FOOTBALL HELMET CUTTER
It was fun to figure out how to use the mouth-guard part of this cutter in other cookie designs. The leaves of the pineapple, the trunk of the elephant, the bird’s tail… there are endless possibilities. My elephant is tusk-less, but you can easily add a tusk to yours with some white icing. And of course the bird can be iced in any color.
When you’re putting the cutouts on the baking sheet, be sure to gently nudge the dough out of the mouth-guard part of the cutter: Thin appendages like this tend to stay behind in the cutter and break off.
FOOTBALL HELMET
beginner 
intermediate advanced
MAKES 20
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3½-inch football helmet cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: super black, neon orange, sunset orange, whitener, bright blue
4 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
4 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the dough. Cut out 20 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make flooding icing for the ear hole and paint on. Mix 1 tablespoon royal icing in a bowl with super black gel to make black for the ear hole on the helmet. Thin to slightly looser than flooding consistency. Using a paintbrush, thinly paint the black ear hole on the cookie, making it slightly larger than the actual ear hole will be, and let set for 30 minutes.
- 3. Make orange lining and flooding icing for the helmet; outline and paint in. Mix 1¼ cups royal icing in a bowl with neon orange and sunset orange gels to make orange for the helmet. 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 helmet, taking care to make the curves in the front and lower back. Outline the ear hole. Let set for 10 minutes. Reserve the orange lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the orange flooding icing, paint in the helmet. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Reserve the orange flooding icing.
- 4. Make blue lining and flooding icing for the stripe; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ½ cup icing in a bowl with bright blue gel to make bright blue for the stripe. 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 blue stripe that runs along the body of the helmet. Let set for 10 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the blue flooding icing, paint in the stripe. Let set for 2 hours.
- 5. Re-outline the ear hole and outline the ring around it; paint in. Using the reserved orange lining icing, re-outline the black hole and make another circle around that one about ¼ inch wide. Let set for 5 minutes. Using another paintbrush and the reserved orange flooding icing, paint in the ring around the black ear hole. Let set for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
- 6. Make black lining icing for the face guard; make white lining and flooding icing for the details. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing with super black gel to make black for the face guard. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Mix ½ cup icing in a bowl with whitener gel to make bright white. 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.
- 7. Draw in the face guard. Make white helmet details and paint in. Using the black lining icing, outline the face guard, moving slowly to achieve a thicker than normal line and going over the painted orange ring. Let set for 10 minutes. Reserve the black lining icing. Using the white lining icing, outline the helmet details, going over the black lines where necessary. Let set for 10 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the details. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
- 8. Make the screw detail. Using the reserved black lining icing, pipe a dot on the middle white detail for a screw.
ELEPHANT
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 20
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3½-inch football helmet cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: super black, chocolate brown, whitener
2 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
2 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 20 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make dark gray lining and flooding icing for underside of back ear. Spoon ½ cup royal icing into a bowl and mix with super black and chocolate brown gels to make dark gray for the underside of the back ear. 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.
- 3. Outline the back ear and paint in. Position the cookie so the helmet’s mouth guard is pointing down. Using the lining icing, outline the left and bottom sides of the back ear. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the dark gray lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, paint in the back ear, thinning it out where the chin and front ear overlap it. Let set until hard, 3 to 4 hours.
- 4. Make light gray lining and flooding icing for the elephant; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon 1¼ cups into a bowl and mix with super black, chocolate brown, and whitener gels to make light gray for the elephant’s head. Thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the reserved dark gray lining icing, outline the silhouette of the elephant. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a large paintbrush and the light gray flooding icing, paint in the elephant. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 5. Make dark gray lining icing to re-outline the elephant and make details. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing with super black gel to make dark gray to re-outline the elephant and make the details. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the elephant’s silhouette and make the head and ear details. Draw lines on the trunk. Make a dot for the eye by holding the piping tip on the cookie at a 45-degree angle and squeezing. Draw the eyebrow over the eye. Let set for 5 minutes.
BIRD IN NEST
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 20
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3½-inch football helmet cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: super black, chocolate brown, whitener, bright red, bright blue, lemon yellow
6 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
6 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
Plate or ceramic mixing palette
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 20 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make black flooding icing for the interior of the nest and paint in. Mix 2 tablespoons royal icing in a bowl with super black gel to make black for the interior of the nest. Thin to slightly looser than flooding consistency. Position the cookie so the helmet’s mouth guard is at 10 o’clock. Using a paintbrush, thinly paint an oval for the inside of the nest, thinning it out where the rim and front of the nest overlap it. Let set for 30 minutes.
- 3. Make brown lining and flooding icing for the nest; outline and paint in. Mix ¾ cup royal icing with chocolate brown gel to make brown for the nest. 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 silhouette of the nest, skipping the part where the bird overlaps. Outline the black oval, again skipping where the bird overlaps. Let set for 10 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the brown flooding icing, paint in the nest, thinning the icing where the bird overlaps. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make lining and flooding icings: red for the bird and blue for the eggs. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¾ cup icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add bright red gel to make red for the bird. 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 other bowl, mix in a toothpick of bright blue and even less chocolate brown gel to make pale blue for the eggs. 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.
