re-outline the cork. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add bright blue gel to make a darker blue to re-outline the bottle. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the third bowl, add chocolate brown to make dark brown to re-outline the hull and make the masts. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 7. Re-outline the bottle, cork, and hull and make details. Using the darker blue lining icing, re-outline the bottle and make the details for its mouth. Using the golden brown lining icing, re-outline the cork, excluding the part that lies beneath the mouth of the bottle. Holding the tip of the piping bag at a 45-degree angle and touching the cookie, draw short lines and dots on the cork to give it texture. Using the dark brown lining icing, re-outline the hull, then make the masts, going over the sails. Using the reserved white lining icing, outline the bottle within the darker blue outline only on the top and left side. Using a paintbrush and the reserved white flooding icing, swipe the paintbrush along the neck of the bottle and to the top left of the ship for shine marks. Let set for 5 minutes.
- 8. Make lining icing for the flags, lines, and details. Meanwhile, spoon 2 tablespoons royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add bright red gel to make red for the flags. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add super black gel to make black for the lines connecting the sails to the bowsprit. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Using the red lining icing, squeeze a dot on top of each mast, then drag the tip to the right to make a small triangle. Using the black lining icing, make two thin parallel lines from the sails to the bowsprit to connect them.
COTTON CANDY
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch guitar cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3¼ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: electric pink, whitener, bright red, royal blue, copper (flesh)
7 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
7 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make pink lining and flooding icing for the cotton candy. Mix 1 cup royal icing with electric pink and whitener gels to make pink for the cotton candy. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Make white lining and flooding icing for the cone. Mix ¾ cup royal icing with whitener gel to make white for the cone. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 4. Outline the cotton candy and the cone and paint in. Position the cookie so the guitar head is the bottom. Using the pink lining icing, outline the silhouette of the cotton candy, exaggerating the curves along the edge of the cookie. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the white lining icing, outline the paper cone, making sure the white lines are touching the outline of the cotton candy and leaving the areas where the hand overlaps the cone unlined. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the white lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the pink flooding icing, paint in the cotton candy. Using a paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the cone, thinning out the icing where the fingers overlap. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 5. Make red and blue lining and flooding icings for the stripes. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add bright red gel to make red for the stripes on the cone. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 2 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. To the second bowl, add royal blue gel to make blue for the stripes on the cone. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 2 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 6. Outline and paint in the stripes. Using the red lining icing, outline the red stripes on the cone. Using the blue lining icing, outline the blue stripes on the cone. Let set for 5 minutes. Using paintbrushes and the red and blue flooding icings, thinly paint in the red and blue stripes. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
- 7. Make dark pink lining icing to re-outline the cotton candy and make interior details. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing in a bowl with electric pink and whitener gels to make darker pink to outline the cotton candy. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the cotton candy, extending the lines at the bumps to give the cotton candy a fluffy look. Draw small scallops in the interior.
- 8. Make lining and flooding icing for the hand; outline and paint in. Mix ½ cup royal icing in a bowl with copper (flesh) and whitener gels to make desired skin tone. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, draw the silhouette of the four fingers on the left side of the cone and the thumb and palm on the right side of the cone. Do not draw in the lines that go over the cone. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the skin tone flooding icing, paint in the fingers and thumb. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
- 9. Make lining icing to re-outline the hand and re-outline. Re-outline the cone. When the skin-tone flooding icing is set, mix ¼ cup royal icing in a bowl with copper (flesh) and whitener gels to make a darker shade of the skin tone to re-outline the hand. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the fingers and thumb, delineating the fingers and thumb that sit on top of the cone. Using the reserved white lining icing, re-outline the cone, skipping the areas where the fingers overlap it. Let set for 1 hour.
PAINTBRUSH
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch guitar-shaped cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3½ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: lemon yellow, ivory, whitener, buckeye brown, gold, super black, bright red
4 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
4 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
Parchment paper
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make tan and dark brown lining and flooding icings for the paintbrush. Spoon ¾ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add lemon yellow and ivory gels to make tan for the handle. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap. To the second bowl, add buckeye brown to make dark brown for the bristles. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline and paint in the handle and the bristles. Using the tan lining icing, outline the brush handle, stopping at the metal fastener and thinning out the icing where the metal part of the brush overlaps the handle. Outline a small circle at the top of the handle. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the tan flooding icing, paint in the handle, thinning out the icing where the metal part overlaps. Using the dark brown lining icing, outline the bristles along the sides and tips, skipping the area where the metal piece meets the bristles. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the dark brown lining icing. Using a paintbrush and dark brown flooding icing, paint in the bristles, thinning out the icing where the metal piece overlaps. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make golden brown lining icing to re-outline the handle; make light gray lining and flooding icing for the metal fastener. Mix ¼ cup royal icing with gold gel to make dark golden brown to outline the handle. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Mix ¾ cup royal icing in a bowl with super black and whitener gels to make light gray to outline the metal. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Outline and paint in the fastener. Using the light gray lining icing, outline the metal piece of the brush, going over the handle and the bristles. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the light gray flooding icing, paint in the metal piece. Let set for 2 to 3 hours. Reserve the gray lining icing.
- 6. Re-outline the handle, draw in the bristles, and make the details. As the light gray flooding icing sets, use the golden brown lining icing to re-outline the brush handle and the hole in it. Using the reserved dark brown lining icing, make bristles over the brown area of the brush, making the lines as straight as possible and spacing them evenly apart. When the light gray flooding icing is set, use the reserved light gray lining icing to make the details on the metal piece.
- 7. Make the “paint” and dip the cookie. Place a piece of parchment paper on a clean work surface. Mix 1 cup royal icing in a mug with bright red and whitener gels to make red for the paint. Thin it to flooding consistency. Holding the handle of the paintbrush cookie, dip it into the red icing, holding the cookie straight up and down, so that the “paint” goes halfway up the bristles. Pull the cookie out of the icing, hold the cookie over the mug to let excess icing drip off, and lay the cookie down on parchment until the icing sets, 4 to 6 hours.