Truth be told, when I was asked to make summer tea party cookies, I was a little stumped as to what designs I was going to make. Call it cookier’s-block or something. I was happy with the tea party cookies I made a few years ago, but didn’t want to make the same ones. After all, if was going to the effort to make cookies, I might as well try a different design.
One of the first things which comes to mind as a quintessential tea party symbol are the teacups and saucers themselves, along with delicate flowers adorning their sides. Like these ones, on my girlfriend’s cups and saucers, in this older cupcake post:
I know myself enough to know I’m not good at drawing, so the mere thought of painting tiny roses onto a cookie (with edible food gel of course), was enough to make me not want to make the cookies at all. Even the fact I really wanted to try and replicate the flowers on my tiny tea set from childhood, didn’t change my mind, as I guessed that even my trusted Kopykake projector would not be able to help me with making the absolute miniature roses I would need to make on a cookie.
On the other hand, I do like trying new cookie techniques, and would love to learn how to draw freehand on cookies some day (the cookie as the canvas… how sweet [pun intended] would that be!), but with some deadlines to meet, I wasn’t in the mood to try something really new. And, because interest in the cookies I make was shown by the lovely ladies at House & Home magazine, I wanted them to happy with them… And my experimenting with cookies doesn’t always work out. {Just ask my husband, he’ll tell you}.
So, the perfect solution for me involved the edible ink printer (I seem to be using it a lot lately!). Instead of a logo, this time I printed the rose pattern, which is, by the way, from Cath Kidston’s gorgeous wallpaper, and used it for the center of my white tea pots.
I confess, I probably should have spent a little more time making sure I cut the images out to the exact size of the cookie (you can see some of the edges of the frosting paper over the outline). The tea pot cookie is actually quite large; I wanted it to be in scale to the matching tea cup cookies. Let’s just say, this cookie is meant to be shared!
If you’d like to try making them, a full tutorial on applying edible ink images can be found here and here, however, here’s a quick pictorial on how I applied the edible ink image as well.
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Prepare Your Cookies
After you’ve made your cookies, piped the outline and flooded your shape {click here if you’re new to cookie decorating} and let that dry, print your image on a frosting sheet, and you’re ready to apply the edible ink image.
Adding the Edible Ink Image
Step 1. Project and trace the desired image on regular paper. I used the Kopykake to project the image, but you can draw it freehand or just plain trace it, if the inspiration image is the same size as your cookie.
Step 2. Place your paper template on the frosting sheet. I centered mine over the flower pattern.
Step 3. Trace with an edible ink marker.
Step 4. Cut your image out, making sure you cut on the inside of the edible marker lines.
Step 5. Place it over your iced cookie, and trim as needed.
Step 6. Lightly coat your dried royal icing with clear corn syrup and gently a smooth the edible image onto the cookie.
I usually pipe some sort of a border so that the edges of the frosting sheets aren’t visible, but in this case, the look of the border didn’t really look right.
As for the rest of the cookies, like these ones…
I just made them the usual way, outlining and flooding, and to add a little something on the plain teapots, a little alphabet stenciling.
For the fan below, I used coconut on the top edge, white sugar pearls and edible gumpaste flowers on the handle.
The fans are {almost} completely and totally copied from one cookier I admire very much, Rosey Sugar {Yukiko}. I changed the designs of the fans a little bit, but the idea and overall design is most definitely from her. I’m in love with her whimsical & pretty style, really admire her royal icing work, and hope to be at her level some day! Here are some more cookies I’ve made, which are influenced by her, and here are her awe-inspiring cookies on her site. A must-see. {Prepare to be lost in the beauty… you’ll likely be there for a while!}
I was so happy to hear that the House & Home team enjoyed their cookies! You can check out Reiko Caron’s blog post about it here if you like.
Believe it or not I really had fun playing around with the icing and coming up with some linear patterns. So, coming soon, a post about piping lines.
