How to Decorate an Apple Sugar Cookie with Royal Icing

Super Red Food Coloring

Leaf Green Food Coloring

Mocha Brown Food Coloring

Bright White Food Coloring

Spatulas & pint glasses to fill your piping bags

Scissors

Step 1: Bake and cool cookies before decorating. Make sure cookies are fully cooled. If they are warm, the icing will run off of them. Make royal icing. Learn how to mix different consistencies of royal icing here>>



Prepare the following icing colors:

Piping Consistency:
Green
Red
Brown


Flood Consistency:
Red
Brown


Step 2: Using piping consistency red icing, outline the apple. Do not outline the stem or leaf at the top of the apple with red icing.



Step 3: Once you have the red part of the apple outlined, use brown piping consistency icing to outline the stem of the apple. Once outlined, use brown flood consistency icing to fill in the stem. Wait 15-20 minutes for the icing to start crusting over, it is best for it to be mostly dry before moving on to the next step.



Step 4: Using piping consistency red icing, pipe some squiggles in the main part of the apple. This will help to give your flood some structure, so that the icing doesn't collapse as it cools.



Step 5: Fill in the main part of the apple with red flood consistency icing. Use a scribe tool or toothpick to move the icing around to ensure full coverage.



Step 6: While the red flood consistency icing is still wet, pipe a small dot of white in the upper right hand of the apple. Use a scribe tool or toothpick to gently drag the dot downward. This will create a little shine spot on your apple shape. Wait for the flood icing to dry 30-60 minutes before the next step.



Step 7: With your green piping consistency icing and a tipless piping bag, you can pipe the leaf of your apple. Pipe first the top half of the leaf followed by the bottom half of the leaf to create a seam. Move the piping back in a zig-zag pattern as you pipe to get good texture.





And you're done! These simple apple sugar cookies decorated with royal icing are a wonderful back to school teacher's gift.



Cookies decorated by Julia Perugini of @juliascookiesaz





WATCH: How to Decorate an Apple Cookie