GIFT TAG CUTTER
When I came up with the idea for this book, I knew I wanted certain cookies included. One was a toaster. So I was thrilled when I noticed that the end of the gift tag resembles not only the chin of Frankenstein’s monster and a pile of popcorn, but a slice of bread, too. I worked it out from there by positioning the toaster onto the cookie at a three-quarters view, leaving space for the cord, a detail that really brings it to life.
GIFT TAG
beginner 
intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch gift tag 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: whitener, super black, bright red, gold, chocolate brown
4 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
4 #1 tips
Paintbrush
Edible marker (optional)
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Using a straw, punch out a hole where the grommet is on the tag. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make white lining and flooding icing for the tag; outline and paint in. Mix 1¼ cups royal icing in a bowl with whitener gel to make white for the tag. 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, outline the gift tag, taking care to make the top and bottom lines parallel. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a large paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the tag. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make lining icings: gray to re-outline the tag, red for the writing, and brown for the hole. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup icing into each of three bowls. Cover two with plastic wrap. To the remaining bowl, add super black gel to make light gray for outlining the gift tag. Spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add bright red gel to make red for the writing and lines. Spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the third bowl, add gold and chocolate brown gels to make golden brown to outline the tag hole. Spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 4. Re-outline the tag; outline the hole; write on the tag. Using the gray lining icing, re-outline the gift tag. Pipe a second line inside the outer one, leaving a space for the hole. Using the golden brown lining icing, outline the gift tag hole. Using the red lining icing, write “TO” and “FROM,” one underneath the other, then pipe a horizontal line next to each word. Let set for 15 minutes or until hard. If desired, add names with edible marker.
FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch gift tag 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: leaf green, neon green, super black, whitener, lemon yellow
3 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
3 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make green lining and flooding icing for the face; outline and paint in. Mix 1 cup royal icing in a bowl with leaf green and neon green gels to make green for the monster’s face. 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. Position the cookie so that the short flat side is the top. Using the green lining icing, outline the bottom half of the face, stopping where the top of the ear meets the face. Using a medium paintbrush and the green flooding icing, paint in the face, thinning out the icing where the hair overlaps the forehead. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make black lining and flooding icing for the hair; make dark green lining icing for re-outlining the face. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix 1 cup icing in a bowl with super black gel to make black for the hair. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining black icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Mix ¼ cup royal icing in a bowl with the leaf green and neon green gels to make darker green icing for re-outlining the face. Spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 4. Outline and paint in the hair and stripes; outline the eyes; make the nose and mouth. Re-outline the ears and chin; make details. Using the black lining icing, outline the the silhouette of the hair. Outline the two stripes in the hair with wavy vertical lines. Outline the eyes and draw in the nose and mouth. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the darker green lining icing, re-outline the ears and chin. Draw the scar on the forehead and the half-moons in the inner ears. Using a small paintbrush and the black flooding icing, paint in the hair, excluding the gray stripes. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 5. Make gray flooding icing for the stripes and yellow flooding icing for the eyes and paint in. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into a small bowl. Add super black and whitener gels to make light gray for the stripes in the hair. Thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. To another bowl, add 2 tablespoons of royal icing. Add lemon yellow and whitener gels to make yellow for the eyes. Thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using a small paintbrush and the light gray flooding icing, paint in the stripes in the hair, butting up (see here) the gray icing to the black lining icing. Using another small paintbrush and the yellow flooding icing, paint in the eyes. Let set for 4 to 6 hours. Reserve the black lining icing.
- 6. Re-outline the hair, make pupils. When the flooding icing is set, use the reserved black lining icing to re-outline the hair, then pipe dots on the eyes for pupils.
TOASTER
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch gift tag cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2½ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: super black, whitener, chocolate brown, gold, ivory
5 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
5 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make gray lining and flooding icing for the toaster. Mix 1¼ cups royal icing in a bowl with super black and whitener gels to make gray. 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 toaster. Position the cookie so that the short flat side is the bottom. Using the gray lining icing, outline the silhouette of the toaster, skipping the part where the bread overlaps. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a medium paintbrush and the gray flooding icing, paint in the toaster, thinning out the icing where the bread overlaps the toaster. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours.
- 4. Make lining icings: black for the openings and golden brown for the crust. 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, mix in super black gel to make black for the openings. 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 and gold gels to make golden brown for the bread crust. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 5. Outline the openings and fill in. Outline the bread crust. Using the black lining icing, outline the openings at the top and side of the toaster. Holding the tip close to the cookie, fill in the openings. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the golden brown lining icing, outline the bread. Let set for 5 minutes.
- 6. Make flooding icing for the bread and paint in. Mix ¼ cup royal icing in a bowl with ivory and whitener gels to make soft white for the bread. Thin to flooding consistency. Using a small paintbrush, carefully paint in the bread. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
- 7. Make lining icings: light gray to re-outline the toaster, white for the cord and details. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. In the remaining bowl, mix super black and whitener gels to make light gray. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add whitener gel to make bright white for the toaster cord and shine mark. Thin to lining consistency and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Using the light gray lining icing, re-outline the toaster, and make the interior line to give the toaster a ¾ perspective. Outline a small rectangle over the black opening on the side for the lever, holding the tip close to the cookie to fill it in. Reserve the gray lining icing. Using the bright white lining icing, make the electrical cord. Make the shine mark on the toaster. Using the reserved gray icing, outline a plug and hold the piping tip close to the cookie to fill it in. Draw in the prongs. Let set for 1 hour.
MOVIE POPCORN
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch gift tag 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: whitener, bright red, lemon yellow, gold
4 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
3 #1 tips
1 #1.5 tip
Assorted paintbrushes
Plate or ceramic mixing palette
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make white lining and flooding icing for the box; outline and paint in. Mix 1¼ cups royal icing in a bowl with whitener gel to make 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. Using the lining icing, outline the silhouette of the popcorn and the box. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a large paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the entire area and let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make red lining and flooding icing for the stripes; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¾ cup icing in a small bowl with bright red gel to make the red stripes for the box. 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 red lining icing, outline the popcorn box only, making a scalloped edge along the top of the box with five peaks. From the low point of each scallop, make a vertical line slightly on the diagonal to the bottom of the box. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a small paintbrush and the red flooding icing, thinly paint in every other stripe, beginning on the far left. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
- 4. Make white lining icing. Make the popcorn; outline the white stripes. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into a bowl. Add whitener to make white icing and thin to lining consistency. Spoon all of it into a pastry bag fitted with a #1 tip. Pipe random white dots in different sizes and clusters above the popcorn box. Leave space for the yellow popcorn. Let set for 10 minutes. Using the white lining icing, outline the white stripes on the box by butting them up to the red outlines. Reserve the remaining lining icing. Let set for 10 minutes.
- 5. Make yellow lining icing for bigger popcorn kernels and apply. Mix ¼ cup royal icing in a bowl with lemon yellow and whitener gels to make pale yellow popcorn. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1.5 tip. Make big dots of the icing on top of the white dots, covering the empty spaces. Let set for 5 minutes.
- 6. Outline the white stripes. Add more popcorn. When the white and red stripes have set, use the reserved bag of white lining icing to outline the white stripes on the box. Add more popcorn to the box by piping more white dots on top of the pale yellow dots. Let set for 5 minutes.
- 7. Make watercolors for the kernels; paint on. Squeeze a small dot of gold gel onto a plate or ceramic mixing palette. Using a small paintbrush, mix in a little water to make a watercolor (see here). Paint a few dots (sparingly) on the popcorn for kernels. Let set for 10 minutes.