August 2026 Cutter Club- Golden Summer Days

I wasn’t quite ready to decorate pumpkins, or skulls but I was definitely ready to move away from the bright colors of summer. That’s where this set started.

I wanted to create a collection that lived right in that little space between the two seasons, still warm and sunny, but softer, more golden, and just a little bit cozy. Sunflowers and wheat immediately came to mind, and from there I started adding some of the little things you might find outside during those last warm days: a bee, a butterfly, and of course, a mushroom.

Once I had the designs together, I knew I wanted the colors to feel just as transitional as the cookies themselves. Instead of bright summer yellow, I went with a warmer golden yellow and paired it with tan, brown, black, soft neutral tones. The finished palette reminds me of dried grass, late-summer sunshine, sunflower fields, and the first little hints that fall is on its way.

I also wanted this set to be very texture-focused. Rather than adding lots of extra colors, I used different icing consistencies and piping techniques to give each design its own personality. The sunflower has dimensional petals, the wheat has delicate piped details, the mushroom has soft brushed texture, and the butterfly and bee bring in that bold black contrast that helps the whole collection come together.

It feels like a little farewell to summer, just before we officially bring out all the pumpkins, ghosts, and Halloween cookies.

For this set, all of the icing colors I used were from The Cookie Countess.

I wanted to keep the palette fairly small because I love when a cookie set looks cohesive without needing ten different icing colors. A limited palette also makes decorating a lot easier because you can use the same colors in different ways throughout the entire set.

My main colors were:

• Golden yellow
• Brown
• Tan
• Black

For the brown and tan, I started with the same Cookie Countess Totally Brown gel. I simply adjusted the amount of color to create the different shades. Using the same base color is a really easy way to make sure your shades work well together instead of looking like completely unrelated browns.

The golden yellow was actually created by mixing colors, Sunshine Yellow and Totally brown. I used some of the brown gel and more of the yellow. Both gels from The Cookie Countess, and mixed them together until I got that warm golden shade.

I really loved how this color turned out because I didn’t want a bright lemon or sunshine yellow. Adding that little bit of brown toned the yellow down and gave it a much warmer, almost mustard-golden look. It was perfect for the sunflower petals, butterfly wings, and bee.

For the black details, I used Tuxedo Black from The Cookie Countess. I wanted a true, deep black because it creates such a pretty contrast against all of the softer earthy colors. You can especially see that contrast on the butterfly and bee.

One thing I love about this palette is how much you can do with just a few colors. The golden yellow appears on several cookies, the brown moves throughout the set, and the small touches of black help everything feel connected.

For this set, I worked primarily with two consistencies: hybrid consistency and stiff consistency.

I used hybrid consistency for all of my colors: tan, golden yellow, brown, black.

Hybrid consistency is one of my favorites because it gives me enough control to outline while still being fluid enough to flood. Instead of preparing separate piping and flooding bags for every single color, I can use one consistency for most of the basic decorating.

That made it especially helpful for a set like this because there are several colors being repeated across different cookies.

I also prepared stiff consistency in all of the colors except black.

The stiff icing was important for the dimensional details throughout the set. When you’re using piping tips to create petals, wheat, ribbons, or other details that need to hold their shape, you don’t want the icing settling and losing all of that texture.

The hybrid icing gave me the smooth sections and outlines, while the stiff icing gave me all of those raised details that make the set more interesting.

Texture played a big role in this collection.

Even though the color palette is fairly simple, I wanted each cookie to have its own personality. Using different piping techniques allowed me to add detail without introducing a bunch of additional colors.

For the sunflower petals, I used an Ateco #67 leaf tip with stiff golden yellow icing.

I piped the petals around the brown center, allowing them to overlap slightly. Using a leaf tip gives the sunflower that beautiful pointed petal shape while also creating natural ridges in the icing. Layering the petals makes the flower look much fuller and gives it a lot more dimension than simply flooding the petals would.

The brown center adds another texture and creates a nice contrast against the golden petals.

For the wheat, I used an Ateco #104 petal tip with stiff icing.

Instead of piping traditional flower petals, I used the shape of the tip to create small pieces that resemble individual grains of wheat. I added along the stems, building up the wheat bundles one section at a time.

I love finding ways to use piping tips for something completely different from what they were originally intended for. A petal tip doesn’t have to be just for flowers!

I also used the Ateco #104 to create the ribbon on the wheat bundle. The ribbon was piped in a figure-eight style to create the loops, and then I added the center and tails to finish the bow.

Using stiff consistency here is especially important. You want those loops to keep their shape instead of melting into the cookie.

The combination of the textured wheat and dimensional bow turned what could have been a very simple cookie into a more sophisticated design.

For a better understanding of icing consistencies refer to this blog here. We also have a very thorough online class here.

If you are comfortable cutting and piping/flooding with tipless bags, go for it! If you prefer tips I would recommend a #1 or #1.5 tip for details and outlines , and a #2 or 2.5 for flooding.

Below you will find step by step instructions for all the cookies. Followed by videos on how to decorate them. Feel free to have fun! Use different colors, or different techniques. Let your creativity shine if you want!

When I was planning these cookies, I wanted each design to represent a different little piece of the end-of-summer season.

The sunflower brings in that beautiful golden color that immediately makes me think of late summer fields.

The wheat bundle introduces those soft, natural textures and gives the collection a slightly rustic feel.

The mushroom starts hinting at the woodland and cozy themes we usually associate with fall, but the softer colors keep it from feeling too autumn-heavy.

The bee adds something playful and ties directly into the sunflower and nature theme.

And finally, the butterfly brings everything back to summer. The golden wings coordinate with the sunflower and bee, while the Tuxedo Black outline gives it enough contrast to stand out from the softer cookies around it.

I also love that the butterfly allowed me to use the black icing in a bigger way. Since the rest of the palette is so soft and earthy, that bold black outline gives the entire set a little extra visual interest.

Rather than making every cookie use every color, I repeated the colors strategically. That’s one of my favorite ways to design a cohesive cookie set. A color may only appear as a tiny detail on one cookie and become the main color on another, but repeating it throughout the collection makes all of the designs feel like they belong together.

This set was such a fun way to capture that little moment between summer and fall.

It still has the bees, butterflies, flowers, and golden sunshine of summer, but the mushrooms, wheat, warm browns, and muted golden tones give us just a tiny peek at the cozy season ahead.

I also really enjoyed keeping the color palette limited and letting texture, piping techniques, and icing consistency create most of the variety. Between the smooth hybrid icing and the dimensional stiff icing, you can create so many different looks without needing dozens of colors or complicated techniques.

The Ateco #67 leaf tip was perfect for creating the layered sunflower petals, while the Ateco #104 petal tip worked beautifully for both the wheat and the ribbon. I always love when one piping tip can be used in completely different ways!

If you’re decorating your own version of this set, don’t be afraid to play with the colors either. Make the yellow brighter for a more summery collection, add deeper browns for an autumn look, or bring in dusty pinks and creams for an even softer version.

For me, though, this golden palette was exactly what I pictured for an End of Summer Cookie Set, a little bit of sunshine, a little bit of nature, and just enough cozy to remind us that fall is right around the corner.

Happy Baking!

xo Hillary