- 5. Outline and paint in the bird and eggs. Using the red lining icing, outline the silhouette of the bird, following the edge of the cookie along the top and tail and going over the top right corner of the nest. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the red lining icing. Using the blue lining icing, outline the silhouette of the eggs. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the red flooding icing, paint in the bird. Using a small paintbrush and the pale blue flooding icing, paint in the eggs. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 6. Make lining icings: dark brown to re-outline and make details on the nest and yellow for the beak and feet. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add chocolate brown and super black gels to make dark brown to re-outline and make details on the nest. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add lemon yellow gel to make chrome yellow for the beak and feet. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 7. Outline and draw in the beak and legs. Re-outline the bird and make details. Re-outline the nest and make details. Using the yellow lining icing, outline the bird’s beak and fill it in with the tip. Make the legs. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the reserved red lining icing, re-outline the bird and make the wing and tail details. Using the dark brown lining icing, re-outline the nest and make the woven pattern on it. Squeeze a tiny dot on the bird’s head for its eye. Let set until hard, about 1 hour.
- 8. Make watercolor to speckle the eggs. Meanwhile, squeeze a dot of chocolate brown gel onto a plate or ceramic mixing palette. Using a paintbrush, mix in a little water to make a watercolor (see here). Paint speckles on the eggs.
- 9. Make the pupil for the eye. Spoon 2 tablespoons of royal icing into a bowl. Add a drop of whitener and thin to lining consistency. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip, and pipe a dot on the eye.
BOWL OF FRUIT
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 20
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3½-inch football helmet cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
5 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: bright blue, whitener, sunset orange, lemon yellow, egg yellow, bright red, leaf green, teal green, gold, chocolate brown
10 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
10 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 20 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make medium blue lining and flooding icing for the inside of bowl; outline and paint in. Mix ½ cup royal icing in a bowl with bright blue gel to make medium blue. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 2 tablespoons 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. Position the cookie so the helmet’s mouth guard is at 10 o’clock. Using the lining icing, outline the interior of the bowl on the top left and far right edges, skipping the space where the pineapple overlaps. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the medium blue lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, thinly paint in the left and right corners of the inside of the bowl, thinning it out where the fruit overlaps. Let set until dry, 2 to 3 hours.
- 3. Make light blue flooding icing for outside of bowl; outline and paint in. Refresh the remaining royal icing on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Mix ½ cup icing in a bowl with bright blue and whitener gels to make lighter blue for the exterior of the bowl. Thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the reserved medium blue lining icing, outline the bowl and let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the light blue flooding icing, paint in the bowl. Let set until dry, 3 to 4 hours.
- 4. Make lining and flooding icings for the fruit: orange, yellow, gold, red, green. Meanwhile, spoon ½ cup royal icing into each of five bowls. Cover four with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add sunset orange gel to make the orange for the orange. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. To the second bowl, add lemon yellow gel to make yellow for the bananas. 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 lemon yellow and egg yellow gels to make gold for the pineapple. 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 fourth bowl, add bright red to make red for the apple. 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 fifth bowl, add leaf green and teal green to make the green for the leaves of the pineapple. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Outline the fruits. Using the yellow lining icing, outline the silhouette of the bananas. Using the orange lining icing, outline the curve of the orange. Using the red lining icing, outline the curve of the apple. Using the gold lining icing, outline the silhouette of the pineapple. Using the green lining icing, outline the silhouette of the pineapple leaves. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the red, orange, and yellow lining icings.
- 6. Paint in the fruits. Using a paintbrush, paint in each piece of fruit and the pineapple leaves with the respective flooding icing, butting up (see here) each color to the outlines on the adjacent piece(s) of fruit and the edge of the bowl. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 7. Make lining icing to re-outline the fruits and bowl and to make details. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup icing into each of four bowls. Cover three with plastic wrap. To the remaining bowl, add gold gel to make golden brown for re-outlining and making the details on the pineapple. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add chocolate brown gel to make dark brown for the banana stem, apple stem, and dots on the orange. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the third bowl, add leaf green and teal green gels to make dark green for re-outlining the leaves of the pineapple. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the fourth bowl, add bright blue gel to make medium blue to re-outline the bowl. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 8. Re-outline the fruits and bowl and make details. Use the reserved red, orange, and yellow lining icings or spoon 2 tablespoons of refreshed royal icing into each of three bowls and color as in step 4. Spoon into each of three piping bags fitted with #1 tips and re-outline the apple, orange, and bananas. Make the interior lines on the bananas to define the two. Using the golden brown lining icing, re-outline the pineapple and draw in the details. Using the dark brown lining icing, draw in the banana stems, apple stem, and dots on the orange. Using the dark green lining icing, re-outline the pineapple leaves and draw in the details. Using the medium blue lining icing, re-outline the bowl. Let set for 10 minutes.