This month, I have a quick and easy 3-D basket cookie suitable for many occasions, including Easter, May Day, Mother's Day, weddings, and more! The basket is contoured and decorated with a ribbon border. I love creating 3-D cookies, and being the host of Cookie Connection's challenges has surely broadened my skills and inspiration. BTW, if you would like to hone your skills, especially related to contoured cookies and piped borders, check out the challenge videos for Challenge #51 with @Julia M. Usher and Challenge #56 with @mintlemonade (cookie crumbs), aka Noriko Forster.
- Cookie dough of your choice (rolled 1/8 in/3.0 mm thick)
- 4 nested oval cookie cutters (I used the XL, L, M, and S sizes in this six-piece set.)
- 1 perforated baking mat
- 1 (2 1/2-in/6.4-cm) stainless steel cake ring or round cookie cutter
- Perforated baguette pan (optional; for propping in Step 1)
- Aluminum foil or other ovenproof props (in lieu of baguette pan)
- Royal icing:
- White piping-consistency* (to spread over cookies and for gluing pedestal cookies together in Steps 2a to 2k)
- White piping-consistency, in pastry bag with Wilton #47 basketweave tip (to pipe ribbon borders in Steps 2l to 2v)
- White thick-consistency aka "glue" (to assemble basket)
- Small flat rubber spatula and metal offset spatula
- Scribe tool
- Small round paint brush
*Note: By "piping-consistency", I mean icing that is thin enough to easily spread, yet thick enough not to drip off the cookies. It should also hold a defined shape when piped into ribbon borders in Steps 2l to 2v.
Step 1: Cut and bake cookies
a. For this project, you'll need a total of four (4) cookies. One will be contoured, and the rest will be baked flat. I used the four (4) oval cutters noted above from this six-piece set. Here's a recap of the cookie sizes for this project and their baking methods:
- 1 (4 7/8 x 3 1/8-in/12.5 x 8.0-cm) large oval cookie, cut with the XL cutter, that will serve as the actual basket. This piece will be contoured.
- 1 (4 x 2 3/4-in/10.0 x 7.0-cm) oval ring for the basket handle. I used the L and M cutters to make this franken-cookie (modified cookie shape). This cookie will be baked flat.
- 2 (2 5/8 x 1 5/8-in/6.7 x 4.2-cm) small oval cookies, cut with the S cutter, that will be glued together to form the basket pedestal. These cookies will be baked flat.
a. Roll your favorite cookie dough to a 1/8-inch (3.0-millimeter) thickness, and cut out all of the cookies listed above.
b. To contour the large oval cookie, I used the same method/tools that I used in my previous tutorials (here, here, here, and here). In short, roll up a perforated baking mat, secure it with a 2 1/2-inch (6.4-centimeter) stainless steel ring (a cookie cutter of the same size will work too), and place the mat inside a baguette pan to keep it from rolling in the oven. The cookie will bake very evenly, as hot air goes through the rolled perforated mat. It also won't slide, as the perforated mat provides some grip. If you don't have a baguette pan, simply prop the rolled mat with aluminum foil or other ovenproof objects. The baguette pan makes propping easier though.
Set the oval ring and the two small oval cookies on a perforated mat (optional), and bake all four cookies per your recipe's instructions.
c. And here’s a visual recap of the project's cookies, cut, then baked, and then cooled and ready to be decorated.
As I always do after my cookies are completely cool, I assembled them prior to decorating, just to test the final display on my plate. I really love the bare look! You can also make colored cookies just by tinting regular sugar cookie dough. (If you like this idea and want to skip the process of icing the cookies, then jump to Step 3 for assembly instructions! Just remember to match the color of your icing "glue" to the color of your cookie dough so the "glue" is less likely to show!)
Step 2: Cover cookies with royal icing
a. As much as I love the "naked" cookie look, I decided to cover all of the cookies with white piping-consistency royal icing using a spreading technique. Before you start, gather all of your cookies, the icing, a flat rubber spatula, and a metal offset spatula. Note: I primarily used the flat rubber spatula to stir the icing and as a "spoon" to place icing on the cookies; the metal offset spatula is a better spreading tool due to its rigidity.
b. Place some icing on top of one of the two small oval cookies.
c. Set the other small oval cookie on top of the icing, and gently press the cookies together. The pedestal is now assembled - it was that easy! Set it aside, and let the icing "glue" dry before covering the pedestal further in Step 2g.
d. Hold the contoured oval cookie (convex side up) with one hand, and place some icing lengthwise down its center line.
e. Using the metal offset spatula, spread a "veil" of royal icing from the center of the cookie toward one of the edges. By "veil", I mean a thin coating of icing, just enough to conceal the dough color (sort of like a skim coat on a cake).
f. Rotate the cookie, and repeat Step 2e on the other side. This part of the cookie will be the underside of the basket and therefore barely visible in the final construction, so don’t worry if the icing isn't completely smooth. Place the cookie, icing side up, over a small prop to let the icing dry.
g. Now back to the pedestal! Use the offset spatula to spread a veil of icing all around its sides, like you would do with a cake. Let the icing dry.
h. Cover the oval ring, aka the basket handle, by spreading royal icing on one surface and on its side (or edge). Once the icing is dry, turn the handle over, and cover the back side (not pictured). Again, let the icing dry before decorating the handle further in Step 2q.
i. Once the icing on the pedestal sides is dry, lift up the pedestal, and spread icing on its top. Again, let the icing dry completely.
j. Once the icing on the underside of the basket is dry, it's time to cover its inside (the concave side). Using the offset spatula, spread icing in the interior, from edge to edge, as smoothly as possible.
k. And now spread icing to cover the edge itself. Again, it's not crucial for the icing to be perfectly smooth, as a border will be piped on the edge in Steps 2l and 2m.
