Dinner cookies
Dinner cookies? Alas. These are not savory cookies meant for dinner. It’s dinner ON cookies. Specifically, I used food coloring pens to draw dinner on cookies topped with royal icing. Some of my favorite foods are on these cookies. And these are special cookies. Not special because they are unusual to find on this blog. Quite the opposite. Special because they are exactly what is found on this blog. And they are for a contest. I entered the Foodbuzz Project Food Blog!
Nearly 2,000 food bloggers vie in a reality show-esque competition to advance to the next level. The final prize is $10,000. Wow. Imagine all the cookie cutters I could buy with that kinda dough. The first challenge? Create a blog post that defines me as a food blogger, that shows what makes me unique and that justifies my advancement. So I thought and thought about what that would be. And I made a list. My blog, food, cookies, drawing, tutorials, lollipop sticks. [UPDATE: The contest is long over, and I’m afraid I didn’t win the final prize.]
Of course. My how to draw on food collection epitomizes all of the above. Want even more epitomizing? How to draw food on food. And as a bonus? Lollipop sticks. So here are some dinner cookie pops.
And of course another kind of cocktail.
I always have a salad before dinner.
My favorite food, mac n’ cheese.
A little broccoli goes well with mac n’ cheese.
How about some fresh strawberries for dessert?
how to decorate dinner cookies
cut out cookie dough AND royal icing
cookie cutters
lollipop sticks
disposable frosting bags
coupler
decorating tip, size “4”
rubberbands
white frosting color
toothpick
food coloring pens
*Use your preferred size cookie cutter. I used a 2 1/2 inch circle and square. Find cookie cutters, lollipop sticks, frosting bags, couplers, and tips at the craft store. For food coloring, I use Americolor soft gel pastes, Bright White. For food coloring pens, I suggest Americolor Gourmet Writers, fine-line FooDoodlers and/or KopyKake sets. For tips on finding cookie decorating supplies, click here.
the cookies
Roll out chilled cookie dough, according to the recipe, thick enough to accommodate lollipop sticks, about 1/4 inch. Cut out shapes and securely insert lollipop sticks halfway into cookie. Bake and let cool completely.
Prepare frosting according to the recipe, and tint about 1 1/2 cups white. Prepare a frosting bag with a coupler and size “4” decorating tip. Fill with about half of your white frosting and tie bag closed tightly with a rubberband. Cover reserved frosting.
Pipe an outline on your shape and let set 15 minutes. Thin reserved white frosting with a few drops of water at a time until the consistency of thick glue. Fill an empty frosting bag, tie closed with a rubberband, and snip 1/8 inch from the tip. Loosely pipe the thinned frosting on the cookie, letting the frosting run to the edges, encouraging as needed with a toothpick. IMPORTANT: Let cookies set overnight to stiffen. Draw your designs (see below for step-by-steps).
the drawings
how to draw shrimp:
1. draw a line with black
2. draw two curved lines
3. draw a trapezoid tail
4. draw curved lines in the shrimp and straight lines in the tail
5. fill the tail with orange and add orange highlight lines
6. add some light pink in front of the orange lines
how to draw a martini:
1. draw an oval with black
2. draw two lines that come to a point beneath the oval
3. draw another oval in the glass
4. draw two lines and a triangle for the stem and base
5. draw a red dot
6. draw a green circle around the red dot
how to draw salad:
You can’t layer food coloring pens or the color beneath will show (except black, which can be layered on top), so for the salad, draw all of the toppings first.
1. draw your salad toppings: orange lines for carrots, red semicircles for tomatoes, purple curved lines for red onion, and black circles with yellow circles for eggs
2. fill in around the toppings with two shades of green
3. add black outlines
4. add a plate
how to draw mac n’ cheese:
Unlike the salad, here we’re going to layer colors purposely.
1. draw some orange blobs
2. immediately draw a blob of yellow on top so the colors blend, extending the yellow blob bigger than the orange underneath
3. dab the yellow marker tip clean and fill in a rectangle shape of yellow around the blended areas
4. draw the ramekin dish with black and add curved lines for highlights on top of the yellow and orange
how to draw broccoli:
1. draw a short, thick, vertical line with light green and a blob on top
2. make the blob on top bigger with a darker shade of green
3. add a black outline
how to draw a strawberry:
1. draw and fill the top with green (a stem and three spikes)
2. draw and fill the strawberry shape with red
3. add a black outline and lines
bridget {bake at 350} says
Yay, you!!! This is awesome, as usual! You know, I signed up to participate, but am going to chicken out! I'm going to have so much fun watching…and voting! Good luck!
Meghan @ Domestic Sugar says
I'll vote! I truly enjoy the art you create, both edible and bloggable!
I run for cake! says
Amazing cookies! Good luck in the competition!
Sue says
Your drawing on food is very unique! Food on food on sticks…cute! Great tutorials too! Good Luck Meaghan!
♥peachkins♥ says
these are so cute,i wanna pinch them!
Imagination Cakes says
Wo! wow! wow! Way to go! You have my vote. At the moment I have some down time from my little cake business so I plan on trying my own cookies. Wish me luck!
www.sweetcreationsbystephanie.com says
Voting for you now! Which food writers are your favorite? I want to order some this week but am not sure what to get
Chic Cookies says
You guys are too awesome. Bridget, guess that's good news for me, because you'd have been such amazing competition 🙂 ! Stephanie, I have lots of opinions on markers. Love my Americolor. I'd say my faves. Most marker-like and ease of coverage. BUT, the FooDoodler fine tip are much thinner for detail work, so depends on what you want to draw with them. The KopyKake have both (fine tip one end, big tip other end), but I find they tend to run dry. One note, though, if you need two shades of green, you'll need the KopyKakes. The others come only with a bright green, KopyKake is the only one with a lime color.
www.sweetcreationsbystephanie.com says
Realized we can't vote yet.. you better tell us when we CAN vote!!Thanks for answering my question. I'll start ordering all of them.I love the Americolor Gel Food Dye.
Rachel@oneprettything.com says
You'll have my vote! I learn so much from your blog. And I'll be linking as well.
SweetThingsTO says
Love it! Great post!
Paula says
Your artistic decorating talents never cease to amaze me. Good luck with the challenge.
Amanda says
I would be honored to vote for you… but how do I do that? I clicked on the circle but it was just a picture… is there a link???Blessings!Amanda
Chic Cookies says
Voting starts on the 20th! But don't worry. I won't expect you all to put me in your calendars :), I'll post links when voting starts.
Winnie says
Totally and completely adorable post as your PFB entry. I love it!
Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes] says
Congratulations on entering! That's a wonderful post. I actually had signed up to participate, but gave up once I saw the challenge.P.S – What program did you use to make those drawings?
Chic Cookies says
Avanika, I used the free paint software that came with my computer. Nothing fancy. I have zero graphic arts knowledge (and pretty shake computer knowledge, too)
Baking Barrister says
freaking awesome! if i could eat all my vegetables this way i would. you've got my vote 😉
jacobskitchen says
Great post! The cookies are ADORABLE! You certainly have my vote!Good luck!You can check out my PFB post at : https://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/503
Lindsay says
So so adorable! I just gave you a vote! You can check out my entry here: https://tinyurl.com/2ec2hlq Thanks and Good Luck!