Decorate Sugar Cookies Just Like the Pros
You can learn to beautifully decorate sugar cookies just like you see on social media and I can teach you how! Whether you like to learn from pictures and text or videos and words, I've got you covered! I have created photo Cookie Cards and a Video Tutorial so that you can choose your method of instruction.
*This tutorial is provided for those that have purchased my annually offered Royal Icing Fall Cookie Decorating Kit. If you are creating the cookies and icing on your own, I use medium flood royal icing to both outline and flood the cookies.
Autumn Apple Cookie Cutters
Cookie Cards: Sugar Cookie Decorating Guides
Use my Cookie Cards below as a guide to decorate your Autumn Apple sugar cookies. Step by step photos plus written instructions give you all the details that you need to create beautifully decorated sugar cookies of your own.
Decorate an Apple Pie Cookie with Royal Icing using the Wet on Wet Technique
- Pipe an outline around the apple, making a wavy line on the bottom for the crust and scallops on the top to leave room for the leaf and stem.
- Following the outline, flood the apple working towards the center.
- Give the cookie a gentle shake by moving it back and forth to even out the royal icing. If needed, use a toothpick or scribe tool to move the icing around on the cookie to fill in any gaps or holes.
- Pipe an outline around the pie plate making a wavy line on the top for the crust. Flood the pie plate.
- While the base layer of royal icing is still wet, pipe the polka dots. Let the polka dots sink into the base layer of royal icing. If needed, use a toothpick or scribe tool to poke each dot down.
- Let the royal icing dry for at least 20 minutes before you add top layers and adjacent sections. You can speed up the drying time of your royal icing by using a small table fan or dehydrator on the lowest setting.
- Pipe an outline around the leaf. Flood the leaf.
- Pipe an outline around the wavy crust between the apple and pie plate. Flood the crust. Let dry for 20 minutes.
- Pipe an outline around the stem. Flood the stem.
- Pipe a center vein on the leaf.
PRO TIP: To achieve a seamlessly smooth wet on wet design, flood the pie plate quickly and then add the design while the base layer of royal icing is still wet. This creates a flat design that looks like a background pattern rather than a raised top design on the cookie.
Decorate a Caramel Apple Cookie with Royal Icing
- Pipe an outline slightly inside the edge of the apple part of the cookie, creating the look of a sliced open apple.
- Following the outline, flood in the apple "flesh."
- Give the cookie a gentle shake by moving it back and forth to even out the royal icing. If needed, use a toothpick or scribe tool to move the icing around on the cookie to fill in any gaps or holes.
- Pipe an outline around the stick. Flood the stick.
- Let the royal icing dry for at least 20 minutes before you add top layers and adjacent sections. You can speed up the drying time of your royal icing by using a small table fan or dehydrator on the lowest setting.
- Pipe an outline around the "flesh" of the apple and the outside of the apple part of the cookie. Flood in between the two outlines. Let dry for 20 minutes.
- Pipe an outline around each leaf. Flood the leaves.
- Pipe a wavy line near the bottom of the apple and then continue outlining the bottom of the cookie to create the caramel sauce. Flood the caramel sauce.
- Add sprinkles to the caramel sauce.
- Pipe and fill tiny teardrops with their points towards the center for the seeds.
PRO TIP: Sprinkles will stick to any wet icing. Ensure that the apple icing is completely dry before adding sprinkles to the caramel sauce. Alternately, instead of sprinkles, you could pipe candy drizzle lines on the caramel sauce.
Decorate an Apple Tree Cookie with Royal Icing
- Pipe a skinny triangle 3/4 of the way up in the center of the cookie for the tree trunk.
- Pipe branches on either side of the trunk, using the shape of the cookie as a guide.
- Following the outlines, flood the trunk and branches.
- Give the cookie a gentle shake by moving it back and forth to even out the royal icing. If needed, use a toothpick or scribe tool to move the icing around on the cookie to fill in any gaps or holes.
- Let the royal icing dry for at least 20 minutes before you add top layers and adjacent sections. You can speed up the drying time of your royal icing by using a small table fan or dehydrator on the lowest setting.
- Pipe an outline around outside of the cookie and around the trunk and branches. Flood the icing in between the two outlines.
- Add sprinkles for the apples.
PRO TIP: There are multiple ways to add the apples to this cookie. Instead of using sprinkles, you could use red icing to add dots while to icing is still wet to achieve a wet on wet look, or add the red dots while the icing is dry to add dimension to the cookie.
Step by Step Sugar Cookie Decorating VIDEO Tutorial
Visual Learner? Let's Decorate Cookies Together!
Follow along to my step by step video tutorial. Learn how to decorate Autum Apple Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing including an Apple Pie, Caramel Apple and Apple Tree. I break down the decorating process into easy to follow steps and give you helpful tips along the way.
Helpful Cookie Decorating Tools:
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Want to Learn More?!
Looking for more inspiration? Check out my Buttercream Icing Autumn Apple Sugar Cookie Decorating Tutorial. Learn to decorate the same Autumn Apple cookies with buttercream icing in different designs that can also be translated to royal icing.
