The Best Cookie Decorating Tools You Can Buy
Updated: Jan. 29, 2021Even the most talented bakers need more than a butter knife. Check out some of the best cookie decorating tools on the market and learn how to up your decorating game!
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Scriber
You may not know the official name of this decorating tool, but if you’ve ever watched a cookie decorating video on social media, you’ve seen a scriber. This small, sharp scriber tool ($5) is used to even out flooded icing and draw small designs. Scribers are very affordable and can have a significant impact on your cookie decorating process. Try it out on these sugar cookies!
Multicolor Icing Kit
The first rule of next-level cookie decorating is to always make your icing. (Find out how we make royal icing.) And forget food coloring—which can thin out your icing—and instead opt for specialized gels. This 12-color icing kit ($15) comes with different shades and individual storage jars to ensure your colors don’t mix. Before you decorate cookies, read up on these cookie decorating tips.
Silicone Scraper
Whether you’re scraping the last bit of cookie dough from the mixing bowl or digging deep to get all the icing out of your canister, a silicone scraper ($7) can get into nooks and crannies like no one’s business.
Decorating Set
If you’re just getting into cookie decorating, you want a comprehensive suite of tools to get you started. This deluxe decorating set ($21) comes with an offset spatula, an array of piping bags and 18 different piping tips. Psst! Here’s how to use a piping bag like a pro.
Piping Pen
If your piping skills are a little more advanced, opt for a more specialized icing tool, like a piping pen ($10). This tool gives you more control over your decorating area, with a grip that allows you to firmly and precisely create intricate details.
Cookie Decorating Book
The best tool at your disposal is knowledge. Well, knowledge and a detailed how-to guide. Pick up a cookie decorating encyclopedia ($13), complete with photos, descriptions and tips that will help you decorate with ease (and finesse). Find even more inspiration by browsing our best cookie recipes of all time.
Cookie Stencils
Ever wonder how some cookie artists managed to make such intricate designs and perfect angles? Here’s the secret: Cookie stencils ($25). You can pick up sets with numbers, letters and even drawings. Then, when someone asks, “how did you get such straight lines?” you get to be the person who giggles and says, “Steady hand, I guess.”
Brush Set
Did you know you can use paintbrushes on cookies? You can and you should. Well—not actual paintbrushes, but specialized brushes made for icing, like this 5-piece brush set ($8). The brushes are ideal for creating gradient and subtle patterns.
Cookie Cutters
You can’t go wrong with the classics. Cookie cutters are timeless, and there’s a reason—they work. Get a high-quality cookie cutter set ($16) that forms shapes you’d have a hard time doing freehand, like letters. Stainless steel will last for years, and they’re breezy to clean (just make sure you dry them well!). Wondering what other cookie cutters you need? Check out the cookie cutters you absolutely must own.
Cutting Tool
Excited to ditch the cookie cutters altogether in favor of your own artistic talent? More power to you—but make sure you pick up a sharp and effective tool, like a cookie cutting tool ($9) that allows you the dexterity and precision you need to shape your own treats.
Cookie Stamps
If your grandmother was an avid baker, there’s a chance you’ve seen a set of cookie stamps ($39) in the kitchen. These vintage tools are great for adding dimension to your cookies. Even better, they can craft shapes that hold icing well, allowing you to add your own creative and colorful flair to an old-fashioned recipe. And if you love vintage baking? Check out these vintage baking recipes worth trying.
Cookie Press
Speaking of fun vintage baking tools you need, consider picking up a cookie press for an easy and quick way to make dozens of decorative cookies. Modern cookie presses ($17) come with dozens of discs that allow you to create spritz cookies in various shapes. Use your favorite cookie decorating tools—like brushes and scribers—to add additional flair.
Squeeze Bottles
If you’re making your own royal icing, you’ll want to apply it in a controlled manner—this icing is tricky, so you want to be precise. We like using these squeeze writer bottles ($12), which allow you to be precise when applying an edge, but firm when filling it in.
Airbrush Kit
If you’re ready to take your cookie decorating to the next level—and we’re talking “Getting ready to audition for the Great British Bake Off” level—start looking at tools that will give you a bakery-style finish, like an airbrush kit ($90). This tool is serious business, but it can provide some very cool coloring and texture to your next bake. And if you love a challenge, we recommend trying these recipes that belong on your baking bucket list.
