Top 9 Cookie Decorator Splurges…and Why You Need Them

Top 9 Cookie Decorator Splurges…and Why You Need Them. Okay, every cookie decorator in the world doesn’t need all of these items in this post, but these are a few of my favorite things when it comes to making my life a little (or a lot) easier when it comes to decorating cookies. Do you need to add something to your Christmas list? Let me show you why I love these wonderful tools.

The Bearfoot Baker, royal icing, sugar cookies, splurges

 

Each one of these products has a link (some of them are affiliate links) that’ll show you where you can get more information and or purchase them if you need to add it to your cookie tools.

Mesh Non-Stick Baking Mat

cookie decorator splurges, the bearfoot baker, sugar cookies, royal icingMesh Non-Stick Baking Mat 11.5 x 16.5″ from The Cookie Countess

Have you seen these baking mats? I’ll be honest, this was a new one to me until I saw it on The Cookie Countess’s website. I own several Silpats and I’ve used and loved them for years. They give my cookies a beautiful bake and that makes me very happy. So are you wondering why I’ve added the Mesh Non-Stick Baking Mats to my list? Are you wondering why it is #1 on my must-have cookie decorator splurges? I’ll be happy to tell you why.

BECAUSE THEY ARE WONDERFUL, BAKE YOUR COOKIES PERFECTLY, AND when they’re baked they’re ALMOST THE EXACT SIZE OF THE COOKIE CUTTER you used to cut out the shape! Boy, I’ve waiting to tell you that since I started taking pictures for this post. I didn’t expect to like these mats as much as I do because I really stand by my Silpats, but these mats help the cutout cookie dough maintain its shapes without spreading or making the size of the designs all wonky. No, the Silpats don’t mess up the shape of the cookie, but sometimes they do make the shape a little larger than the cutter. If you are like me and like to sketch your cookie designs before you bake your cookies you’ll understand how a cookie that spreads as it bakes will make transferring the design a little harder.

I only have one mat as of now, but I ordered four more Monday. I was going to order sooner but The Cookie Countess was sold out. Right now, they have a 4 Pack and they’re on sale! Here is the link to the 4 LIMITED BUNDLE 4 Mesh Non-Stick Baking Mats 11.5 x 16.5″. I ordered mine yesterday and they should be here soon. I’m super excited and can’t wait to bake my Christmas cookies.

The Cookie Countess Precision Rolling Pin – 1/4″

Introducing The New and Amazing Precision Rolling Pin | The Bearfoot BakerThe Cookie Countess Precision Rolling Pin – 1/4″

I have several rolling pins that I’ve gathered throughout the years and I like each of them. I had one I used all the time and I put spaces on the end to help me know that my dough was the perfect thickness for my cookies. It worked. If you have a rolling pin you love and you need to make sure your dough is rolled out evenly here is a link to the rolling pin spacers. As I said, they work well and they will help your cookies be the same thickness every time. I used them for years and was very pleased with the results.

Then, one day The Cookie Countess showed us her Precision Rolling Pin. Yes! No more spacers because this rolling pin has the spacers built-in on each end! Who invented this thing? It’s brilliant and it’ll help you make beautiful cookies. This is definitely a must-have in my cookie tools.

Heat Sealer and FDA Approved Shrink Bags

What Heat Sealer Do I Use | The Bearfoot Baker

Heat Sealer and FDA Approved Shrink Bags

A heat sealer is a great thing to have because it can protect your cookies from germs, dust, and almost all the creepy things of the world. I don’t use this each time I decorate cookies because I don’t sell them. The heat sealer is used when I know the cookies will be laid out in public or they need a little extra protection from dirt and germs of the world.

There are different kinds of bags you can get to protect your cookies. I’ve made a list below.

We should have you covered on the bags, but if you have any other questions leave a comment below or email me. Are you having fun with these top 9 cookie decorator splurges? I hope so because I’m having a blast!

Cookie Countess Counter Cover

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Cookie Countess Counter Cover 36 x 22 inches

This is another new thing from The Cookie Countess. You talk about protecting your work surface…this will do the trick. This is a large silicone mat to protect your work surface. Have you ever spilled airbrush color, food-gel color, or a bottle glitter on your table? If you spill it on this mat it won’t stress you out as much as spilling it on your beautiful kitchen table. And this mat measures 36″ x 22″  so it will cover a large area and it’s super easy to clean.

