How Do You Add Dimension to Cookies?!

 -- All Things Raised Images, Cratering, Dimension, Etc. --

Reoccurring Question!

One question I receive a lot from people concerns dimension or 3D aspects of cookies. How do you incorporate elements that are raised? Is there a considerable amount of dry time involved? How do you know what elements to make 3D? These are just a few examples of questions people ask when I post cookies that have some sort of raised portion. They are honestly great questions and something I wondered as well before I began my cookie journey.

We all see those aesthetically pleasing cookie videos on our Instagram feeds from time to time. The baker looks like they are masterfully creating a piece of art in a matter of seconds. The precision and speed of their work draw you in. Before you know it, you are mesmerized and confused about how this individual just created a cookie that has more dimension than any of your family's Christmas cookies have ever had. Once again, in a matter of maybe thirty seconds. 

I am here to tell you that I have had those exact same thoughts. I have been awestruck (and still am) at the sheer skill and level of dexterity bakers have when it comes to cookie decorating.  It took me a long time to realize how to add dimension to cookies without ending up with a pile of sticky royal icing dripping all over your once-clean counter. Despite what you might think, dimension is not hard to add to cookies! Let's break it down step-by-step. Who knows, maybe I will be watching YOU decorate cookies at the speed of light next time I am browsing a social media platform.

Basic Knowledge and Terminology!

In order to understand how to add dimension to cookies, it is important to understand some basic cookie terminology.

• Base Flooding: This term is exactly what it sounds like. The base flooding is the base layer of your cookie. Simple enough, right? Typically when applying a base flood layer, you will be using a more liquid-based royal icing than you would with piping. You don't want it to thin or else it will run right off the sides of your cookies. Trust me, this is the most frustrating thing in crunch time. Take the time to obtain the right consistency!! The consistency you are looking for is almost like honey. You want the royal icing to run off your spoon but in a more controlled manner. 

Here is an example of base flooding. No details, no dimensions, just a strong base.

*Click on the photos for a clearer image!

• Detailed Portions: All of your detailed portions are probably going to be raised. The easiest way to produce clean and precise dimensional details is by using a piping outline before you begin to flood once again. Think of it like making a sketch before creating your artistic masterpiece. I always draw on an outline with piping on all my cookies, allow some dry time, and then fill in sections with another layer of flooding. 

For example, here is my piping outline.

Once that piping dries, I go back and begin to flood another layer.

• Dimension with Sections: One of the best ways to achieve life-like-looking cookies, is to create dimension through sections of cookies. For example, a pumpkin isn't completely round and smooth. There are ridges between sections. Surprisingly, this type of look isn't hard to achieve with icing, it just requires a great deal of patience and attention to detail. When I go to flood a shape like a pumpkin, I pipe all of the sections first. I then go back and flood sections that don't touch each other. Using the example of a pumpkin, I would flood the first and third sections because they don't touch. I would allow these to completely dry and then go back to flood the other two sections. And just like that...you have a pumpkin with sections that look realistic. 

Here is the said pumpkin example. You can see the original piping before any flooding is applied.

In the final product, you can see how much dimension by section adds to the final product.

Wedding dresses are another great example of applying dimension! By piping sections in phases, the dress takes on a more fluid shape that looks like it is layered.

• Cratering: Let me tell you, cratering is my biggest enemy. I have talked about cratering in one of my past blogs, but in short, cratering is when your royal icing has bubbles that inevitably become trapped in the layer of icing you are working with. As a result of them being trapped, they can create holes that are really frustrating to deal with. Dealing with cookie craters is definitely a learning process and I still haven't 100% mastered preventing them. Ten times out of ten, your cratering with occur when you are adding a detailed or raised layer on your cookie. A few ways you can try to avoid them is by not overmixing the icing, popping air bubbles before the royal icing dries, poking small holes in your dried base flooding to even out the surface tension, etc. 

If you look up close on the leaves of these flowers, you can spot some slight cratering. Cratering happens to us all at one time or another, so don't beat yourself up over it. A lot of the time I feel like the only person noticing the quote on quote mess up is the baker. Don't fret over cratering, it is truly a learning process!

Timing is Everything!

The biggest and most important thing to remember when adding dimension to your cookies is to allow enough time to make it happen! In order to avoid color bleeding, cratering, etc. you have to leave yourself enough dry time in-between portions. Cookie decorating has taught me to be a very patient person because, without patience, your cookies are at risk of being a royal mess. Because of the necessary dry time needed, don't be afraid to make a detailed schedule of your cookie-making process. I find it helpful to list out every little step I am doing day by day. This helps to ensure that you have thought through your designs and allowed enough time for everything to be created to its maximum potential. 

Learn Something New?

For those of you that posed questions about dimension and raised elements, I genuinely hope that this information helped answer your questions. If not, let me know what else you are wondering about! I am so happy to share. I came to Starbucks at the break of dawn this morning thinking I would just write a short and informative blog post. As I am now looking at the clock, I have realized I have been working on this post for more than two hours and wrote double the length I intended to. You know you are truly passionate about something when time seems to fly by and you are engrossed in the task you are doing. All of this to say, I love cookies and I love answering everyone's questions concerning my sweet craft! 

Keep the questions coming! Have a wonderful day and bake today a great one!

🤍, LJay