Like the vintage ornaments you were never allowed to touch as a kid, these marvelously marbled cookies are extraordinarily ornate and brilliantly colored. They make a fun experience for the whole family or a thoughtful homemade gift!
Ornament Cookies
Ingredients
- Royal Icing (recipe here)
- Water, as needed
- Wilton Gel Food Coloring in Kelly Green, Juniper Green, Christmas Red, Golden Yellow, and Black
- 3 to 6 pastry bags
- 3 piping bottles (optional)
- 3 Wilton No. 1 piping tips
- 3 Wilton No. 3 piping tips
- 36 (3½-inch) ornament-shaped Christmas Sugar Cookies (recipe here)
- Wooden picks
Instructions
- Divide Royal Icing among 3 bowls: 3 cups (540 grams) in the first, 1½ cups (270 grams) in the second, and 1½ cups (270 grams) in the third. Cover bowls with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel to keep icing from drying out.
- To the first bowl (3 cups [540 grams]), add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until border consistency is reached. Place 1 cup (180 grams) in a pastry bag fitted with a very small round piping tip (Wilton No. 1). To the remaining 2 cups (360 grams), add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until flood consistency is reached. Place in a pastry bag or a small piping bottle (if using) fitted with small round piping tip (Wilton No. 3).
- To the second bowl (1½ cups [270 grams]), slowly add Kelly green food coloring until a bright green is reached; slowly add juniper green until the desired color is reached. Add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until border consistency is reached. Place ½ cup (90 grams) in a separate bowl, cover airtight, and set aside. To the remaining 1 cup (180 grams), add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until flood consistency is reached. Place in a pastry bag or a small piping bottle (if using) with small round piping tip (Wilton No. 3).
- To the third bowl (1½ cups [270 grams]), add Christmas red food coloring until desired color is reached; add golden yellow and a touch of black to keep it from going pink. Add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until border consistency is reached. Place ½ cup (90 grams) in a separate bowl, cover airtight, and set aside. To the remaining 1 cup (180 grams), add water, 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, until flood consistency is reached. Place in a pastry bag or a small piping bottle fitted with small round piping tip (Wilton No. 3).
- Using white border icing, pipe an outline along edges of a cookie. Using the white flood icing, fill in the top quarter of the round part of the ornament cookie; pipe a line each of red flood icing, green flood icing, white flood icing, green flood icing, and red flood icing. Fill in the remaining area with white flood icing. Using a wooden pick, remove any air bubbles and make sure there are no gaps in the icing. Using a clean wooden pick, drag down through the centr of the colored band of icing, wipe pick clean, and repeat 2 more times, to the left and right of the center, spacing evenly and wiping pick clean after each drag. Then drag up 2 times, between the down drags, wiping pick clean after each drag. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let dry for 2 to 3 hours.
- Uncover the red and green border icings, and place each in a pastry bag fitted with a very small round piping tip (Wilton No. 1). Above the marble design, pipe a red line and then a green line. Below design, pipe a green line and then a red line. Pipe 2 more red lines, between each level down the point of the ornament shape on the lower part of the cookie. Pipe a horizontal row of green dots between bottom red lines (4 dots and then 3 dots); pipe a vertical row of 2 green dots on the bottom tip of the ornament. Let dry until hardened, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Decoration Details
- Using the white flood icing, fill in the top quarter of the round part of the ornament cookie; pipe a line each of red flood icing, green flood icing, white flood icing, green flood icing, and red flood icing. Keep a steady hand as you pipe your alternating flood icings, as any wiggling will lead to uneven icing bleed. Try to keep the lines an even thickness as well, as one heavier line can overwhelm a thinner line. You don’t need to touch the border icing as you pipe; if it doesn’t naturally settle into the edges, you can use a wooden pick to gently nudge it to the edge.
- Using a clean wooden pick, drag a line down through the center of the colored band of icing. Wipe pick clean, and repeat 2 more times, to the left and right of the center, spacing evenly and wiping pick clean after each drag (any residual icing left on the pick will muddy the colors). Then drag up 2 times, between the down drags, wiping pick clean after each drag. Let dry for 2 to 3 hours.
- Above the marble design, pipe a red line and then a green line. Below design, pipe a green line and then a red line. Pipe 2 more red lines, between each level down the point of the ornament shape on the lower part of the cookie. Pipe a horizontal row of green dots between bottom red lines (4 dots and then 3 dots); pipe a vertical row of 2 green dots on the bottom tip of the ornament. Let dry until hardened, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
