Creating Paint Your Own Edible Cookie Paint Palettes

Creating Your Own Edible Cookie Paint Palette

Paint your own cookies have become a fun activity around the holidays. Making your own edible paints to decorate sugar cookies allows for creativity and personalization. Whipping up a few easy royal icing paint colors to create a cookie color palette is simple.

Getting Started with Cookie Decorating

To make painted cookies, you first need to make some basic royal icing. This type of frosting dries hard like cement to allow the cookies to be decorated while still being safe to eat. Using a pyo cookie palette allows you to have multiple color options when decorating.

You'll also need some blank sugar cookie canvases to paint on. Making cut-out spiced cookies from scratch or using pre-made dough both work. Just be sure your cookies are evenly baked with a flat surface on top to paint.

Whipping Up Edible Royal Icing Paint

The first step in creating your own edible paint palette for cookie decorating is preparing a batch of royal icing. There are both raw egg white royal icing recipes and pasteurized egg white versions. The pasteurized cartons of egg whites help reduce risks of salmonella.

Standard royal icing contains just three ingredients - egg whites or powdered egg whites, powdered sugar, and a touch of cream of tartar. The ingredients get combined and whipped on high speed for several minutes to reach stiff peaks. This allows the icing to hold color and shape when painted onto cookies.

Achieving Different Color Tints

Once your base royal icing is prepared, the fun begins - tinting batches to make your own paint palette! You can use liquid food coloring, gel pastes, or even powdered colors to get desired shades.

Start with toothpicks when adding color if using gels or liquids. This allows you to gradually custom mix colors. Things like a touch of brown added to orange makes a perfect pumpkin shade!

Be sure to tint icings in separate bowls, especially if aiming for darker colors. It can be difficult to lighten up batches after adding a lot of color. And scraping out bits of color from white icing can muddy the palette.

Planning Paintable Cookie Designs

After preparing your cookie paints, start planning out what designs you want to create! Come up with templates if aiming for seasonal motifs like turkeys and Christmas trees so each cookie turns out uniform.

Search for graph paper images online corresponding to cookie cutter shapes. This allows laying out pixel style grids to follow for geometric designs. Or freehand painterly motifs with the various colors in your edible palette.

Painting Techniques for Cookies

There are a few options when applying royal icing paint to blank sugar cookies. Outlining and flooding sections works well for solid color blocking. Using a piping bag makes this a breeze.

You can also simply paint icings on with a brush for more abstract or free-form designs. Use various sizes of paint brushes from craft stores for different details and effects.

Consider layering and blending paints too. Such as doing a blue sky background then adding green trees or rainbow colors! The options are endless when following creative inspiration.

Drying and Preserving Cookie Art Creations

Be sure to allow your exquisite cookie artwork to fully dry and harden before stacking or storing. This ensures the painted designs don't smear or transfer.

Gently placing cookies on cooling racks allows airflow all around to help harden the royal icing. Resist urge to peek or stack decorated cookies while the painted surfaces remain tacky.

Once cookie paintings are dry, you can carefully stack between sheets of parchment paper in covered containers. Adding mini pearl candy beads help prevent breakage too!

Displaying Painted Cookie Creations

Those that manage not to get eaten can become lovely edible art pieces. Consider framing your prettiest painted cookies in shadowboxes. Mini easel stands also help props up cookie artwork forideal displaying.

Use decorative plates or glass cloches for presenting painted cookies as centerpieces. Tiny Christmas tree cookie paintings would make darling holiday table accents!

Gifting Paint Your Own Cookie Kits

Along with making decorated cookie masterpieces to enjoy yourself, these also make fantastic gifts! Paint your own cookie activity kits are fun to assemble for crafty friends.

Simply package up batches of different tinted royal icing paints into squeezable bottles. Pair with blank sugar cookies in a bakery box. And include any decorative elements like sprinkles, edible glitters, and candies for adorning.

With your custom curated cookie painting supplies, creating unique edible art is a breeze. The palette possibilities are endless!

FAQs

How do you make edible paint for cookies?

Edible paint for cookie decorating is made from royal icing. Mix powdered egg whites, powdered sugar, water or lemon juice, and cream of tartar. Tint batches with liquid food coloring, then use to paint designs onto baked cookies.

Can you use acrylic paint on cookies?

No, avoid acrylic paint for decorating cookies. While pretty colors, acrylic paint contains toxic chemicals not meant for eating. Opt for FDA-approved food coloring gels or pastes to tint edible royal icings instead.

What can I use instead of paint for cookies?

Alternatives to painted cookie designs include: fondant shapes, royal icing piped detailing, chocolate, colored sugars and sprinkles. Get creative layering edible materials atop frosted cookies!

Is it hard to paint on cookies?

It can be tricky starting out, but gets much easier with practice! Be patient getting the cookie surface prepped and iced properly so the paints glide on smoothly without dragging. Use good brushes and thin consistencies of edible paint.

Can I sell painted cookies?

Yes, painted cookie artists can sell their edible artwork! Be sure to follow Cottage Food Operation guidelines for proper licensed home kitchen preparation when selling any homemade goods.