Technicolor Cookies   Recipe (2024)

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated Dec. 7, 2023

Technicolor Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes, plus 7 hours chilling and setting
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 20 minutes, plus 7 hours chilling and setting
Rating
4(690)
Notes
Read community notes

Cookies artfully decorated with royal icing are a holiday classic, but their fine details and beautiful colors can take hours to achieve. Not with these gorgeous cookies. Once the icing is made and stained, it takes only a few minutes to decorate. The icing is simply poured over the cookies, a technique inspired by the one used to pour swirly colors of mirror glaze over smooth cakes. (For a quicker alternative to royal icing, simply dip or drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate.) No two cookies will be the same, and that’s a big part of the charm. Underneath the exterior is a crisp, satisfying shortbread flavored with heaps of bright orange zest and quintessential winter spices.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 48 cookies

    For the Cookies

    • cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
    • teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • teaspoons ground ginger
    • ¾teaspoon ground cardamom or 1 teaspoon freshly crushed cardamom
    • ½teaspoon baking powder
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • ¾cup/169 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
    • 2tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (from about 2 large navel oranges)
    • 2teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1large egg, at room temperature

    For the Royal Icing

    • 6cups/680 grams powdered sugar (1½ pounds)
    • 6tablespoons/50 grams meringue powder
    • 4different colors of gel food coloring

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking powder and salt.

  2. Step

    2

    In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract and egg. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat until combined.

  3. Step

    3

    Set a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Set the dough on top and cover with another piece of parchment. Roll dough into an even ¼-inch-thick rectangle, squaring off the edges. Set the dough, still sandwiched in parchment, on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 30 minutes.

  4. Step

    4

    Prepare the royal icing: Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add ⅔ cup water and beat with an electric mixer on medium until thick and glossy, about 7 minutes. Check the consistency of the icing: When you drizzle the icing over itself, it should take 10 seconds to reincorporate. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time as necessary, to reach that consistency.

  5. Step

    5

    Separate icing into 5 bowls and tint 4 as desired, leaving one white. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

  6. Step

    6

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  7. Step

    7

    Pull the dough from the fridge, and, working quickly, cut dough into 1-by-2½-inch rectangles. If dough is still cold, separate rectangles and place on prepared baking sheets ¼ inch apart. If the dough has gotten warm, chill (or freeze) it until cold before baking.

  8. Step

    8

    Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Set the rack over a parchment-lined sheet and line up the cookies, sides touching, in rows of 8.

  9. Step

    9

    Set another rack over a parchment- lined sheet. Into a small (4-inch- diameter) bowl, spoon some of each color so you have several parallel bands of colored icing. (Cover any unused icing.) Pour icing in thin ribbons over the cookies moving left to right, then right to left and back again, filling in holes, until you run out. Repeat with more icing. Immediately and carefully separate cookies, one by one, with an offset spatula and transfer to the clean rack.

  10. Step

    10

    Let the cookies stand at room temperature, uncovered, until set, at least 6 hours.

Tip

  • Make the dough and refrigerate it, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month. Alternatively, you can freeze the baked cookies, without icing, well wrapped for up to 3 months.

Ratings

4

out of 5

690

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Gayle

As a cake decorator, I would use this icing instead: 2 cups sifted (yes, you need to do this) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1- 2 tablespoons milk or water, 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla or almond extract. Mix til smooth using a spatula or portable mixer. Adjust to pourable thickness with addtl water or sifted sugar. Color and apply as directed in NYT recipe. This icing tastes good, dries hard, but isn't brittle like royal icing. Let the cookies dry overnight before packaging.

Jennifer Nagel

I just made these stunning cookies and they are delicious. It did take time to make them. The dough needs to be chilled for 30 minutes, the cookies cooled after they are baked, the icing rested, and then the icing on the cookies set for 6 hours. I’m a novice baker and the video was a big help. Especially the way the icing is layered.

Bkln Mom

I made the dough the day before, rolled between the parchment and refrigerated until I was ready to cook. Worked well and the biscuit was crisp and delicious. The royal icing was tricky --I didn't make it thin enough and didn't realize until it was all colored then globbed it on. Unfortunately, rather than technicolor, they turned out mostly brown as I tried to spread it. I think I'd err on the side of too thin rather than too thick. Or test it before you color it to make sure it pours.

SandyM

I complained to a friend yesterday that of the 7 cookie week recipes, 3 are shortbread. I was wrong to complain! This cookie is DELICIOUS. I didn’t get quite the color definition, but I limited my colors to red, green & white for Christmas so they still look quite festive. Unfortunately I have to let them dry overnight before I can try a frosted one. One change I did make was that when thinning the icing to the correct consistency, my first teaspoon was vanilla extract rather than water. Yum.