Once again, let the icing dry completely. Feel free to use a dehydrator or fan to expedite the drying process.
In the meantime, fill a pastry bag, fitted with a Wilton #47 basketweave tip, with more white piping-consistency royal icing. This tip has one flat edge and one serrated edge. In the next few steps, we'll be piping ribbon borders on various parts of the cookies. To keep these borders smooth on top, be sure to orient the tip when piping so that the serrated edge is on the bottom, facing the cookie. Of course, if you want a serrated ribbon, you can orient the tip the other way - your call.
l. Let's start with the ribbon border along the edge of the contoured basket cookie. Rather than piping the border in one direction, pipe the border in quadrants so the border appears symmetrical from all angles. As you can see in the picture below, I have piped three of the quadrants. The arrows show the starting points for piping and the piping direction in each quadrant.
m. and n. Now let’s pipe the border in the last quadrant. Apply a small amount of pressure at the start of the ribbon to create a flat "bead" or pleat, and then the move the tip along the edge about 3/8 inch (1 centimeter) while gradually releasing pressure. Press again to cover some of the ribbon just piped to create another pleat, and repeat the process of moving the tip along the edge while releasing pressure. Continue piping in this fashion until you've completed the border in this quadrant. Let the icing dry completely.
o. and p. Pipe a ribbon border around the side of the pedestal cookie. The piping motion is just as described in the last step, except pipe the border continuously in one direction this time, ending at the same point where you started.
q. And now for the handle! Pipe a series of short ribbons around the oval ring. Start in the middle of the inside edge, and pipe crosswise just over the outer edge to cover the top flat surface.
r. Once the top of the handle is all covered, let the icing dry completely.
s. Flip over the handle cookie, and repeat Step 2q on the other face. Once again, let the icing dry completely.
t. Center the handle cookie crosswise in the basket cookie, and mark the points where the handle emerges from the basket. Use a scribe tool to score the cookie at these points on both sides of the basket.
u. Now we're ready to pipe a ribbon border along the exposed edge of the handle. Start at the apex of the oval ring, and move down one side until you reach one of the marks you just scored.
v. Repeat Step 2u on the remaining half of the handle edge.
Here’s a visual recap of the cookies, fully piped with borders and drying before final assembly.
Step 3: Assemble cookies into 3-D basket
a. Using white thick-consistency royal icing (aka "glue") in a parchment paper cone (or tip-less piping bag), pipe a straight line lengthwise along the top center of the pedestal cookie. The line should be no more than 1/4 inch (about 6 millimeters) wide.
b. Immediately place the basket cookie on top of the icing, convex side down. Look at the cookie from all angles to ensure that the basket is indeed centered on the pedestal and that . . .
c. . . . the basket is not leaning to the left or the right.
d. Using white thick-consistency royal icing once again, pipe another straight line (of the same width) crosswise through the top center of the basket cookie. This icing will serve as "glue", of course, and also close any gap between the bottom of the handle and the inside top of the basket.
e. Place the handle cookie upright in the icing, again making sure it is centered in the basket cookie and perpendicular to it (that is, not leaning to the left or the right).
f. Use a damp round paint brush to smooth the icing along the seam on both sides of the handle.
g. Let the basket dry completely for a few hours without touching it. Use props, as needed, to make sure the handle stays perpendicular to the basket. I used two mugs (that I will later fill with coffee to enjoy with this cookie 
)!
After that bit of drying, this 3-D basket cookie is done! Here are two views of it, both empty but at different angles:
As usual, the possibilities for decorating and presenting this cookie are endless. Instead of spreading royal icing on the basket cookie as I did, you could dip it in icing or cover it with fondant or edible lace . . . or even leave it bare . . . or use multiple icing colors rather than monochrome white . . . let creativity lead you! You can also quickly change up the look for various holidays or occasions simply by filling the same basket with different treats.
Here’s an example of this basket filled with cookie flowers, which is perfect for Mother’s Day or spring weddings and bridal showers:
And here is the same basket again, shown at various angles . . .
Being the woman of styling variations that I am , I leave you with two more display ideas, both suitable for Easter: one filled with stenciled egg cookies and another with store-bought chocolate eggs. See what I mean?! It's so easy to modify the look of this project for almost any event!
And that's all for this month! I hope you find a place for cookie baskets on your Easter table this weekend! Trust me, this project comes together super fast, so there's still time to make it!
Ciao, Manu
Manuela Pezzopane, affectionately called Manu by her friends and family, is the author of the blog feature Made by Manu, where each month she shares the method behind a magical cookie of her own making. In March 2022, Manu also assumed the role of host of our rebranded and reformatted Cookie Connection Challenges: Watch-Learn-Create Series, which debuted in a virtual video format in July 2022. A fan of everything handmade, Manu professes to have tried every possible hobby. However, it wasn’t until the end of 2014, when an American friend invited her to a Christmas cookie exchange, that she first discovered decorated cookies. In 2015, after watching Julia M. Usher's videos and signing up on Cookie Connection, Manu finally attempted her own designs. Since then, cookie decorating has become Manu’s passion, and her mesmerizing video shorts have earned her a large and loyal following throughout the global cookie community. Manu harks from Rome, Italy, where she currently resides. You can email Manu at manubiscottidecorati@gmail.com, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, or explore her past challenges and large library of Made by Manu tutorials here on Cookie Connection.
Photo credit: Manuela Pezzopane
Note: Made by Manu is a Cookie Connection blog feature written by Manuela Pezzopane, where each month she shares the method behind a magical cookie of her own making. This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read all of Manuela's past Made by Manu tutorials, click here. And to see all of Cookie Connection's tutorials, click here.
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