Decorating Techniques: Sugaring

Sugaring, Sanding, Flocking... it all means the same thing: Gorgeous, sparkling cookies! I really love to use sugar on my cookies because it's such an easy way to add something special without a lot of work. Basically, to "sugar" cookies you need frosting and sanding sugar. The main rule to remember is that sugar adheres to wet frosting and not to dry frosting. You want to make sure that all areas where you don't want sugar are very dry before adding the sugar. If I'm glazing a cookie and then adding piping that will be sugared, I let the glaze dry for several hours before adding the embellishments. Here are the basic steps to sugaring.

1. Pipe or glaze the area that you want sugared. Make sure that all other areas are very dry.

2. Place the cookie on a piece of waxed paper and sprinkle desired color of sugar over fresh piping or glaze.

3. Pick up cookie and lightly tap with your fingers to remove excess sugar.

4. Use a small artist's brush to remove any sugar that remains on areas that should not have sugar. Let dry and add any remaining decoration.

Hint: To avoid waste, use the wax paper to funnel excess sugar back into the jar. To avoid mixing colors use one sanding sugar color at a time, and clean up between colors.