How to Decorate a Graduation Cap Cookie

Directions

• 1

  Bake and cool cookies fully before decorating. Prepare royal icing in the following colors and consistencies:  

  Outline/Piping Consistency:  
  Golden Yellow (create golden yellow by mixing a small drop of Mocha Brown food coloring into yellow royal icing) 
  Black 

  Flood Consistency: 
  Black 

  Pro Tip: You can achieve a golden yellow color by mixing yellow gel color with a small amount of brown gel color. The best practice for achieving black royal icing is to only add enough black gel color to fresh royal icing until a dark gray color is reached. Gel color develops in royal icing over time, so the dark gray icing color will darken to a true black once dried. You may still encounter color bleed with dark gray icing, but you reduce the risk by adding a conservative amount of black gel color. Other factors that can affect color bleed in royal icing include the temperature and level of humidity in the room. Warmer temperatures and higher humidity increase the risk of color bleeding. 

  Color bleed definition: When a darker, more pigmented color bleeds into lighter colors that it are next to or on top of. For the graduation cap, there is a risk that the deep black icing will bleed into the yellow tassel.  

  
• 2

  Using the black outline consistency icing, outline the top section of the graduation cap as shown in the photo.

  
• 3

  Using the black outline consistency icing, outline the bottom section of the graduation cap. 

  
• 4

  Flood the top section with the black flood consistency icing. Use a scribe tool or toothpick to coax the icing to the edges, and also to eliminate any air bubbles. Let this section dry for 20-30 minutes, or until crusted over, before moving onto the next step. Drying your cookies under a fan will help to speed this process. 

  
• 5

  Once the top section has crusted over, flood the bottom section with the black flood consistency icing. If you flood the bottom section while the top section is still wet, you may not get good definition between the sections, as they will blend together. 

  
• 6

  Starting in the middle of the top section of the graduation cap, pipe a line from the center to the bottom right side of the cap with the yellow outline consistency icing.  

  
• 7

  Continue piping small lines about half an inch in length to achieve the tassel design.  
  Pro Tip: If the piped lines of the tassel are not holding their shape, your icing consistency may be too thin. You can scrape the icing from the bare cookie with a butter knife or small spatula. Remove the too-wet icing from the piping bag and place it into a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, a small amount at a time, until a thicker consistency is achieved. The consistency should be similar to toothpaste.  

  
• 8

  Pipe a small dot of yellow outline consistency icing at the center of the graduation cap, where the tassel line begins. 

  
• 9

  Pipe small dot of yellow outline consistency icing at the top of the gathered tassel section, as shown in the photo.