The best part is it is made out of food-safe FDA-approved silicone and it rolls up for easy storage. I have used this thing every single day. It is comforting knowing I won’t mess up my kitchen table. FYI it’s also on sale right now at the Cookie Countess.

Kitchenaid

KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway | The Bearfoot Baker

Kitchenaid Mixer

What can I say about my Kitchenaid mixer? I love it. I don’t worry about throwing powdered sugar or flour all over the kitchen when I make cookies. It’s a great tool that will help you work on things that typically take a lot of time or effort when using a handheld mixer. When you use a Kitchenaid you can whip egg whites to soft or stiff peaks, and you can walk around your kitchen while doing it. You don’t have to stand and hold the mixer the entire time. Batches of cookies and royal icing come together beautifully with this machine.

The best part about it is it isn’t just for cookies. You can make bread, cakes, dough, and so much more. If I had one of these 9 Cookie Decorator Splurges this would have to be my first choice. I’d be lost without it.

Pico Projector

 

 

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Pico Projector

Have you ever wanted something that will help get a design or image on a cookie? Look no farther because this little Pico Projector will answer your prayers. Once you learn how to hook it up it will project an image onto your cookies. You don’t have to be an amazing artist that can draw all kinds of images because this will project the image on the cookie for you. If you’re looking for a good tutorial that will help you see what this projector can do head over to Sweetopia’s and check out her Projector Tutorial. She answered a lot of my questions.

Cookie Countess Airbrush System

Airbrush System, The Cookie Countess, Airbrushed Cookies, The Bearfoot Baker, cookie decorating, royal icing, sugar cookies

Cookie Countess Airbrush System

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this little airbrush gun. It’s easy to use and the possibilities are endless! I have a lot of airbrush tutorials on how to use it to add a little color around the edges of your icing or how to add different patterns and designs with stencils. I plan on doing a lot more tutorials in the future and this amazing little machine is going to help me make pretty cookies.

Dehydrator

Food Dehydrator, the bearfoot baker, cookie decorator splurge, sugar cookies, royal icing

Dehydrator

I really like my dehydrator because it’s like a magic machine that helps me dry my royal icing. When you place the cookies on a tray the dehydrator pushes warm air over the cookies which helps the surface of royal icing dry quickly. It’ll help dry the top layer of the royal icing so it will dry with a shine, the icing won’t sink, and it’ll help reduce color bleed. I don’t know about you but I think that is pretty magical, don’t you?

Keep in mind when you put your cookies on the tray in a dehydrator for a few minutes all of the icing’ isn’t dry. The surface will form a crust, but if you poke your icing you’ll cause some damage to the icing. When I place the cookies in there for a few minutes I get a good feeling that the royal icing will dry with a nice smooth flat surface and it will stay that way.

Have you ever decorated a beautiful set of cookies and they look great when you go to sleep and then you wake up to see the icing has sunk in the middle and the colors have bled together? I hate when that happens! A dehydrator seems to help eliminate the problem because it uses warm air to help quickly dry the surface of the icing.

I know these are a bit on the expensive side and I really didn’t buy this one myself. It was a gift tI received for Christmas from my dad and my mother-in-law. They both gave me money and told me to get something I wanted. Well, I wanted a dehydrator so I ordered it and I really like it.

I did have to learn how to use it and Lilaloa did a tutorial that helped me a lot. She shares all the “need to know” things and by the end, you’ll know for sure if you want one or not.

Food Scale

food scale, the bearfoot baker, cookie decorator splurge, sugar cookies, royal icing

Food Scale

I use my food scale for baking my cookies and making my royal icing. I honestly don’t think I’d get the results I get without a great little scale. You can find them on Amazon, at Walmart, or most stores that sell baking supplies.

I hope you find at least one of these cookie decorator splurges you like that will make baking cookies a little more simple and enjoyable. Be sure to let Santa know that you’ve been very nice and maybe he’ll bring you a few things to help you with your cookie baking process!

Bear hugs,

Lisa