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Graduation Cap Cookies

ByHani Updated on

Celebrate the academic achievement of your graduate with decorated graduation cap cookies. Classic graduation cap cookie features a design that resembles the traditional graduation cap, with a square-shaped cookie base decorated with a tassel. And if you are playful, you can dress them up – they can be personalized with the name, school logo, embellished with flowers, or fun messages.

Six decorated cookies, displayed on a marble slab.

HOW TO DECORATE GRADUATION CAP COOKIES

The simplest way to make royal icing decorated graduation cap cookies is to use a graduation cap cookie cutter. There are several cutters on the market. My cutter is very traditionally shaped with a square-shaped base and a tassel on the side.

An undecorated sugar cookie.

I’ve done several decorated graduation cap cookies in the past (see the bottom of the post for inspiration). I wanted to try something new and exciting.

A graduation cap topper is a perfect canvas to express oneself. Graduates often creatively decorate their caps to make them uniquely their own. I found so many different ones on the internet. I’ve seen some embellished with flowers, paintings, and fun or inspiring messages. I was hooked when I saw several caps inspired by Pac-Man, a classic arcade game. So, today I’ll share how to create GAME OVER graduation cap cookies. If you prefer not include a playful message, you can skip it and keep these more traditional.

Decorated graduation cookies on a marble slab.

DECORATE GRADUATION CAP: TOPPER AND BASE

If you struggle with visualizing outlines use an edible marker to draw the topper outline. And then outline and flood the topper with 15-second consistency black icing (steps 1-6). Immediately follow with the next step, don’t allow icing to crust. How to make black icing?

Outlining a section of a cookie and flooding it with black icing.

Create a yellow dotted border around the topper. Use 15-second consistency bright yellow icing. This technique is called wet-on-wet, meaning you pipe wet yellow icing onto the wet black base. Yellow icing sinks into the black base, creating a seamless finish (steps 1-8).

Piping yellow dots onto black icing.

Let the icing crust before decorating the bottom section. Again, if you need a little help finding the bearings on the cookie, use an edible marker to draw the outline and then outline and flood with black icing. Use a scribe tool to smooth and shape the icing while wet (steps 1-6). Allow icing to dry overnight.

TIP: If you are in a rush you can let it dry till surface is dry to the touch and continue with the next step, however don’t put any pressure on the surface as icing underneath the crust is still wet.

Decorating a cookie with black icing.

HOW TO WRITE ON COOKIES: USE A TEMPLATE

To have perfectly centered writing on the cookies, you can use a projector (via Borderlands Bakery). You can implement this simple cardstock template method if you don’t have a projector. Trace the cutter shape onto a cardstock, cut it out, and cut out the section where you want to position your message.

First, lay the template on top of the topper cookie section. Then with a 25-30 second consistency white icing and a PME piping tip #1.5 pipe GAME OVER. Carefully lift the cardstock template (steps 1-8).

TIP: Practice writing on a piece of paper or parchment first and then move onto cookies.

Piping letters with royal icing.

For some bling, immediately after piping, dust the letters with edible glitter (The Sugar Art Diamond Dust – details are in the tools section at the bottom of the tutorial).

A brush dipped in edible sparkle dust.

NEON LIGHT EFFECT WITH ROYAL ICING

To create a neon light effect, pipe small white dots (25-30 second consistency) in the middle, on top of the yellow dots (steps 1-3).

Piping white dots on top of the yellow dots.

With piping consistency, bright royal blue icing outline the topper (steps 1-3).

Outlining a cookie with blue icing.

HOW TO MAKE A GRADUATION CAP TASSEL WITH ROYAL ICING

Did you know that the graduation cap tassel dates back to the 14th century (via Tassel Depot). Back then, tassels were used to celebrate the different levels of academic achievements. Nowadays, the tassel’s color usually coincides with the school’s color.

A cookie partly decorated with royal icing.

To make the tassel I used piping consistency red royal icing and a PME piping tip #1.5. First pipe the straight line, start in the middle of the topper and bring the line where the tassel section starts (steps 1-2). Pipe a small dot over the line in the center of the topper (step 3). Next, make the fringe, pipe short lines/threads of icing, keeping the lines apart at the bottom and connected at the top. Layer lines on top of each other (steps 5-8).

Piping a tassel with red icing.

Make a coiled piece with thick ivory royal icing and PME piping tip #1.5. To pipe the coil, pipe small loops of icing, partly stacking the loop on the previous loop (steps 1-4).

Piping a coil design with ivory icing and a metal piping tip.

Finish the tassel and pipe the neck. Make sure to pipe red lines as if coming from the coiled piece (steps 1-5). Let the icing dry.

Piping a red tassel with icing.

PAINT TASSEL WITH GOLD LUSTER DUST

Mix gold luster dust with little bit of Everclear to make edible gold paint (steps 1-3).

A small paint palette with and edible gold luster dust.

With a food-only paintbrush, paint the coil with gold edible paint. (steps 1-3).

Painting a royal icing coil with gold edible paint.

ROYAL ICING TRANSFERS: HOW TO MAKE YELLOW PAC-MAN

To complete this graduation cap design, I attached cute yellow pac-man onto the cookie with a dot of icing. You can make this popular fictional character as royal icing transfer.

Place the template into a smooth protector sheet and pipe directly onto the protector sheet. With 20 to 25-second consistency, yellow icing pipe the face. You can make the eye right after with black icing or wait for the yellow to dry and then draw the eye with a black edible marker. Let icing dry and then carefully remove pac-man decorations from the acetate (steps 1-8).

Piping yellow icing onto a transfer sheet.

ATTACH PAC-MAN DECORATION

Turn the pac-man over and pipe a dot of icing on the underside. Attach it onto a cookie (step 1-3). Then with a black edible marker draw an eye (steps 4-5).

Gluing yellow royal icing transfer onto a cookie.

Pair these graduation cap cookies with simple diploma cookies (via Lila Loa) .

A close-up of decorated cookies.

Did you make these Decorated Cookies? Tag @hanielas on Instagram and hashtag it #hanielas

CREATIVE GRADUATION CAP COOKIE DESIGNS

Here are the graduation cap cookies from the past. Blue is also a very traditional color, along with a gold tassel. I used a grass piping tip and stiff icing to make the tassel skirt. It’s so quick and easy. Have you tried it?

Blue graduation cap cookies.

In this design, I incorporated the school’s track team logo. Similarly, like with pac-man I made shoe as royal icing transfer and then attached the track shoe onto the cookie.

Cookies decorated with black icing and a team logo.

To make this cookie I was asked to replicate hand painted Penn State University graduation cap topper design onto a square cookie.

Graduation cap cookie with a painted design.

MORE CREATIVE DECORATED COOKIE IDEAS

TOOLS YOU NEED TO MAKE GRADUATION CAP COOKIES

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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