So, You Want to Know How to Decorate Sugar Cookies...

I've had a lot of requests for cookie decorating lessons.  Many of you don't live in Lubbock.  So, I thought I'd share with you what I've learned over the past year.

My biggest "secret" is The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle!  This lady is a cookie artist!  She has lots of tutorial videos on her site.  I've watched MANY of them.  The Texas Country Reporter video below tells all about this amazing Seminole, TX girl!

Let's begin with the cookie itself.  Surprisingly, I've never used Sugarbelle's recipe.  Alan loves the recipe I've always used.  I've just tweaked it a bit so that the cookies keep their shape better while baking.  Here's the printable version of my recipe.  If you try her recipe before I do, let me know what you think!

I do use Sugarbelle's royal icing recipe!  The meringue powder give the icing more "body."  This icing is very easy to work with!  You will add more water as you begin to ice the cookies.  More about that in a minute.

2 Tricks I Learned the Hard Way About Making Icing:

1. Place 2 pieces of Press and Seal plastic wrap on either side of the beater of your Kitchenaid mixer.  Seal the plastic onto the bowl.  The plastic should meet in the middle creating a "lid" for the mixing bowl.  The beater will be able to move just fine.  The sealed bowl will keep you from disappearing in a cloud of powdered sugar once you turn on the mixer.  The Kitchenaid pouring shield?  Not so much.
2. Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy for when you need to add a bit of water to thin the icing.  This is life-changing, people!  Spritzing water from a spray bottle gives you so much more control over how much water you're adding at one time!  (I also use it to spritz any leftovers that I'm warming under foil in the oven.)

To learn about royal icing consistency, check out this Sugarbelle video.  This is where that spray bottle comes in very handy!

Now, go to youtube and search "Callye Alvarado."  She taught me everything I know.  It takes lots of practice, and somedays, my decorating flops.  I only take pictures of my absolute best cookies.  You should see my "out takes!"  Once you start decorating, I want to see pictures of your creations on Finding the Funny's facebook page!  We can ooh, ahhhh, and laugh together!! 

Thanks, Callye Alvarado, for bring me so far in the world of decorating cookies!!!