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Cookie Decorating 101

There are hundreds of great ways to decorate holiday cookies—that's the fun part! Luckily, most of them are based on just a few simple decorating techniques. They aren't hard, but they do require a little patience and, sometimes, a steady hand. 

There are hundreds of great ways to decorate holiday cookies—that's the fun part! Luckily, most of them are based on just a few simple decorating techniques. They aren't hard, but they do require a little patience and, sometimes, a steady hand. 

1. For a smooth, evenly glazed cookies, spoon a little glaze on the center of the cookies, then spread it out in an even layer using the back of the spoon. 

2. After glazing the cookies, sprinkle with crushed candy canes, colored sugar, or chopped nuts. 

3. To add detail to a cut-out cookie, spoon some glaze into a zipper-lock bag, push it to a bottom corner, and snip off the corner of the bag with scissors to make a piping bag. 

4. After you've piped outlines onto a cookie, go back and fill in with colored glazes. This technique also works well for gingerbread people or Christmas trees. 

5. To add textural detail, run a fluted pastry wheel lightly over the surface of the cookie before it's baked. This not only makes pretty garlands on a Christmas tree, but it can also create a quilted effect on a round cookie if done with an angled crosshatch pattern. 

6. Place glaze in a zipper-lock bag, pip small dots on the cookies then top with shiny, bead-like decorations. When set, the glaze will hold the beads in place. 

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