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Dear Yankee Girl: How Do You Make Those Elaborate Flower Cookies?

I have been asked how I make some of my more elaborate cookie sets. You know, those sets with all the flowers? Wait. You’re right. Pretty much ALL of my cookie sets have flowers . . . but you guys don't mind, right?

Flower Jewelry 2

 

So, a set like this. How would I go about making these? As you might know, I don’t ever make the same set of cookies twice, so I bring you my newest tutorial, "Wallpaper Cookies: A Labor of Love". Not the same cookies, but the same techniques are used in both sets.

Wallpaper flower intro


Now. A disclaimer. I don’t know that these are as elaborate as some of the flower sets that I’ve done in the past. I started the cookies with the intention of them being VERY intricate. But they just didn’t work out that way. You’ve been there, right? Sometimes cookies don’t end up looking the way that we planned. I think that to make them more detailed might have ruined them . . . made them too busy. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Kari downgraded her tutorial from advanced to intermediate after reflecting on all of the above. But I just upgraded it! I think the level of control/precision needed for these cookies certainly qualifies them for advanced status!]

My inspiration for this set of cookies is wallpaper art by Cole and Son, Ltd.
So now you know why these are lovingly know as the "wallpaper cookies".

Let’s get started.

What you’ll need to make these:

  • Baked and cooled cookies
  • Food writer
  • Space heater
  • Kopykake, or other projection device
  • Print-out of the image for the flower design
  • Royal icing of flooding consistency, in brown and ivory
  • Toothpick or boo-boo stick
  • Royal icing of detail consistency, in red, yellow, green, and dark gray
  • Gold luster and clear vanilla (or vodka) for dilution
  • Small, fine-tipped paint brush


I started with this fabulous new cookie shape from The Cookie Architect’s cookie cutter selection at Truly Mad Plastics. I trimmed off the sides prior to baking to give it the shape that you see here. But you could also just buy the one without the side details as well!

Wallpaper cookies - Step 1
I printed out an image of the wallpaper. I wanted to reproduce that center shape, but didn’t think that I could freehand it. So, I cut it out and used a food writer to trace the shape onto the cookie. This made flooding the cookie MUCH easier.

Wallpaper Cookies - step 2
Then I flooded the cookie. I started with the outside of the cookie first. I flooded it with the brown royal icing and allowed it to sit in front of the space heater for about an hour. Then I was able to flood the center with the ivory. And there was no bleeding! Lastly, I allowed the cookie to dry 8 to 12 hours after flooding.


*A bit about the space heater: I keep it on about 75 degrees F and about a foot away from my cookies. Too hot/too close and your icing will crack.

Wallpaper Cookies - Step3
After the cookies are dry, you are ready for the details! The fun part! You’re going to need your space heater again, as well as a Kopykake (or other projection device). Remember that printed image of the wallpaper? We’re going to use it again.

I placed the image in my Kopykake, so that I could determine where the petals should be placed. Using detail consistency royal icing, in the colors of red and yellow, I added the flower petals one at a time. Add a few flower petals and then allow the cookie to sit in front of the space heater. Then go back and add more petals. If you try to do all of the flower petals at once, they might bleed together, and/or you may get craters. Just by giving them a couple of minutes in front of the heater, all of those problems can be prevented.

Wallpaper cookies Step 4
After your flower petals are dry, go ahead and add the greenery. I added the leaf petals one at a time – again using stiff royal icing and the space heater to prevent craters, and the petals from bleeding together. After the leaf petals were set, I added the stems. Another point about the greenery: I used a Wilton 1S tip to add this detail. It’s my favorite small tip, as it isn’t so small that it clogs, but it's small enough for details.

Wallpaper Flowers Step5
Flower details: Using a Wilton 1S tip and stiff yellow royal icing, I made a series of small dots to form the center of the flower. Make sure that you give the icing time to set in between or the dots will bleed together. Then I used a toothpick to add the details to the flower and leaf petals. I usually just squirt a pile of royal icing onto a plate, dab the toothpick into the royal icing and then "paint" it on. Laborious, yet effective. At this point, I also added the dark gray outline. I later decided that the cookie design needed a second color outlining the center shape. You can add that now as well if you’d like!

Wallpaper flower step 6
After all of your icing is dry, it’s time to add the glitter, the glam, the luster dust! Mix together a bit of gold luster dust with clear vanilla/vodka. Remember, if your icing is breaking down when you are painting it on, your mixture is too diluted. If it’s clumpy, add another drop of clear vanilla. Use a fine-tipped paint brush and "paint" the yellow details on the flower and leaf petals. It should dry relatively quickly.

Wallpaper flowers step
And there you have it! Now if you didn’t mess up your accent cookies (like I did! Oops!), these would make a beautiful cookie arrangement! For me, they'll make a nice thank you gift! [EDITOR'S NOTE: Where's the mess-up? I don't see it!]

Wallpaper flowers set

 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if there is a technique that you’d like to see a tutorial about!

 

All cookies and photos by Yankee Girl Yummies.

 

 

Kari ArroyoKari Arroyo started decorating cookies in 2011 after deciding to take a break from nursing, and learned the ways of royal icing by reading tutorials and LOTS of trial and error. When she’s not decorating cookies, you can find her chasing after two busy boys! Check her out on Facebook or her site, and email her your cookie questions at yankeegirlyummies@gmail.com.

 

Photo credit: Kari Arroyo

 



Note: Dear Yankee Girl is a regular Cookie Connection blog feature, written by Kari Arroyo, which allows you to get all your critical cookie technique questions answered, Dear Abby-style! Its content expresses the views of the author and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To catch up on all of Kari's past posts, click here.

 

Attachments

Images (10)
  • Flower Cookies - Inspired by Jewelry: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Tutorial Overview: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Baked and Cooled: Cookie and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Shape Traced on Cookie: Cookie and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Flooded: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Flower Petals in Place: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Petal Details Added: Cookie and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Greenery Details: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - Luster Dust Accents: Cookie and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies
  • Wallpaper Cookies - The Final Set!: Cookies and Photo by Yankee Girl Yummies

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Comments (12)

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These are beautiful! I think it's fair to upgrade them as advanced. It's not easy to make those small petals and leaves so perfectly puffy and smooth! I always struggle with getting the right RI consistency for small area.

Originally Posted by mintlemonade:

These are beautiful! I think it's fair to upgrade them as advanced. It's not easy to make those small petals and leaves so perfectly puffy and smooth! I always struggle with getting the right RI consistency for small area.

I agree, gorgeous and definitely some advanced techniques and tiny details here! Alway love watching the process Kari, thank you!

Spent the day learning this in Hungary. The consistency of the icing is utmost and the icing needs to be fresh. I like that you stop and dry your icing not to have craters. Something we did not do.

I would also say this is not as easy as people think and it is an advanced level technique. At least someone needs advanced levels of patience..... <3 Beautiful tutorial. Thanks so much!

Kari, these are soooo beautiful, and you make the process look very do-able!!  I also am inspired to troll the interwebs for ideas.  I love all the places you get yours from -- wallpaper, fabric, etc.  There's no end to great inspiration out there!

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