Sweet Elegance: 16 Cookie-Decorating Techniques DVD

Make your cookies a delicacy of design, texture and color with professional decorator Amber Spiegel. Start by achieving the perfect royal icing consistency for different types of decorating. Then, learn to easily transfer intricate eyelet lace and other patterns onto your cookies. Make sophisticated fabric effects simple: luscious quilted textures, as well as breathtaking brush embroidered flowers and borders. Antique your cookies with the look of gold marbling, cracked ceramic glazes and bronze edgings. Create rose accents with exquisite wet-on-wet techniques, eye-catching piping and more. Paint vibrant custom designs and radiant backdrops with edible watercolors. Texture your work to create “fuzzy” animal cookies and wavy icing for rustic chic treats. Make the most enticing treats at the table with new cookie-decorating techniques.

NOTE: Any PDF materials associated with this class are not provided with the DVD-only purchase. You must have streaming access to download those materials. To purchase the combination DVD + Streaming form of this class, click here.

Introduction (4:25)
Meet professional cookie decorator Amber Spiegel and get a preview of the skills you’ll learn in this class. Amber shares where she looks to find inspiration for her innovative designs, then offers helpful decorating tips that apply to the entire class. See how Amber sets up her work surface, learn the best techniques for handling cookies and piping bags, and find out what materials you’ll need.

Icing Consistency (20:11)
Learn the essential skill of achieving the right icing consistency. Amber explains in detail how to create the three icing consistencies you’ll use in the class: flood, medium and stiff. See the proper method of filling a piping bag and how to evenly distribute flood-consistency icing onto a cookie. Watch as Amber demonstrates how to use medium-consistency icing to make smooth, flowy scrollwork designs and stiff-consistency icing to create a basket weave pattern and a rope border. Finally, learn Amber’s easy technique for coloring icing.

Transferring Patterns (27:02)
Discover three simple ways to transfer a complex pattern onto a cookie. First, Amber walks you through the steps of how to use an edible-ink marker to create an eyelet lace design. Next, see Amber’s innovative technique for sketching intricate patterns into hardened frosting with a cardstock ruler and scribe tool. Finally, learn how to make an exact copy of a pattern using tissue paper and an edible-ink marker.

Fabric Techniques (21:04)
Add more sophisticated designs to your repertoire as Amber demonstrates how to create fabric-like textures with icing. Amber shows you how to achieve a quilted look and apply this technique to other eye-pleasing designs. You’ll also see how to make elegant brush-embroidered flowers with a scribe tool and square-tipped brush. Using this same technique, Amber illustrates how to create a brush-embroidered border to add more intricate effects to your cookies.

Antiquing Techniques (17:52)
Amber shares her quick and easy techniques for adding striking antique effects to your cookies. You’ll get step-by-step instructions on how to create an ornate gold marbling effect using gold pearl dust, flood-consistency icing and a scribe tool. Amber outlines her process for making a cracked-glaze effect, which mimics the weathered surface of antique pottery. You’ll also find out how to apply bronze pearl dust to the edges of your cookies for a beautiful vintage look.

Rose Embellishments (21:38)
Discover how to add elegant rose accents to your creations. Amber shares her tips and tricks for working quickly with flood-consistency icing to create smooth and dainty wet-on-wet roses. Next, get in-depth instruction on how to make a piped rose with a flower nail and two colors of icing. Amber also explains her time-saving technique of using molds to create a variety of fondant roses.

Painting Techniques (22:14)
Learn Amber’s simple painting techniques for embellishing cookies with accents of color and sparkle. See how to make edible watercolor paint using gel paste food coloring. Then, watch as Amber uses a round-tip brush to apply and blend multiple colors on hardened icing — perfect for creating the colorful wings of a butterfly or a vibrant sunset background. You’ll also see how to dress up your designs even more with Amber’s gilding technique.

Creative Texturing (18:35)
Continue building on the innovative techniques you’ve learned in previous lessons to create a variety of unique textures. Amber shows you how to add fuzzy textures to your animal- or beach-themed cookies by dabbing flood-consistency icing with a stiff square-tipped brush. See how to create a rustic, but elegant look using a spatula to make textured designs in the icing. Plus, Amber demonstrates how to add a smooth and glossy finish to your icing using corn syrup, alcohol and a dash of pearl dust.

Amber Spiegel

Amber is a graduate of the Baking and Pastry Arts Program at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She’s also a former cake and cookie decorator at Wilton Industries. Today, Amber runs her own cookie business, SweetAmbs. She enjoys teaching cookie decorating through video tutorials, in-person classes around the world and on Craftsy. Amber’s work can be found in magazines such as InStyle, Cake Central and Brides, as well as on numerous blog and websites.

How will I receive my DVD class?
Your class DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. You will not have streaming access to this class in your Craftsy Account unless you purchase(d) it separately. If you’d like to own this class in BOTH on-demand streaming form and DVD, we recommend you purchase that combination item on Craftsy.com.

Will the companion materials come with my DVD class?
Any downloadable class PDF materials are not included on the DVD, so you will not have access to those materials. While the video instruction on your DVD is complete, you must have streaming access to download the PDF materials associated with the class. You can purchase streaming access or a combination DVD + Streaming access on Craftsy.com.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD-only class purchased on Craftsy.com includes the physical DVD in the mail. The physical disc(s) are yours to keep forever, with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy Customer Service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference.