Hi Michelle,

I got the basketball stencil from The Cookie Countess. Here is the link: https://www.thecookiecountess.com/products/basketball.

Sure you can make them without an airbrush. The airbrush makes it easy, but you can trace your cookie (so the template you make will fit perfectly) and draw the lines on a piece of parchment paper that fits your cookie size. If you don’t like to draw or don’t want to think hard about the basketball pattern, you can use clip art to make the pattern. If you use clip art you don’t have to think hard about where the lines should be.

Then, use a food-safe marker to draw the lines on the cookie and decorate. I like to cut the lines of the pattern (don’t cut them off completely) and bend them back so it’s easier to place it on the cookie. Here’s an example of how I do it:

https://thebearfootbaker.com/2019/07/simple-patriotic-wreath-cookies/

Or you can do it like this:
https://thebearfootbaker.com/2013/12/santa-cookies-new-favorite-cutter/

I don’t free-hand patterns like this because I like when the cookie look uniform so a template works best for me.

Hope this helps,
Lisa

how long do you let these dry after filling with the orange icing before you airbrush?
Hi Venus28,
The funny thing about airbrushing cookies is you can do it when the royal icing is wet or you can wait until it dries. Waiting until the icing dries is easier because you don’t risk damaging the icing before it becomes firm.
I like doing it when it’s wet sometimes, but most of the time I wait until the royal icing dries because it’s stress-free and I have more fun airbrushing.
and how long do you let these dry until you draw in the black lines?
If you wait for the royal icing to dry before you airbrush them, it doesn’t take long for the airbrush color to dry. Once it’s dried you can easily add the black lines.
lastly how long do you let the finished cookie dry before packaging them?
This is another one of those questions that’s hard to answer because of humidity. I live in a very humid climate so it may take eight to twelve hours for my royal icing to dry completely. I try to work things out so I complete decorating the cookies in the afternoon or early evening so I can let the cookies can dry overnight. I package them first thing in the morning because I’m a little impatient and watching them dry during the day makes me anxious! LOL
I have friends that live in a dry climate without a lot of humidity and their royal icing will dry in about four hours. So it’s hard to tell you how long it will take without knowing where you live.
I’m trying to have these ready by Friday, do you think baking and decorating on Tuesday would be okay?
I thing baking and decorating on Tuesday and having the cookies ready on Friday is a really good plan.
Decorate them in a cool dry place so you don’t end up with a ‘butter bleed’ which means the butter from the baked cookie will seep into the royal icing. It’ll make the dry royal icing look very blotchy. This is caused by heat. If your work area is too warm or hot or if you let the cookies dry in a window where the sun can hit them it might cause your royal icing to dry blotchy. It will look like dark spots or wet spots in your decorated cookies.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do once that happens. So be sure to keep the cookies cool before and as you decorate them. You don’t have to set the air conditioner to “0” but keep in mind heat isn’t the best thing for them.
Some people place the cookies on a paper towel before and as they decorate so the paper towels will absorb the butter.
how do you store them in between
I place the cookies in an airtight container once they’ve cooled from baking. Then, I take them out to decorate and I let them dry in front of a fan. Once they’re completely dry I package them in decorating bags or an airtight container.
If you try to dry the wet icing in an airtight container it won’t dry completely. It needs air to dry so don’t package them until they’re completely dry.
I hope this information helps.
I’m sorry it has taken me so long to answer your questions. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I had brain surgery four months ago and I’m very behind on catching up with my blog comments. Please forgive me and let me know if you have any other questions!

Lisa

I’m trying to have these ready by Friday, do you think baking and decorating on Tuesday would be okay? how do you store them in between

thanks!

Thanks, Kathy! I can’t wait to see what you do with it! Maybe we can try to use it as a shadow on some Halloween cookies. 😉