Today's #tipTuesday is coming to you on Monday, because tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I want to focus on my family...not my blog. #tipTuesday is about sugar cookie tricks. This post is not meant to be recipes, rather some tricks, or should I say tips, that I have learned about making and decorating cookies. I realize Hanukkah started yesterday and Christmas is in two days, so you might have to tuck the tricks away for another holiday such as Valentine's Day or Easter.
Tricks
1. Rolling out dough - To have consistent thickness in your cookies, you can buy a special rolling pin that has edges to roll to certain thicknesses. However, this is not necessary. Instead, get two paint stirrers, boil them in hot water for 5 minutes, and allow them to dry. (I do this a few days in advance.) Then place the paint stirrers on the left and right side of your dough. Roll out the dough with the rolling pin going over the paint stirrers. Then when it rolls flat, you will have a consistent thickness for your cookies. Helps with even baking!
Using paint stirrers on either side of the dough
Look at that perfect thickness
You will get even baking
2. For royal icing, after you have made it to what you think is the right consistency, do the knife test. This means you run a knife down the middle of the bowl and count to 10. If the icing goes back together to be smooth in about 10 seconds, you have the right consistency. If it goes back too quickly, then the icing is too runny. If it takes too long to go back or doesn't go back at all, then your icing is too thick.
Run your knife down the middle and count to 10.
If the icing falls back into place in approximately 10 seconds, you are ready to add it to a piping bag to decorate!
3. Use a dehydrator - When decorating cookies with royal icing, use a dehydrator to quickly harden the icing. This helps to keep your icing colors from running together.
This is my favorite tip! Love using the dehydrator! {THIS LINK} will take you to the exact one I have, although you can pick your own style. (We also use it to dry fruit.)
Look at how shiny the icing is getting...and it dries quickly.
You can see the Santa's on the left were drying in steps so that I could keep adding details to them without the colors running into one another.