Decorating Cookies Takes a Certain Touch (Okay, Craziness)

To color, transfer stiff icing into smaller bowls and add gel or paste coloring to get vivid hues. Some red and black colors can leave a bitter taste, so use sparingly.

To cover a cookie in icing, most decorating books tell you to pipe a thin outline and then "flood" the surface with thinned icing. I prefer to paint the cookie -- literally. I carefully add drops of water to colored icing until it's the consistency of white glue. When you paint the icing over the surface of the cookie, it should spread nicely but not leave brush marks or run over the edges. Let the icing dry completely (a couple of hours or overnight) to create a smooth base coat.

Decide which cookies get which colors and create your Christmas assembly line. Think color-by-numbers, but better tasting.

DETAILS, DETAILS

Now, the fun part. Mix some stiff icing into the colored icing so it's thicker than glue but not as thick as frosting. I use clear, disposable icing bags. Snip off the top of a bag, add a coupler and tip, fill it halfway with the icing, twist and pipe a few lines in the sink. If the icing is too thick, the lines will break; too thin, and it will run amok. Just right is a smooth line. It takes years of practice, so don't feel bad if it's wobbly. The smaller the decorating tip, the finer the line. I mostly use sizes1 and 2.

Piping gives nice raised surfaces and details, but I use small artist's brushes to paint on eyes, a snowman's coal buttons and other touches. This is also an easier way to write names and numbers. I've been doing this for 25 years, and I still can't pipe a decent "Noel," but I can paint it.

To add sparkle, sprinkle colored sugar on the wet piped lines or any painted surface on the cookie. The sugar will stick to the wet parts, which allows for interesting patterns on ornament cookies. There's also edible glitter, which makes snowflake cookies twinkle like real snowflakes. To add gold or silver balls (dragees) or other candies, I pipe a tiny dot of icing then place the dragee on with tweezers. It's nuts, I know, but it gets them where I want them. You can also use luster dust, a dry powder that adds a beautiful sheen.

Last, but never least -- real gold. Gold powder is edible and transforms even a humble mess into a mini-masterpiece. Decide where gold should be placed on the cookie -- it's most effective when used sparingly -- and pipe or paint white icing there. Let it dry completely. Scoop a tiny bit of gold powder onto a small plate and add a few drops of vodka or clear extract, such as orange or lemon, and stir. The gold will become paint, and it can be brushed on the cookie.

After the cookies have dried completely, package them in clear cellophane bags, and they'll last until someone finally breaks down and eats them. No starving artists here.

Gingerbread Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies

or 20 large ones