Cookies can be colorized and decorated by simply using them as a blank canvas. You can paint cookies all the way over the edge to give it a cool effect that it’s folding over the cookie. It makes it look like there’s no end to the design.
What kind of cookies can be painted
- macarons
- shortbread cookies
- sugar cookies
- cookies topped with royal icing
What supplies do you need to paint cookies
Food Safe Paint Brushes for Decorating Cookies
Paint brushes used for cookie decorating must be food safe.
Unfortunately you cannot use any paint brush you have at home for cookie decorating. It does need to be a food grade paint brush.
They look just like regular paint brushes, and they have a ton of different shapes that they come in.
You can find everything from a fan shape to a very tiny pointed food safe paint paint brush for decorating cookies.
Powdered food coloring for Decorating Cookies
To use powdered food coloring for decorating cookies, you’ll have to mix it with a little bit of almond extract.
The alcohol in the almond extract binds to the powdered food coloring creating the perfect medium for painting cookies.
Dip your paint brush into the food coloring and gently brush your designs onto your cookies.
See video here.
How to paint cookies that are topped with royal icing
If your cookies are baked and have the royal icing fully dried, you can take your food grade paint brush and paint on the icing. This makes it a little easier to get a few different colors onto your cookies without having to make a new color of icing.
You can brush the tops of tiny dots of dried royal icing to give them a little more pop of color. For example, it’s easy to make gold paint for cookies using powdered food coloring, but it’s not very easy to make gold icing. You would need a specialty store in order to get that in a water based food color, or gel color.
This is how gold macarons are made. They use gold powdered food coloring mixed with almond extract. Then the color is painted onto the macarons to make it shimmer gold.
If you’re interested in trying out painting designs on cookies, try it out at home with your own food safe paint brushes and powdered food coloring. You can experiment and combine colors to create new ones just like your water based food colors. Try it for yourself on your next baking adventure!