Billy Bbq

This recipe made about 3x the amount of icing we actually used

Sally Apple Pie

Fresh, raw egg whites can be contaminated with salmonella. But since the egg used in meringue powder has been dried and pasteurized, it's okay to eat without cooking. That makes it a better, safer choice to use in uncooked recipes like royal icing and other frosting recipes.

Dayle

These were fun, but I had trouble getting decent stripes of color. After some frustration, I just used a skewer to marble the colors instead and was happy with that result. If you try this, pull the skewer across the iced cookie in figure eight shapes soon after the icing has been poured.

Jessica

I reached out to the recipe author to confirm the amount of butter. She said it IS the amount listed--3/4 cup.

BakingForDecades

Do you use a hairnet when baking at home? I bet not; I've never met someone who does. But more seriously, touching one's own clean hair is not much of a hygiene risk. I'm sure she is not letting hairs fall in the food.

Hope

I made these today and they were delicious! The cookies had a wonderful flavor. The icing was a little tricky though. I didn’t have 6 hours for the icing to set up so I put them in the oven at 200 with the convection fan on. They dried out very quickly that way.

Sandra R

Royal icing. How could something so simple be such a pain? I doubled the cookie recipe, wanting to gift some. The cookies are best if really golden BROWN, ie very done. The cookies are lovely. My food gel could not achieve the strength of color needed to get the beautiful results. ( video said oil based food coloring interfering with the set of the icing. IMO this should have been in the ingredient info.) My frosting has not set after overnight. Great technique. I need to work on it!

Carlee

My cooking time for cookies was about 15-17 mins to make them less floppy. I found meringue powder for $6 at Safeway here in Oregon (Albertsons for other west coasters). The frosting is much easier than it looks! A time consuming but beautiful recipe. Worth it if you want a fun little project.

Ashley

A show stopper! Next time I will thin out the icing more so it is not so thick and sweet. I would also make sure there is space between the cookies. Thanks for this impressive cookie.

Nonnie Ronnie

So I just finished making these cookies and have lots to say!The cookie (plain) is delicious!This recipe makes WAY too much icingI left some of the cookies 1"x 2 1/2" and cut some in half as I thought they were too big to put on a plate of mixed cookies. (I think these are better)After making a mess pouring the icing over the larger cookies, I decided to thin the frosting a bit, cover all the smaller ones with white icing, and then drizzle the colors over with a fork. This is MUCH easier.

bf30

wondering if you need to let the cookies cool completely before putting the icing on...the video has the icing setting for 30 minutes and the cookies haven't yet gone in the oven...so maybe they were still hot when iced?

lexymarty

Falls short…I’d do a shortbread if I made again instead of a sugar cookie. The icing was fun and groovy but too thick and it overwhelmed the cookie. Since 10x sugar isn’t delicious, having that be the predominant flavor was underwhelming. If I make again, I’d try to give the frosting more flavor and really thin it out…of course then you run the risk of the colors blending too much and if that happens then what’s the point?

Emilia Lew

Assembly is a bit difficult but beautiful payoff. Not my favorite cookie but one of the prettiest

Cali

Absolutely delightful!! The flavors of the shortbread are phenomenal - I'd eat them on their own, happily! However, the icing is such a fun touch - I'd recommend letting them set longer than 6 hours, closer to 8.

Marion Roman

I made these cookies and they came out great! I then decided to use the same dough, make hearts for Valentine’s Day, and ice with pink, white, red, purple. They look good. The hearts are more difficult to ice than the small rectangles. But I’m curious to know if anyone found there was a lot of waste with the icing? I had a lot of wasted icing that poured over the edge, or dripped off, maybe 1/3 of the total icing was wasted. Is it just me? Is there a way to remedy?

Anita

I had so much fun making this recipe. Of all the cookies I made from NYT Cookie week, this was my favorite. The orange spice cookie was just delicious and it was a creative endeavor icing them. Like others, I had some trouble making the icing pourable and found out quickly that when I tried to use a knife to spread it out, I ended up with some grayish bits where all the colors just combined. But I can't wait to try it again, thinning the icing, and with different colors. Edible art, for sure!

Illinois

I wasn’t successful pouring the icing in layers, so I poured it in three or four stripes on each cookie then swirled with a toothpick. Looked quite beautiful!

hanny

The biscuit flavor was really nice. However, it was very tricky to get the biscuits in the right shape and the icing was difficult to pour in such a uniform way. I also felt that the icing was too thick and overwhelmed the cookies. They did look nice though.

Linda S.

I baked these right after reading the recipe. I have been a cookie/biscotti baker for 50 years but have never made anyting this beautifully deorated. I followed the recipe to a T and my cookies were the talk of the town. Did not find the frosting too sweet and it poured and set beautifully.

