July 2026 Cutter Club- A+ Cookie Vibes: Back to School Cookie Set

I find the start of a new school year to be so exciting. Fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, colorful backpacks, and that feeling of a brand-new beginning inspired this adorable Back to School cookie collection!

For this set, I wanted to continue the same approach as my previous collection by going back to simpler, beginner-friendly designs that are fun to decorate without feeling overwhelming. The set includes a Welcome Back Note, Backpack, School Bus, Teacher Fuel cup, and a Pencil with a dimensional bow. Each cookie has just enough detail to be charming while keeping the decorating process approachable for decorators of all skill levels.

Instead of using the traditional bright primary school colors, I softened the palette to create a sweeter, more modern look. These muted tones make the cookies feel playful while still capturing that classic back-to-school theme.

One of my favorite ways to customize a cookie set is by mixing gel colors to create unique shades. Rather than decorating with bright red, yellow, and blue, I opted for softer, muted versions that work beautifully together.

For the muted yellow, I mixed Sunshine Yellow and Totally Brown from The Cookie Countess. Adding just a touch of brown warms the yellow and gives it a vintage, cozy feel.

The brown was created by mixing Totally Brown with Outrageously Orange, both from The Cookie Countess. The orange adds warmth, creating a rich caramel-like brown that pairs perfectly with the rest of the palette.

For the muted pink, I combined Bubblegum Pink from Ann Clark with a small amount of Totally Brown from The Cookie Countess. This softens the pink into a dusty blush shade that feels much more whimsical than a bright bubblegum pink.

Finally, the blue was made by mixing Mermaid Teal and True Blue, both from The Cookie Countess. The result is a beautiful blue that complements the muted palette while still adding a nice pop of color.

Together, these colors create a cohesive set that feels soft, cheerful, and perfect for welcoming a new school year.

For this collection, I kept the decorating process simple by using hybrid consistency for almost every element. Hybrid icing is one of my favorite consistencies because it allows me to outline and flood with the same icing while still giving me enough control for clean edges and smooth finishes.

The only exception was the blue icing used for the ribbon details. For those, I switched to a stiff consistency and piped the bows and ribbon tails using a 104 petal tip. This technique creates beautiful ruffled ribbons with natural movement and adds just the right amount of dimension to the pencil cookie without making the design complicated.

Keeping the majority of the decorating in one consistency helps the entire set come together more quickly while making it approachable for beginners and experienced decorators alike.

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 a couple videos on how to decorate them. Feel free to have fun! Use different colors, or different techniques. Let your creativity shine if you want!

As we get ready to welcome a new school year, I hope this cookie set inspires you to embrace simple designs and have fun in the decorating process. It’s easy to feel like every collection needs to be more detailed or more challenging than the last, but sometimes the most charming cookies are the ones with clean lines, thoughtful color choices, and just a few special details that make them stand out.

This collection is a reminder that you don’t need dozens of icing colors or complicated techniques to create something beautiful. By keeping the designs simple and choosing a cohesive, muted color palette, these cookies come together quickly while still making a big impact. Whether you’re decorating for a classroom celebration, creating teacher gifts, selling back-to-school cookie sets, or simply baking for your family, I hope these designs encourage you to enjoy the process just as much as the finished cookies.

One of my favorite parts of creating seasonal collections is finding ways to make familiar themes feel fresh. Swapping bright primary colors for softer shades gave this set a sweeter, more whimsical feel while still keeping all of the classic back-to-school elements we know and love. Small changes like these can completely transform the look of a cookie collection and help you develop your own decorating style.

Thank you so much for decorating along with me and for allowing me to be part of your cookie journey. Whether you’re just beginning to learn royal icing or you’ve been decorating for years, I hope you continue trying new techniques, experimenting with color, and remembering that every cookie is another opportunity to learn and grow.

Wishing you a school year filled with fresh starts, creativity, confidence, and lots of sweet moments. Happy decorating, and I’ll see you in the next tutorial!

Happy Baking!

xo Hillary