Until then, happy baking and decorating to you!
Please feel free to leave me a comment below, drop me a line on my facebook page here, twitter, or you tube.
I’m happy to hear from you!
xo,
Marian
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
omg fabulous!
Trisha says
I have been so excited to see this post! I am such a tea party lover…I collect teapots and tea cups and just look for every excuse to have a tea party..even if it is in my jammies. Marion, these are so very beautiful, I can not say enough. I wish oh wish I could make something like this so bad…the are BEYOND BEAUTIFUL!! These are a huge highlight, the prettiest confection I have seen in blogland in a LONG time! Way to go….
Viveca says
OMG I totally love them!!!!!
Christina says
Gorgeous! I am so thankful for your tutorials!
xoxo
Jenny says
love them all!! But wow, that round with the lines is knocking me out. I love it!
the smeiska family says
SO gorgeous. I mean….really.
Francesca says
Too beautiful for words… completely outstanding!
marian says
Thank you for your sweet responses! xo
Marilyn says
As usual you NEVER disappoint. These cookies are spectacular. I can’t wait to try the edible image idea.
Thanks for sharing your amazing talent.
Andrea says
I am new to this site and new to cookie decorating. I have only been working on cakes so far but I have totally gotten bitten by the sugar cookie decorating bug. I just want to say that your cookies are so extraordinary, which I know countless number of people have told you that but that wasn’t going to stop me from saying it too! The main thing I wanted to say though is how amazing it is that you take the time to help everyone out! You are probably so busy with making cookies and your family but yet you still take the time to maintain this amazing blog and you type up tutorials and take pictures you share all of your decorating secrets!! I find that a lot of people are stingy (not to name names) and they show their work but when asked questions they choose to not respond… to each his own though obviously, but thank you SOOOO much for being so kind to everyone out here that loves to decorate!!
Lisa says
Words cannot describe how utterly beautiful this is….
Melissa says
Jenny wrote:
Me too! I can’t wait to hear about those!!!
sharon gibson says
Those are wonderful, Marian. I’m a sucker for teacups and teapots anyway, and you did a beautiful job.
Sue says
AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL! Especially love the rose decorated teacup/teapot!
marian says
Aw shucks! Seriously, thank you!
Paula says
The fans are stunning, the fondant flower finish is perfect, the intricate work in the plaid cookies is amazing and your teapot…I just love it and I especially love that the lid is separated from the pot itself. The edible printed rose is just too pretty for words.
marian says
@ Paula: Thanks Paula! You are always so supportive, and I appreciate it!
ninie says
wowww..this is amazingggg….clean and beautiful 🙂
niner from wechooseorganic.com says
giiiirl,
the teaparty cookies you made before those were SO AWESOME ALREADY, but you definitely took it to the next level with these ones. Even though you’re a pro, you made these even MORE PRO! haha…SO AMAZING, SO detailed, these liiiiiiines, so straight…LOVE IT ALL.
Cant wait for your next post about piping lines…what about a new video?
Your tutorials are always so helpful and fun to look at. Or a video how you make one of those fans, step by step. LOTS of work eh..but I am sure it would be brilliant to see.
LOVED this post, girl. Thanks so much
much love
xoxo
niner
Heleen says
These are awesome, I love them all!!
Jan J. says
These are just beautiful. I especially love the fans!
Eftychia says
You are so good in all your attempts…!! Beautiful, simply beautiful!!
Sanjeeta kk says
Awesome and these are masterpieces indeed!
Rasha Tousi says
woow looks perfect great finishing!…. always creative
Lora says
Simply gorgeous cookies as always. The flowers on the teapot look amazing!
Cindy says
These are all so beautiful!! Can you do a tutorial on how you did the line cookie…..to me it’s just as amazing as the beautiful fans and teapots! Thanks for all you do!!!
nikki says
amazing detail marian, the colours are gorgeous and really pop against the black outline. Did you outline the fans in black after you flooded….. looked like a really fine tip? The edible images look great too!
