Decorated Vegetable Cookies

ByHani Updated on

Inspired by our beautiful vegetable garden I made Decorated Vegetable Cookies.

Cookies decorated with royal icing that look like vegetables on a marbled kitchen counter.

I decided to pick some of my favorite garden vegetables and turn them into delicious colorful vegetable cookies. Truth to be told I’ve been meaning to make decorated vegetable cookies for a really long time and so I’m super exited that I finally did it!

You see over the years we grew a wide range of vegetables in our raised bed vegetable garden. We harvested hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, yellow and sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, red beets, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, garlic, lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, beans, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, gourmet squash and the list continues. And so making decorated vegetable cookies is my way of paying homage to our pride and joy, our one of a kind Vegetable Garden.

MAKE DECORATED VEGETABLE COOKIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Decorated sugar cookies that look like vegetable in a white basket.

VEGETABLE COOKIE CUTTERS

I prepared my cookies dough and I started to look thru my cutters to cut out cookies so I could make my decorated vegetable cookies. Having been decorating cookies for over a decade I was surprised I only had few vegetable cutters. Instead of rushing to the store or ordering online the shapes I needed I decided to reclaim my spare metal cutters. I’ve already experimented with reshaping when I made a cutter for my Decorated S’mores Cookies, so let’s try it again, shall we?

Metal cookies cutter on a marble kitchen counter and baked cookies on a cooling rack.

HOW TO MAKE A CUSTOM COOKIE CUTTER

To reshape my old metal cutters I used pliers. To bend the metal you can also utilize wooden utensils, for example rolling pin, spoon handle, meat thinner(metal part). Basically anything that will help you achieve the shape you want.

Three types of small pliers on a kitchen counter.

When choosing the cutters I also looked for familiarity in both shapes : old versus new. For example I used a diamond ring to make an onion because it was round. It eliminated an extra step of shaping a round. And I find shaping a round from a tree cutter would be rather difficult, (step 1-2).

Then to make the pea pod cutter I used a tree cutter, (step 3-4). This tree metal cutter wasn’t made from a super heavy metal so it was fairly easy to flatten. What attracted me to this tree cutter was the bottom tree trunk. It seemed like a good shape for the pea stem and calyx.

Although it seems unlikely football helmet cutter was a good size for the radish/red beets cutter, (step 6-7).

I used a tree cutter to shape a bed pepper cutter, (step 7-8). What made me decided to use this cutter? Again it was the tree trunk.

I should mention how I reshaped coated metal cutters. I have to say coated cutters are bit more difficult to work with. To protect the coating I used folded plastic wrap underneath the pliers when shaping the metal. And this seemed to do the trick and I didn’t damage the coating, in most part. However, this extra layer of coating makes the metal a bit more resistant and you have to use more force to bend it the way you want.

Metal cookie cutters on a kitchen counter.

I used a pencil cutter to make a garlic cookie cutter, (step 1-2). You can use small cylindrical objects like wooden spoon handle to help with shaping of the rounded shapes.

Lastly, I used a wedding gown cutter to make a large broccoli cutter, (step 3-4). What caught my attention was the bustier section, it seemed like a good broccoli stalk.

Metal cookies cutters on a kitchen counter.

TOMATO COOKIE CUTTER

I constructed a tomato cookie shape using 2 cookie cutters. Red cutter is a pumpkin and my second cutter is a small fall leaf. Cut out the stem on the pumpkin cutter with a small leaf cutter, (step 1-2). And then replace it with a leaf shape cut out, (step 3). Bake as usual, (step 4).

Constructing a tomato cookie using two cutter.

BAKE SUGAR COOKIES

To make the vegetable cookies I used my Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe. You can use number of delicious roll out cookie recipes.

Baked sugar cookies on a kitchen counter.

ROYAL ICING

To decorate my garden vegetable cookies I prepared my Royal Icing Recipe. I colored the icing with gel food colors. I then thinned it down with water to different consistencies and I filled my disposable piping bags.

Colorful royal icing in piping bags.

HOW TO CUT A TIPLESS PIPING BAG FOR COOKIE DECORATING

Let’s me show you how I like to cut my disposable piping bags for cookie decorating

  • 1. Find a seam on a piping bag
  • 2-5. Press the seam in the middle
  • 6-7. Cut the tip straight across
  • 8. Gently wiggle the cut section to shape it after it’s been flatten
Showing how to cut a disposable piping bag.

