As with most decorating techniques, I started using stamps by accident. I was looking for ways to draw intricate patterns on cookies using food coloring. I was playing with brushes, stencils and sprays but my results weren’t cutting it. So I took a trip to Michael’s to get inspired when I saw $1 stamps in the bargain bins. I figured “why not?”, got a couple of shapes and rushed home. I gave it a shot and O…M…G, it worked! Yay! So many possibilities! Here are some fun ideas for Halloween:

To make these cookies, we first need to bake our cookie canvases. I used my basic sugar recipe.

For these cookies, I made white and orange icing. Here is a link to our Royal Icing 101. Give each cookie a nice coat and let them dry overnight. They might seem long but it takes a while for the icing to dry all the way through. Now here comes the tough part: explain to my roommates that, yes these are cookies, and no they cannot have any yet. They’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Once the royal icing has completely set, we can stamp our designs. We will use food coloring for our ink. I use food coloring pastes and gels. I find that they work perfectly with stamps. Liquid food coloring tends to “bleed” and messes up smaller details.

To apply the ink to your stamps, use a sponge brush and gently dab color onto the stamp itself. Don’t brush. Dab dab dab dab…

Now print your design.

 

And Voilà! Easy, right?

 

Happy Baking!!!