Valentine's Frosted Sugar Cookies (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance can you make decorated sugar cookies? ›

Although I've tested them for longer and the batches I've tried seem fine for up to 4 weeks, my general rule of thumb is up to 2 weeks.

Follow this tip: Thin, flat-cut cookies, like sugar cookies and gingerbread, are the best candidates for decorating with icing. They're sturdy enough that they won't crumble as you work with them, and have large, flat areas that are ideal for a bit of decoration.

They are not mass produced. Custom cookies are expensive because they are highly labor intensive. There are many, many steps to creating them. The average set of cookies can take hours from start to finish.

Start by outlining the cookie with piping-consistency icing in any color you choose. Then, use flooding-consistency icing to fill the outlined area, starting by flooding around the edges and working your way towards the center. If the flooding is inconsistent in thickness, redistribute the wet icing with a toothpick.

Room Temperature:

Baked and decorated cookies can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. Make sure that your icing has hardened completely before stacking the cookies, and adding a layer of parchment paper between cookie layers is always a good idea for some additional protection.

*Use my royal icing recipe. Icing will completely set in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you're layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to speed it up. It's important to have the correct cookie decorating supplies on hand, too.

If adding sprinkles on top of the icing, add them right after applying icing on your cookie. Let icing dry/set: Feel free to enjoy cookies before icing completely dries. Icing dries in 24 hours. No need to cover the decorated cookies as you wait for the icing to set.

Short-term storage

Once the cookies are completely dried they can be stored in an airtight container (either just stacked on top of each other or for a safer storage in between layers of PARCHMENT–not wax).

I normally let mine sit for an hour or two before moving on to this step. Often when I'm decorating by the time I finish flooding my last cookies, my very first cookies have already been crusted over. Just remember that it's not completely dry yet, so don't touch the icing, it will break!

Basic Equations to Help Determine Your Cookie Pricing:

For example, if you want to charge $50/ dozen and the total cost of materials and ingredients is $10, and the cookies take 4 hours in total to create, you're labor cost will be $10/hour. $40 (Profit) / 4 hours (Labor) = $10/hour for your time.

What do professionals use to decorate cookies? ›

Homemade Cookies & Icing

Recipes I use are sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and/or chocolate sugar cookies. 6-8 cookies for each person to decorate is usually plenty and have extras in case any break, drop, etc.

My favorite way to decorate sugar cookies—especially for holidays and special occasions—is by using royal icing. The secret to getting precise lines, dots, and other details with royal icing is using a squeeze bottle.

Try different flavorings in the sugar cookie dough.

If you're making your own sugar cookie dough, try a different extract — like almond, peppermint, or citrus — instead of vanilla for a flavor change. You can even add finely grated fresh citrus zest for flecks of beautiful color and a nice pop of flavor.

On the counter in an airtight container, I'd say up to 3-4 weeks. Personally, I prefer to eat them within 1 week or freeze them. Frozen properly, they can easily lats 3-6 months (or more!). You can even freeze dough before it's baked (just makes sure it is VERY securely airtight!).

“Homemade sugar cookies should ideally be consumed within two to three days, but can last up to one week at room temperature if stored properly in an air-tight container in a dry, cool place,” Mok says.