BROCCOLI COOKIES

Start by drawing the outlines with an edible marker. I used black marker. I generally prefer using brown marker to draw my outlines but for the tutorial purposes I used black so it’s clearly visible, (step 1-2).

With light green (15-20 second consistency) outline and flood the stalk. Smooth the icing with a scribe needle tool. Then pipe white icing (15-20 second consistency) onto the wet light green. Blend it into the green and allow to crust for 20 minutes, (step 3-7). After it’s crusted use dark green icing (20 second consistency) and pipe the florets’ outlines and let crust again for 5 minutes, (step 8).

Piping icing on the stalk part of the broccoli cookie.

Flood every other floret with a medium green and bright/electric green (20 second consistency). Taking care not to pipe over the outlines. Marble colors together while wet.

Piping two shades of green icing onto broccoli florets.

After that continue flooding every other floret and allow to crust for 15 minutes. Then flood remaining florets, taking care not to pipe icing on the dark green outlines, (step 1-2). Allow to crust well for 1 hour.

Sugar cookie in a shape of broccoli decorated with royal icing.

Now you can pipe small details on the stalk with light green icing piping consistency, (step 1). And make small leaves with dark green icing 20 second consistency, (step 2-4). Then you pipe dots onto the florets with a medium green icing (25 second).

Piping leaves onto broccoli cookie.

RED BEETS COOKIES

To color my icing this beautiful deep red I use ProGel Claret Food Coloring.

First, flood the cookie with deep red icing (15 second consistency). Then distribute the icing with a needle tool and shape the top while the icing is wet, (step 1-4). Pipe light red on the side and blend it with a needle tool to create shading, (step 5-8). Allow icing to crust.

TIP : Dark red icing can take a little longer to dry. If possible use a small fan to promote air circulation and faster drying of icing. Learn more about royal icing – ROYAL ICING FAQ.

Flooding a cookie shaped like red beets with red icing.

Pipe the leaves with bright/electric green royal icing (20 second consistency). Smooth the icing with a needle tool (step 1-3). Then immediately pipe a red stem (20 second consistency) from the top of the red beet and onto the middle of the leaf, (step 4). Use a tip of a needle tool to shape the end of the red line to the point, (step 5). And then pull red icing into the green creating small branches, (step 6-8).

TIP : If you don’t have an electric green food coloring make bright yellow royal icing and add a touch of leaf green to make a bright green.

Piping bright green leaves.

Repeat the process and create 2nd leaf, (step 1-2). Then allow leaves to crust and make additional leaves between the 2 first leaves, (step 3). Let crust again for 5 minutes and then outline the bottom with piping consistency claret red royal icing, (step 4-6)

Pulling a tip of a needle tool thru red icing and into green.

RED ONION SLICE COOKIES

To make the slice design I used my favorite wet on wet royal icing technique.

Start by drawing outlines onto the cookies. Use an edible marker. Then outline and flood the top part with a purple icing of 20 second consistency, (step 1-3). Now take ivory icing ( 20 second consistency) and a flood a small triangular shape at the bottom, (step 4). Flood the inside with white icing 15 second consistency, ( step 5- 8). Don’t allow icing to crust and move to the next step right away.

TIP : To make purple I used Regal Purple by Americolor. Don’t have purple? Use electric pink and sky blue gel colors instead.

Decorating a sugar cookie shaped like an onion with purple and white royal icing.

Now we are going to pipe circles onto the wet white icing. I used light purple icing (15 second consistency). Start piping lines at the bottom. And use a small ivory triangular shape as your starting point, (step 1-4). Often more icing accumulates at the starting line, if this is the case use a needle tool to gently smooth the pointy section, (step 5). Allow icing to crust well, (step 6).

TIP : When piping wet on wet lines be sure make a small opening on the piping bag, equivalent to round piping tip #1 or even smaller.

Piping thin lines with light purple icing onto white icing.

Divide top section into 3 sections with an edible marker, (step 1). Then flood every other section with green icing (20 to 25 second consistency). Use a scribe tool to shape the icing while wet. Allow to crust for 10 minutes, (step 2-4). Then flood the middle section, (step 5). And let icing dry before packaging cookies, (step 6).

