How to Make Pretty Fall Cookies Using Marble-Dipping and Airbrush Techniques
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Time to read 2 min
I absolutely love Fall, and all the gorgeous colors it brings—not to mention the cooler temperatures (baking in summer heat and humidity is high on my list of “things to avoid at all costs”). When designing a set of Fall-themed cookies, marble-dipping is a no-brainer for me, because you can incorporate all the great colors found on the trees right now in a really simple way. Add something extra with a Fall-inspired airbrushed stencil design, and you’ll end up with cookies that are almost too pretty to eat. Let’s get started!
Dip it. Dip it real good.
First things first: dip your cookies to create the base. Make a batch of very thin royal icing (think 5-second icing, or thereabouts). Even though we will be making multiple Fall colors, you really want all of them to be the same consistency so that the dip method will work; it’s easier to make one batch and then separate it into smaller bowls to make the Fall colors you need from there. I used Outrageous Orange, Sunshine Yellow, and Gourmet Green gel colors, and I added a drop of Totally Brown gel to each one to get that earthy Fall vibe.
Once you have all of your Fall colors, pop them into piping bags, except for whatever color you want your base icing to be, which you should place in a wide mouth, flat-bottomed bowl. Whatever color you use (mine was white), drag the flat edge of a spatula across the surface of the icing to pop any air bubbles that rise to the surface. Drizzle your bagged Fall colors back and forth over the surface of the base icing, and then drag the tip of a scribe tool (or toothpick) back and forth through the icing a bit. We’re not mixing, just blending a little bit on the surface!
Once your icing is ready, hold a cookie gently by the sides and dip flat into the icing, making sure to make contact fully across the surface of the cookie. Lift the cookie out of the icing and allow any excess to drip back into the bowl. Flip the cookie over, and allow the icing to settle into place (feel free to give it a little shake to get things to smooth out). Use a scribe tool or toothpick to nudge icing into any empty spots and to pop any air bubbles. Repeat the process for your next cookie, and allow everything to fully dry.
"I will always love you."
These cookies are already pretty enough, but let’s take it to the next level by airbrushing our 2-piece Autumn Leaves and Acorns Stencil on top. Using Cookie Countess Brick Red airbrush color, carefully spray the first half of the stencil design. As always, using a Stencil Genie and Thingamagenie will make your stenciling process a million times easier.
Allow that layer to dry, and then repeat the process with Outrageous Orange airbrush color and the second half of the stencil, lining everything up with what you have already done. The quick-connect gun that comes with the Royale Max airbrush system makes it easy to swap colors quickly and easily, and since the compressor has two integrated gun holders, you can have more than one gun ready to go at any given time. Have I mentioned how much I love a quick-connect airbrush gun? So, so much.
The fabulous thing about this Fall-inspired design is that because airbrush color is see-through, you will be able to see some of your marbling right through the airbrushed leaves, adding even more color and dimension. Pipe or scrape a sentiment on top, or leave them as-is, but either way, these cookies have definite wow factor! Happy Fall!
