Baking and decorating cookies is a tradition that I started with my girls when they were little, and it’s a tradition I continue today, even though my daughters are adults.
In preparation for the holiday baking season, I reached out to Sweet LaLa’s Bakery for some decorating tips. This East Memphis bakery sells some of my favorite cookies.
Sweet LaLa’s Bakery head decorator Amanda Smithson offered the following tips to decorating cookies like a pro:
Tip #1: When preparing your icing, make two batches. First, make a bag with a thicker consistency icing to use for final decoration and a second bag with a thinner consistency to use to flood the base layer. You can use powdered sugar to thicken your icing.
Tip #2: Use a coupler to allow for easy changing of decorating tips without having to empty the icing bag.
Tip #3: Apply a base layer of icing to the flattest side of your cookies. At Sweet LaLa’s, they turn the cookies over and decorate on the bottom side that baked against the tray.
Tip #4: Take your cookies to the next level by adding dimension with petal dust or edible glitter. With red petal dust, you can add rosy cheeks to your Santa cookies or use a dark green to add shading to your Christmas trees. Edible glitter can be added to a snowflake or snowman to give the idea of sparkling snow.
Tip #5: Be creative and have fun! As decorators, our inner perfectionist can get in the way said Amanda. Don’t let the small mistakes keep you from having a good time! It all gets eaten anyway!
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
Sweet LaLa’s Bakery is located at 6150 Poplar Avenue in Memphis, TN. For the menu and hours, visit www.sweetlalas.com.