Piping green stalks on a sugar cookie that looks like an red onion.

YELLOW ONION COOKIES

To make yellow onion cookies I used wet on wet design. And I used 2 shades of orange-brown icing and light brown-orange icing.

Start by drawing an outline with an edible marker. Then take dark orange-brown icing (15 second consistency) and outline the cookies, leaving a moon shape section on the left unfilled. Flood the moon shape section with light orange-brown icing (15 second consistency). Immediately start distributing icing with a needle tool. Smooth it out and blend the colors together creating shading. Don’t allow icing to crust, move on the next step right away.

TIP : To color orange-brown icing I first colored my icing with orange food color and then a I added a minuscule amount of brown until I was happy with the color.

Outlining and flooding a sugar cookie that looks like an onion with orange brown icing.

Similarly like in the red onion design pipe curved lines with a light brown-orange icing (15 second consistency). Start at the middle bottom and use this point for the reference when piping the lines, (step 1-3). Immediately after you pipe the lines take a needle tool and run a tip of a needle tool thru the lines. Especially where they appear bulky, (4-5). Allow to crust well.

TIP : To color brown-orange icing I used light brown icing as my base and I added a tiny amount of orange to it. Make it more brown than orange.

Piping fine lines onto orange icing with brown icing.

Divide top of the cookie into sections, (step 1). Then flood every other section with green royal icing (20 to 25 second consistency). Use a scribe tool to shape the icing while wet. Allow to crust for 10 minutes, (step 2-5). Flood the remaining sections, allow to crust again. Outline cookie with a piping consistency orange-brown icing, (step 6). Then pipe a short zigzag line on the bottom middle of the cookie with brown-orange icing,(step 7-8).

Piping green stalks on top of a sugar cookie that looks like an onion.

SNAP PEAS COOKIES

Start by piping large dots of green icing (25 second consistency). Pipe them closer to the flatter edge of the cookie, (step 1). Smooth the tops if needed and allow to crust well, (2-3).

Piping large green dots on a cookie that looks like peas.

Now outline cookie with a dark green 20 second consistency icing, (step 1-2). And immediately flood cookie with a medium green icing (20 second consistency). Pipe the icing on top of the crusted dots first, and then around the edges. Try not to overfill the cookie, (step 3-5). Use a food only paint brush to distribute the icing, (step 6). Tap the cookie on the surface to even out the icing and allow to crust well, (step 7-8).

Piping green icing onto a cookie shaped like a pea.

Outline and flood the calyx with dark green icing (20 second consistency), (step 1-3). Use a needle tool to shape the icing, (step 4-7). Let dry, (step 8).

Piping a green calyx on a cookie.

CARROT COOKIES

Outline and flood bottom of the cookie with dark orange icing (15 second consistency) then pipe a line of light orange icing (15 second consistency) on the side, (step 1-2). Marble 2 colors together to create shading. Use a needle tool to distribute the icing. Let icing crust, (step 3-6).

Flooding a cookie with two shades of orange icing.

Outline and flood the top part with green icing (20 second consistency), allow to crust, (step 1-4). Then pipe the leaves with piping consistency green icing, (step 5-8).

Piping teardrop shaped leaves onto a cookies.

TOMATO COOKIES

Draw the leaf outline onto a cookie with edible marker, (step 1). Outline and flood the cookie with red icing (15 second consistency). Smooth the icing, (step 2-3). And them pipe light red line on the sides. Blend into the dark red with a needle tool to create shading. Allow to crust, (4-6).

Outlining and flooding a cookie that is shaped like a tomato with red icing.

Outline and flood the leaf section. Shape the leaves with a needle tool. Allow to crust and then outline with green icing (piping consistency).

Shaping green royal icing into a calyx shape.

RADISHES COOKIES

Outline and flood the cookie with red and white icing. Distribute and blend the icing with a needle tool. Shape the top while icing is wet, (step 1-4). Pipe light red onto the left side and blend into dark red. Allow icing to crust, (step 5-8).

Flooding a radish shaped cookie with red and white icing and blending them together with a needle tool.

Draw the leaves outlines onto the cookie with a brown edible marker. Outline and flood the leaf with dark green icing (20 second consistency). Shape icing while wet. Immediately pipe bright green icing lines onto the wet dark green, (step 4-5). With a needle tool shape the bright green lines. Allow to crust and then continue with the second and then 3rd leaf.

Flooding a green leaf then piping light green lines on top of it and shaping the lines with a needle tool.

Be sure to let leaf design crust before you pipe another leaf next to it. This ensures that icing won’t blend together and there will be a definition in the piped design. Allow to crust (1-4). Outline with red icing piping consistency, (step 5-6).

Outlining a cookie with icing.

CUCUMBER COOKIES

Cucumber cookies are super easy. All you have to do is outline and flood the cookie with dark green icing (15 second consistency). Then pipe lighter green lines onto wet dark green. Use a needle tool and a zigzag motion to marble light green into dark green, (step 4-6). Immediately pipe a small rounded section with an ivory icing 20 second consistency, (step 7). Allow to fully dry.

Flooding a cookie with green icing, then piping lighter icing on the top and blending it together.

CUCUMBER SLICE COOKIES

To make sliced cucumber cookies first pipe an outline with dark green icing, 20 second consistency, (step 1-2). Then flood the middle with light green icing (15 second consistency). Pipe a line across the middle with medium green icing, (step 4). Marble medium green with light green creating a marbled center, (step 4-6). Then pipe a white icing (15 second consistency) across. Allow icing to crust well.

Filling a cookie with light green icing, then marbling the middle with darker green.

Now you can pipe small white teardrop shapes for the seeds on both sides of white line (step 1-4)

Piping white teardrop shapes for the seeds on a cookie.

BELL PEPPER COOKIES

Draw the segments and a stem with an edible marker. Outline and flood the stem with green icing (20 second consistency). Shape with a needle tool. Allow to crust, (1-6)

Piping a stem with green icing onto a bell pepper shaped cookie.

Outline and flood every other segment with red icing (15 second consistency). Then pipe light red onto the wet dark red icing. Marble it to create shading. Allow to crust.

Decorating sections on a cookie that looks like a bell pepper with red icing.

Outline and flood remaining segments. Allow to crust again, (step 1-5). Then flood small sections on the sides of the green stem with red icing (20 second consistency). Use a needle tool to shape the icing, (step 6-7). Allow to crust, (step 8).

Piping a lighter red icing onto dark red icing and marbling it to create shading.

Outline the stem with green icing, piping consistency, (step 1-2).

Outlining a stem on a pepper shaped cookie with a green icing.

GARLIC COOKIES

When you turn this cutter upside down you can also use it make a small brocoli.

Draw the outlines onto a cookie with and edible marker, (step 1). Outline and flood with white icing ( 15-20 second consistency). Smooth the icing with a needle tool, (step 2-4). Then use light mushroom colored icing and pipe curved lines onto wet white icing. Lines will sink into the white base, (step 5-6). Lastly, carefully run a tip of a needle tool thru mushroom lines as to accentuate the ends. Allow to crust, (step 7-8).

TIP : To make mushroom color I colored white icing with a minuscule amount of black to get very light gray. Then I added a minuscule amount of brown. Stir well. To make color lighter add more white icing to it.

Flooding a garlic shaped cookie with white icing and piping darker lines onto the white.

Divide top stem section with an edible marker (step 1). Outline and flood one section with dark green (20 second consistency). Shape icing while wet. Allow to crust, (step 2 -6). Then flood the second stem, (step 7-8).

Filling the stems on a garlic cookie with green icing.

Outline cookie with white icing piping consistency, (step 1 -6).

Outlining a garlic shaped cookie with white icing.

I had so much fun making these decorated vegetable cookies.

Cookies decorated with royal icing on a marble kitchen counter.

TO MAKE DECORATED VEGETABLE COOKIES YOU NEED

COLLABORATION WITH COOKIELICIOUS

Today I’m collaborating with Natalia from Cookielicious. We both made decorated vegetable cookies. Natalia made mini and super cute Vegetable Cookie Platter for our collaboration. And you can check out more adorable cookies on her YouTube Channel.

Mini decorated cookies arranged on a platter.

MORE DECORATED COOKIE IDEAS :

Cookies decorated with royal icing that look like vegetables displayed in a white basket.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love. Learn more about my affiliate policy here.

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