Learn how to make quick and easy flower cookies with pink buttercream frosting. Use basic piping tips to pipe beautiful petals on top of soft sugar cookies. This is a simple cookie decorating technique that's perfect for beginners. Great to serve at weddings, Valentine's Day, Easter, tea parties, birthdays or use as party favors.
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Making pretty cookies is usually a time-consuming process but I have figured out ways to make it easier as you can see from these Easy Stained Glass Cookies or these Snowflake Cookies or even these Nutter Butter Penguin Cookies. Today's dreamy cookies will also make a great addition to my collection of Pink Desserts (Valentine's Day Desserts).
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Key ingredients
- Cookies- I used round soft sugar cookies but you can use any round cookie recipe you like that will bake flat and are not domed.
- Frosting- You can use classic American buttercream or you can
How to make easy flower cookies with buttercream frosting?
- Bake cookies- Allow them to cool fully.
- Make frosting- Color it with gel food coloring.
- Pipe petals- Using Wilton tip 1M and Tip 103 and Tip 352.
Variations
- Use icing that dries hard- Such as Royal icing or Glace icing.
- Try different colors- I used pink but feel free to get creative and try whatever colors you like. You can also choose colors based on the theme of your event.
- Flavor your icing- Mix in extract of your choice to change the flavor which would compliment the cookie flavor.
- Use other cookie recipes- Try these Chocolate Sugar Cookies or these Cranberry Orange Cookies (Shortbread) or the Best Shortbread Cookies (3 Ingredients).
- Use lollipop sticks- If you bake cookies with a lollipop stick in them, you can decorate them as per these instructions and enjoy cookies on a stick.
- Pair with a different icing- Such as Almond Buttercream Frosting or Best Sugar Cookie Frosting or even Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting.
Tips and techniques
- Use store bought cookies- This would save you some time if you are in a time crunch.
- Don’t decorate warm cookies- They need to cool down completely or else the decorations will become a sticky mess.
- Line baking trays with parchment paper- Because it prevents the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Use medium firm icing consistency- If it's too soft or even too firm, it's hard to pipe and the petals don't hold their shape well.
- Use gel food coloring to tint icing- Because it's thicker than liquid food coloring and doesn't thin out your frosting.
- Give these to family and friends as a homemade gift- These Food and Cookie Packaging Ideas should be be helpful.
Another idea- Decorate with fondant
You can also decorate with Homemade Marshmallow Fondant instead of icing. I made large Molasses Crinkle Cookies and chose a pink and blue theme to decorate them. These are the instructions:
- Bake cookies and let them cool completely.
- Roll out light blue fondant. Place an impression sheet on top of it and press it hard until the pattern transfers onto the blue fondant.
- Use a round scalloped cutter to cut out a piece.
- Brush corn syrup or spread frosting on top of your cookie and stick the blue piece here.
- Roll out dark pink fondant and use a flower cutter to cut out a piece.
- Place it on a foam pad and use the balling tool to thin out the edges of the petals.
- Use a black edible marker to draw lines in the center.
- Brush some water in the center and stick a white pearl here.
- Roll out green fondant and use a leaf cutter to cut out a piece.
- Use a knife to add details on this leaf.
- Brush corn syrup on in the center of your fondant covered cookie and stick the leaf and flower.
- Stick some white pearls and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
It all depends on the design you want to create. You can use buttercream frosting, marshmallow fondant, modeling chocolate (candy clay), royal icing, melted chocolate or even homemade sprinkles.
Too much liquid was added to the dough or the dough wasn't chilled prior to baking.
Storage
- Room temperature– These can stay out for 3-5 hours.
- Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze– Undecorated cookies and frosting can be stored separately in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy them, thaw to room temperature and decorate as per instructions below.
- Make ahead- These can easily be made 1 day in advance.
More decorated cookies
- Classic Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Rose Cookies
- Christmas Tree Cookies
- Jumbo Gingerbread Men Cookies
Recipe
Easy Flower Cookies (Buttercream)
Video
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Ingredients
- 12 large Soft sugar cookies Round cut out shapes, Or flattened molasses crinkle cookies
- 4 cups Buttercream frosting Colored pink with gel food coloring
- 3 tablespoon Chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- Bake cookies and allow them to cool completely.
- While the cookies are baking and cooling, prepare pink frosting.
- For rose cookies, fill a piping bag with icing and attach the big star tip (Wilton tip 1M). Hold piping bag at a 90 degree angle in the center of the cookie and gently start squeezing your bag while moving your hand clockwise in a full continuous circle until the entire top is iced and covered and looks like a rose.
- For smaller petal cookies, fill a piping bag with icing and attach the petal tip (Wilton tip 101). Hold piping bag at a 45 degree angle along the outer edge of the cookie. Squeeze the bag until icing comes out and pipe inwards towards the center until you have one petal. Continue doing this until you have one full row of petals. Repeat the same process again as you move towards the center and have multiple rows of petals. Toss some chocolate sprinkles in the middle.
- For larger petal cookies, fill a piping bag with icing and attach the petal tip (Wilton tip 101). Hold piping bag at a 45 degree angle along the outer edge of the cookie. Squeeze the piping bag until frosting comes out start moving your hand in an oval shape until you have one petal. Continue doing this until you have one full row of petals. Repeat the same process again as you move towards the center and have multiple rows of petals. Toss some chocolate sprinkles in the middle.
- For pointed petal cookies, fill a piping bag with icing and attach the leaf tip (Wilton tip 352). Hold piping bag at a 45 degree angle along the outer edge of the cookie. Squeeze the piping bag until frosting comes out and pull away from the center until you have one petal. Continue doing this until you have one full row of petals. Repeat the same process again as you move towards the center and have multiple rows of petals. Toss some chocolate sprinkles in the middle.
Notes
- Make cookies on a stick by pushing a lollipop stick through the bottom before baking.
- Decorate cookies only when they cool completely or else the icing will melt.
- Use gel colors rather than liquid food coloring to tint your frosting because they are more concentrated and won't alter the consistency of your icing.
- Icing needs to be a medium firm consistency to pipe perfectly. If it's too soft, the petals won't hold their shape. If it's too firm, it would be too hard to pipe.
- I used vanilla extract to flavor my icing but you can use other flavors that you like.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Mary Frances
Great idea to change it up with molasses cookies instead of sugar.
Belinda Chiu
Those are so delightfully spring!!
RavieNomNoms
WOW! You are just so so talented!
ela
Those are some beauties there