FROG CUTTER
This grouping features metallic gold and watercolors for effect. It’s rare for me to embellish my cookies with anything sparkly—I apply shiny dust only when I think it’s required, as it is for the angel’s halo. If you like more shine, add some pearl dust to her wings.
Using watercolors for the fishbowl gives the illusion that there’s real water in it. This is especially true in contrast to the opaque icing on the other parts of the cookie.
I particularly love that this group features three animals, or four if you count the fish!
FROG
beginner 
intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch frog 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: neon green, sunset orange, gold, whitener, lemon yellow, chocolate brown, super black, electric pink
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 green lining and flooding icing for the frog; outline and paint in. Spoon ¾ cup royal icing into a bowl and mix with neon green, sunset orange, and gold gels to make green. 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 frog along the edges of the cookie. Along the bottom, outline four individual toes for each webbed foot and three fingers of each hand. Make a curved horizontal line across the face for the mouth. Make the lines on the inside of the frog’s arms to separate them from the yellow belly. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a small paintbrush and the green flooding icing, paint in the top of the head above the mouth line and the arms and legs.
- 3. Make light yellow flooding icing for the belly and paint in. Mix ½ cup royal icing in a bowl with a toothpick each of lemon yellow and whitener gels to make light yellow for the frog’s belly and thin to flooding consistency. Using a small paintbrush, paint in the belly area, butting the icing up (see here) to the green outline. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make yellow lining and flooding icing for the frog’s eyes; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing in a bowl with lemon yellow gel to make darker yellow for the eyes. 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. Using the lining icing, outline the frog’s eyes. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a small paintbrush and the yellow flooding icing, paint in the eyes. Let set for 1 hour.
- 5. Make dark green lining icing, re-outline the frog, and make details. Meanwhile, mix ¼ cup royal icing with neon green and chocolate brown gels to make dark green to re-outline the frog. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the frog, going above the eyes, and re-outline the mouth. Re-outline the arms and three fingers. Do not re-outline where the arms meet the neck.
- 6. Make lining icings for the black eyes and pink tongue and draw in. Spoon 2 tablespoons royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add super black gel to make the black for the eyes. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add electric pink gel to make pink for the tongue. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Using the black lining icing, make black circles on the eyes for pupils. Using the pink lining icing, make the frog’s tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Let set for 10 minutes or until dry.
CAT AND FISH
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch frog 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: sunset orange, whitener, bright blue, royal blue, gold, chocolate brown, neon green, super black
6 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
6 #1 tips
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 light orange lining and flooding icing for the cat; outline and paint in. Spoon ½ cup royal icing into a bowl and mix with sunset orange gel to make light orange. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, outline the silhouette of the cat’s head and body, stopping where the body meets the top edge of the fishbowl. Using a medium paintbrush and the light orange flooding icing, paint in the cat, thinning the icing where the bowl overlaps. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make lining and flooding icings: pale blue for the water and royal blue for the shelf. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ½ cup icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add a tiny toothpick of bright blue gel to make palest blue for the water. 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 royal blue to make royal blue to outline the shelf. 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.
- 4. Outline the fishbowl and shelf and paint in. Using the pale blue lining icing, outline the fishbowl. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the royal blue lining icing, outline the shelf, butting up (see here) the top line to the bottom line of the fishbowl. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a medium paintbrush and the pale blue flooding icing, paint in the fishbowl. Using a medium paintbrush and the royal blue flooding icing, paint in the shelf. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 5. Make watercolors for the cat and fishbowl details. Paint on. Squeeze dots of sunset orange, chocolate brown, bright blue, gold, neon green, and super black gels onto a plate or ceramic mixing palette. Using a watercolor brush, mix a little water into each color to make watercolors (see here). Use the sunset orange to paint on the cat’s stripes, and use the chocolate brown for the ears. Use the bright blue for the water in the fishbowl, the chocolate brown mixed with gold for the sand, the neon green for the seaweed, and the sunset orange for the goldfish.
- 6. Make lining icings: chocolate brown to re-outline the cat and blue for the shelf. Make white lining and flooding icing for the fishbowl and eyes. Spoon ¼ cup icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add chocolate brown and sunset orange gels to make chocolate brown for re-outlining the cat. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the other bowl, add royal blue gel to make dark blue to re-outline the shelf. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To a third bowl, spoon ½ cup icing and add whitener to make white to re-outline the fishbowl. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all but 2 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining white icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 7. Re-outline the cat, fishbowl, and shelf. Paint in the eyes. Draw details. Using the brown lining icing, re-outline the cat’s head and body. Draw in the eyes and nose. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the white lining icing, re-outline the fishbowl. Using the dark blue lining icing, re-outline the shelf and draw the interior lines. Using a small paintbrush or a toothpick and the white flooding icing, fill in the eyes. Let set until hard, 1 hour.
- 8. Make watercolor for the cat’s eyes. Paint on. Using a watercolor brush, mix a little water into gold gel on a plate or ceramic mixing palette to make watercolor for the cat’s eyes. Paint in the eyes. Let set for 10 minutes or until dry. Mix a little super black gel with water as above to make black watercolor for the cat’s pupils. Paint tiny dots for the pupils. Let set for 10 minutes or until dry.
COW’S HEAD
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch frog cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2¼ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: buckeye brown, whitener, copper (flesh), super black
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 lining and flooding icings: brown for the cow’s head and light pink for the nose. Spoon ½ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the remaining, add buckeye brown gel to make brown for the cow’s head. 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 copper (flesh) to make light pink for the cow’s nose. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline the muzzle, nose, and head. Make interior lines. Using the light pink lining icing, outline the cow’s nose, rounding the two bumps at the bottom for the chin. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the brown lining icing, outline the silhouette of the cow’s head just to where it meets the nose. Round out the cheekbones instead of following the edge of the cookie. Make two wavy lines down the middle of the head where the white marking will go. Let set for 5 minutes.
- 4. Paint in the dark sides of the head and the nose. Using a medium paintbrush and the brown flooding icing, paint in the left and right sides of the head. Let set for 10 minutes or until dry. Using another medium paintbrush and the light pink flooding icing, paint in the cow’s nose. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 5. Make white lining and flooding icing and paint in the white marking. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ½ cup icing with whitener to make white for the marking. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Reserve the white lining icing. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency. Using a small paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the white marking on the cow’s head, butting the white icing up to the brown (see here). Let set until hard, 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
- 6. Make lining icings: darker pink to re-outline the nose and dark brown for the head; make black flooding icing for the eyes. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other bowl, add copper (flesh) to make darker pink to re-outline the cow’s nose. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. To the second bowl, add buckeye brown and super black gel to make dark brown to re-outline the cow’s head. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 3 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Add additional super black gel to the remaining dark brown icing to make black for the cow’s eyes. Thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 7. Re-outline the head and nose; draw in details. Paint in eyes and nostrils. Using the dark brown lining icing, re-outline the cow’s head, leaving the nose unlined. Draw in the ears, eyes, and nostrils. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the darker pink lining icing, re-outline the nose, making two arches around the nostrils and a curved line to separate the nose from the chin. Using a small paintbrush and the black flooding icing, thinly paint in the eyes and the nostrils. Let set for 1 hour or until hard. Using the reserved white lining icing, make dots on the eyes for the pupils. Let set for 10 minutes or until dry.
ANGEL
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch frog cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2¾ cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: whitener, buckeye brown, gold, ivory, super black
Edible gold luster dust
Vodka or lemon extract
6 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
6 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 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 wings. Mix ¾ cup royal icing in a bowl with whitener to make white for the wings. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to thin flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline and paint in the wings. Turn the cookie upside down so the frog’s head is on the bottom. Using the white lining icing, outline the silhouette of the wings, leaving bare the areas where the head and robe overlap. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a medium paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the wings, thinning out the icing where the head and robe overlap them. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make lining and flooding icings: brown for the face and beige for the robe. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ½ cup icing into a bowl; add buckeye brown and gold gels to make brown for the angel’s skin. 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 whitener, and cover with plastic wrap. Into the other bowl, spoon ¾ cup icing. Add a toothpick of ivory gel to make beige for the angel’s robe. 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 the head, robe, and feet. Using the brown lining icing, outline the head, leaving the top of the cookie bare for the hair and the halo. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the brown lining icing. Using the beige lining icing, outline the robe, letting the lines touch the neck. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the reserved brown lining icing, outline the feet poking out from under the robe, letting the lines touch the bottom of the robe. Let set for 1 hour or until dry. Reserve the brown lining icing.
- 6. Paint in the face, feet, and robe. Using a small paintbrush and the brown flooding icing, paint in the face and feet. Using a medium paintbrush and the beige flooding icing, paint in the robe. Let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 7. Make black lining and flooding icing for the hair, facial features, and hands; make dark beige lining icing to re-outline the robe. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup royal icing into each of two bowls. Cover one with plastic wrap. To the other, add super black gel to make black for the hair, facial features, and hands. Thin to tight 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 ivory gel to make darker beige to re-outline the robe. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip.
- 8. Outline and paint in the hair and make details. Re-outline the robe. Make the hands and re-outline the feet. Using the black lining icing, outline the hair around the face and draw in the eyes and mouth. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the darker beige lining icing, re-outline the robe and make the sleeves. Let set for 5 minutes. Using the reserved brown lining icing, make the hands by squeezing hard and piping slowly to make two fat lines. Re-outline the feet. Using a small paintbrush and the black flooding icing, paint in the hair. Let set for 3 to 4 hours or until hard.
- 9. Make white lining icing and re-outline the wings and make details. Outline and dust the halo. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Spoon ¼ cup icing into a bowl and mix with whitener to make white to re-outline the wings and make the details. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the wings and make the details of the feathers. Outline the oval halo on the angel’s head. Let set for 15 minutes. Combine a little gold luster dust with vodka or lemon extract in a small bowl. Stir with a small paintbrush and paint the halo with the gold luster dust. Let set for 5 minutes.