Today, I will show you how to turn an inspirational piece into a decorated sugar cookie owl.
Professor Owl is the name I gave him because he looks like a professor and an owl (duh!).
Sometimes, inspiring strikes can take place in unlikely places
I wouldn’t call my sugar cookie design “inspired,” but it was actually inspired by an impulse buy of a $4 decorative pillow on clearance at CVS.
I dropped it and picked it back up. I put it down and then picked it back up. Eventually, I bought it and took it home. I was putting the item back, and I kept thinking about how cute it was. I also felt that he would be a great cookie designer for Thanksgiving.
Holiday Place Settings and Cookies
You may have read my blog and know that I like to go a bit “extra” with the table settings. If you have read my last few posts, you will see that I created place cards for Thanksgiving last year, as well as pumpkin-shaped napkins for the table.
The owl cookies I made today completed the table settings on my table from last year. Now you have everything!
I often include bagged cookies with the place settings for large holiday meals. The cookie is not eaten by anyone hungry, but the party favors are.
If I am pressed for time, sometimes the cookie will act as a place. See this picture from Easter 2016. All-in-one cookie and place card.
If you want me to create a tutorial for the bunny napkin folding in time for Spring, please let me know by leaving a comment.
Tipless Piping bags!
I consider my cookie decorating method to be time-saving despite the many steps. It’s funny to think that some of you might be laughing right now …., but that is how I see it.
For example, for most of my cookie decorating, I don’t even use tips. In order to make the bowtie on this owl, I used information only once.
You may have noticed that throughout the entire process, I didn’t include a tip. I change the size of my hole in the bag depending on the amount of detail I require.
15-Second Royal Icing
You’ve probably heard of the different icing consistencys if you have decorated cookies or watched cookie-decorating tutorials.
There are often references to “flood and piping consistency.” These terms have been used in my tutorials. Many designs do not require both. For those designs, I’ve split the difference.
Sketch Your Design On Your Cookie
I used a food color marker in a light color so that if I colored out of the lines, it would not be as noticeable.
I didn’t want to make a pillow that looked exactly like mine. I tried to incorporate the cutest features of my pillow into my owl-shaped cookie cutter.
Then, Dry the Sections Between.
I began with the body-colored parts and again used my tipless bag with 15-second icing.
I used a scribe to push the icing into place. This process is also very satisfying to me!
One of the best cookie decorating tricks is to let the shapes dry, then flood the bodies adjacent to them to create a natural break between the shapes and colors.
This is evident because I added the vest to the hat after the feathers dried. This will help to ensure that the colors do not bleed.
Since I make multiple cookies all at once, I don’t waste time. After I finish a section of all the cookies, I go back to the beginning and begin the next section.
Include Details Whenever Possible
The addition of some interesting details can make a cookie look even better.
When it came to Professor Owl, I wanted the dots around the eyes and the pocket on his vest.
Royal Icing Transfers
I used royal icing to make a bowtie. It may sound not very easy, but you’re basically just piping out your desired shape onto parchment paper beforehand.
It’s something I use a lot when I need to start on the details of cookies early. (Eyes are one example). It’s also a good idea if you don’t want the risk of messing up a cookie by piping it directly on.
Royal Icing Transfers allow you to put only the shapes on your cookies that you think look good.
For this bowtie, I used an open star tip but DID NOT use 15 SECOND icing. This icing had to be firm to hold its shape.
What if I had already thinned my icing? Add more powdered icing sugar to thicken the icing back up.
You can easily peel the dried buttons off your parchment, just like they used to do with those old candy buttons (do they still sell them?)
Then, add the finishing touch to your cookie!
Accidents happen.
I made a dozen of them at once, and that naturally meant moving items around the table. In and out of camera frames, in and in the way of things, etc.
I used the last of a bag to ice my owl cookies!
If you’re interested in seeing how to fix this guy, I recommend watching the video. We CAN fix it.
The cookies were all different, so a little texture added by a repair was fine. In truth, I made the cookie my own at my table setting…so no one would have known, but it wouldn’t have been obvious.