Elizabeth L in Apex, NC says
Okay, amazing as usual – but that plaid cookie!! I’m gasping. I can’t wait for the tutorial, maybe a video on how make the lines so clean and so darned close together? Thank you once again for your inspiration.
maria says
thank you for sharing all your knowlidge with us. I love your tea party cookies. great job Marian!
ML
Kelly says
WOW, these look beautiful!
misbah says
I love every thing “teaparty”. Your cookies are beautiful,I specailly love the fan cookies.
Anna says
Oh my goodness! Those cookies are gorgeous! Much, much to pretty to eat!
Gail says
What an artist you are, Marian! So beautiful and graceful, such deft technique.
In awe of you. Truly.
Mari, Mari's Cakes says
Marian, your work is beautiful and very inspiring. I love you blog 🙂
LetsPourTea says
Those are absolutely beautiful. I love the fans and definitely look forward to your post about piping lines.
Joanne says
These are just the sweetest!! Your amazing talent is a blessing and inspiration. I’ll always have a “sweet” spot for your blog…it was yours that got me out of decorated-cookie-phobia with a great foundation from your awesome recipes and tutorials…and let’s not forget troubleshooting on those dreaded spots! Thanks, Marian! 🙂
marian says
Oh my goodness; I am seriously so blessed to have such lovely readers as all of you!
Thank you so much for the kind comments!
@ niner from wechooseorganic.com: Thanks! I will try and do a video I think. 😉
@ nikki: I outlined first in black, with a finer tip, yes! A number one.
Nikki says
Beautiful Marian! I’m in love with the fan cookies and that cookie with the tiny lines to make checkers (I think) in the last photo. Amazing you got them so thin. Really cool! Well done!
Pamela says
WOW – can only echo what everyone else has said. Absolutely perfect in execution and beautiful to look at!
sweetsugarbelle says
The fans are so pretty that I don’t have words to describe how much I love them!
marian says
Thanks, sweet ladies!!
Tatyana says
Hi Marian,
These cookies are so beautiful. The fans are my favorite. I would love to learn how to make them (piping details are my problem, may be my icing is to runny)…
kangli says
Quaint! Love the flowers on the teacup cookies. And also looking at all those pretty photos!
Tara @ The Butter Dish says
One thing I haven’t done (or at least tried again since my 2002 dibacle of cookie decorating) well is decorate cookies. LOL
With amazing sites likes yours and the inspiration I see, I could try again..
I think I can
I think I can
I think I can……
Choo Choo! :o)
marian says
@ Tatyana: Does it come out of your piping tip really fast? Does it come out in a blob (like a pool of icing), instead of a neat line? It might be too runny then. Drop me a line here, facebook or twitter, any time, if you have questions! (there is a video on consistency on my youtube page, in case you haven’t seen it).
@ kangli: Thank you!
@ Tara @ The Butter Dish: What does he say at the end when he gets up the hill? Because that will be you! =)
Susan says
Marian, these cookies are stunning. Soooo well done! Thank you AGAIN for sharing. ♥
polly dove says
seriously? you are a rock star. these are unbelievable.
Rae says
Your piping on the one circular cookie is so intricate, but how do you keep the piping bags and tips moist enough to pipe so fine of lines? I always keep a soaked toothpick in my metal tip holes, yet it always seems to crust over or dry out within the tip and I’m struggling with the bag. Please help, these are great!
Marian says
@ Rae: I keep them resting in a damp cloth and also keep lots of toothpicks nearby! They do clog up, I just have to keep unclogging. Sorry, I wish there was a better way and if there is, I don’t know about it!
Thanks for all the kind comments everyone!
Amandamck says
Can you visualize it, I’m doing the wave in my house. One day in the distant future I’d love to become half as good as you. You’re an inspiration!!