This philosophy applies to sugar cookies, too. Why spend hours piping out the most painstakingly perfect snow-dusted pine tree if it isn’t even edible? Enter tie dye icing. Enjoy decorated cookies that look more high-maintenance than they are. Bonus: They are nearly impossible to screw up. Here’s how to execute the cutest tie dye sugar cookies. After you’ve mixed the dough and rolled it out, choose any style of cookie cutter you like and cut into shapes. Use traditional holiday shapes or go with a star, square, or even a retro T-shirt shape. Simple circles are a great option for amateurs—not only are they easy to ice, but the tie-dye effect really pops on a round shape. No cookie cutters? Simply use the rim of a drinking glass to stamp out perfect circles of dough before baking—or make your own cookie cutters from scratch. Alternatively, you can mix the dough and store it in the fridge for up to four days, or freeze it for up to three months. Purchase pre-made icing in various colors or make it yourself. If you choose to DIY a basic royal icing, scoop it into separate bowls, one for each color you’d like to use, and stir food dye into each one. For an all-natural dye option, add 1 tablespoon of beet juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, or a teaspoon of turmeric for every 1/2 cup of icing. Feel free to leave one icing white, too—it adds brightness and contrast to the colorful cookies. Next, transfer each color of icing to its own piping bag and add a small-sized round tip to the corner, or scoop it into empty microwave-safe squeeze bottles. Do a quick piping test on a cutting board or paper towel—if your icing feels excessively firm or thick, you can heat the filled bottles in the microwave in five-second increments until it’s easier to work with. Grab your next color, and pipe around the inside of the circle you just drew. Continue drawing these circles, alternating icing colors, until you reach the center of your cookie—it should look like a colorful target. Variation in color and texture will add to the final tie-dye effect. Just make sure to complete each circle around the cookie. Remember: These lines don’t need to be perfect. Repeat this dragging method around the cookie, this time starting on the edge of the cookie and tracing towards the center. Wipe off the tip as needed. If you want to keep going, go right ahead. Continue dragging in and out to enhance the tie dye effect, draw a swirl in the center, or add sprinkles on top of the cookie.