Dan Miron

I reversed the amounts for cinnamon and cardamom, subbed in 1 c. almond flour, doubled the salt, added a bit of lemon and orange and almond extracts. I used 1.5x Gayle's icing with a few drops of almond and a pinch of salt. There will be excess, but moving fast after making several colors, a lot gets lost. Next time I'd thin the icing a little more than I did. I got several requests for the recipe.

Mb

fabulous cookies, the stronger flavor of the cookies is needed against the sweetness of this icing. Next time I’ll make the icing a bit thinner so it covers better. Let them dry all day - they stored nicely in glass and disappeared slowly over Xmas week! Video is a must if you make - and the video baker is adorable! 😊

Candace

I knew I had to try these the moment I saw them, and I found the recipe perfect, It was a dazzling experience, pouring on those vibrant stripes of color. Two observations: the cookie itself, without icing, is delicious! I would and did enjoy them naked. In fact, I felt the icing sort of overwhelmed them. But the icing is the thing! So what to do...I may try Gayle's suggestion in the comments to see if a slightly less brittle icing would allow the cookies to shine beneath their fancy dresses.

an absolute hit - dont be intimidated!

The cookies themselves are SO GOOD and the icing (tho sometimes I’ve had royal icing turn out just so-so) turned out phenomenal with her video!!! It was incredibly helpful !

sck

Looked beautiful, tasted good but not great partly bc such thick icing.

Christine R

Some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Definitely going to make these every year

Michelle

These cookies were fantastic, and turned out just like the photo. Not all of them were perfect, but most were beautiful. The icing takes a bit of practice, and you need to work quickly. I didn’t try to do them all at once, but in about 4 batches, rinsing out the bowl in between. The colors bled into each other on just a few of them. Definitely going to make again, maybe with pastel colors for Easter.

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Technicolor Cookies   Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What are the 7 make-up methods for making cookies? ›

Make-up Techniques

This refers to the way in which the cookie is prepared after the dough has been made. For example, there are drop, icebox, bar, sheet, cut out, pressed, rolled, molded or wafer.

How long to beat butter and sugar for chocolate chip cookies? ›

Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light in color and fluffy; this will take about 5 minutes. (Granulated sugar and butter will be pale yellow when creamed. Brown sugar creamed with butter will be light brown.)

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

What is the best flour for chewy cookies? ›

You don't absolutely HAVE to use bread flour, but it adds a ton of chewy texture to these cookies that's worth the extra trip to the store. If you can't get bread flour, then use all AP flour in its place.

What makes cookies chewy vs. crunchy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

How long to chill cookie dough before baking? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Why do Bakery cookies taste different? ›

One reason may be that bakeries use emulsions. Emulsions are flavorings designed for high heat applications. So they retain their flavoring much more than extracts do in baking. Emulsions are made without alcohol and also incorporate better with the other recipe ingredients.

What makes cookies rise better? ›

Baking Powder. The type of leavening you use in your cookies doesn't just help them rise while baking, it affects their texture and structure too. Baking soda in cookies yields a denser cookie with craggy tops, while baking powder causes cookies to rise higher during baking for a cakier texture.

Why should you let cookie sheets cool before baking more cookies? ›

Yes, wait until the sheet is completely cool before reusing it. Even the slightest residual heat can cause cookies to spread, making them flatter than you may want. If you need your cookie sheet to cool quickly, try one of these tricks. Stick it in the refrigerator or outside in the cool air for about five minutes.

What happens if you don t cream butter and sugar for cookies? ›

Undermixed butter and sugar looks gritty and chunky, which can lead to dense cookies and cakes. It is possible to overmix the butter and sugar. If you overmix, the butter will separate out of the mixture and it will be grainy and soupy. Be sure to stop once your butter becomes light and fluffy.

What happens if you put too much butter in chocolate chip cookies? ›

Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges.

How do I get my cookies soft and chewy? ›

Two ways that you can help make sure your chocolate chip cookies come out soft and chewy is to add a packet of cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix to the batter, or add finely shredded chocolate instead of chunkier chocolate. The smaller chocolate particles will melt faster and create more moisture in your cookies.

What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

There are a few things you can try to get soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies:
  • Use a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. ...
  • Use more egg yolks and less egg whites. ...
  • Add a bit of cornstarch to the dough. ...
  • Make sure you're using the right type of flour. ...
  • Don't over-bake the cookies.
May 17, 2018

What makes a cookie chewy vs crisp? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

Why are my cookies hard instead of chewy? ›

According to The Kitchn, this occurs when you over-mix the dough. Mixing the dough naturally causes gluten to develop in the flour, and while you do need a good amount of gluten to give your cookies structure, too much of it will result in hard cookies.

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