Discover the Best Cookie Decorating Classes in NYC
Cookie Decorators use a variety of different edible ingredients to add color and texture to plain cookies, transforming them into unique works of art. This type of art can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Some people decorate cookies as a hobby, others do it to celebrate special occasions like a birthday, wedding, or holiday, and some make a living from cookie decorating.
There are many different decorating techniques. Flooding is one, and involves flooding the inside of an outline with a runny icing, to create a smooth surface. That surface can be decorated further, with more detailed designs. Piping is another fundamental technique, and is where a piping bag and tip are used to create designs on the cookie. More advanced Cookie Decorators use paintbrushes and edible food colors to hand-paint designs on their cookies. Some people even use a specialized airbrush tool to spray a fine mist of food coloring onto the cookie. An airbrush creates color that is very smooth and even.
Why You Should Learn Cookie Decorating in NYC
Cookie decorating can be lucrative, with custom cookies often selling for more than $5 each. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which collects and analyzes statistics about the economy, reports that the baking profession, in general, has a positive future outlook. It predicts that jobs in this sector will increase faster than average over the next ten years, explaining, “Baked goods, including cereals, breads, and snacks, remain a major part of the daily diet for many people and are often valued for their convenience. Population and income growth are expected to result in greater demand for a variety of commercial and retail specialty baked goods, including cupcakes, pies, and cakes.”
However, not everyone decorates cookies for a living. For a lot of people, cookie decorating is simply a fun hobby, where they can express themselves in a creative way. Many report that they get a lot of satisfaction from turning a plain cookie into a unique work of art. Custom cookies also make great gifts for friends and family members.
In-Person Cookie Decorating Classes & Schools in NYC
If you live in New York City, you’ll find a number of different options when it comes to in-person cookie decorating classes. New York City’s Sugar Room is located in Queens, and was founded by artist Juan Arache, who has designed cakes for a number of celebrities and dignitaries, and has won prizes for cake decorating. The Sugar Room runs workshops in both cake decorating and cookie decorating, including the Royal Icing Cookie Workshop, where students learn how to decorate cookies, using a wide range of different designs. Students also learn about the different consistencies of icing required for outlining and floating. The class is four hours long, and costs $250. It is offered in both English and Spanish, and all materials are provided.
Another in-person class option in New York City is Shaker Cookie, a class held at the NY Cake Academy. Shaker cookies are filled with sprinkles, which move around behind a melted candy window when the cookie is shaken. NY Cake Academy is located just a block away from the Flatiron Building. It was founded by Joan Mansour in 1991, and she and her daughters teach a variety of different cake-decorating and cookie-decorating classes. The Shaker Cookie class is $99, and runs for two hours. Students work with cookie dough, royal icing, and sprinkles as they learn how to make shaker cookies.
Il Fiorista is a restaurant, florist, boutique, and community education space located in the Flatiron District of New York City. It offers a class called Cookie Decorating with Natural Dyes, which is one hour long and costs $125. In this class, students learn how to use natural dyes to dye a basic buttercream, and then they decorate and style cookies of various shapes and sizes. Moms are encouraged to take this class with their kids. Participants enjoy a prosecco and mocktail toast at the beginning of class. Il Fiorista’s mission is to celebrate the many benefits of flowers, and it works to educate people about all of the ways that flowers can be incorporated into their lives.
Students based in New York might also be interested in a Hand-Rolled Truffle Making class. This class is offered by Raaka Chocolate, is one-and-a-half hours long, and costs $75. Students learn to temper dark chocolate, and then make their own slab of dark chocolate bark. After that, they decorate it with a variety of toppings such as white chocolate, dried fruits, crushed cookies, and festive sprinkles. There will even be herb blends and seasonings for decorating. Bark-making takes place in groups of two, so solo students need to team up for that portion of the class. Close-toed shoes and long pants are required. You should also tie your hair back, and be prepared to get messy. The class is in English, but Spanish instruction ia available upon request. Raaka Chocolate is located in Brooklyn, which is less than five miles out of New York City. It makes unroasted, dark chocolate from scratch. In addition to selling chocolate in its store, it runs a variety of different chocolate-making classes.
Virtual Cookie Decorating Classes & Schools
Students who want to take an online cookie decorating class can sign up for one through Food Craft, which is based in New York City, and offers a class called Cookie Decorating. This class covers a number of popular cookie decorating techniques including marbling, flooding, and wet-on-wet. Students work with a theme such as Valentine’s Day or Easter. Prior to the start of the class, each student receives a kit that contains vanilla cookies, four colors of icing, sprinkles, toothpicks, a pair of gloves, and food craft tissue paper. Gluten-free or vegan cookies can be substituted for regular vanilla cookies. Students need to provide paper towels and a pair of scissors. This class is $850, and runs for two hours.
The Good Food Project also offers a virtual cookie class called French Macaron Step-By-Step Class, where students make and decorate French macaron cookies. They learn how to make, flavor, pipe, bake, and fill a batch of cookies. The class costs $40, and is one-and-a-half hours long. The Good Food Project is run by culinary instructor Chelly Klann, whose goal is to make cooking fun and accessible to everyone. A list of necessary supplies for this class is sent after registration.
Students who like to work with food will also find a wide variety of other virtual food-related class options. For example, the Summer Pie Workshop, offered by Home Cooking New York, is popular. In this class, students learn everything they need to know in order to successfully bake a pie, and they bake a double-crust summer fruit pie with an all-butter crust. The class takes place via Zoom, and is an hour-and-a-half long. There is a list of ingredients online, and tuition is $50. Students can choose to participate in baking along with the class, or they can simply observe the process. Home Cooking New York is a Manhattan-based cooking school that has been operating since 2009.
Private Group Cookie Decorating Classes in NYC
If you’re looking for a creative way to entertain a group, consider a cookie decorating party, which is fun and easy for people of all ages. You can plan a private group cookie decorating class through CourseHorse, and you won’t need to register or pay any booking fees. You’ll get a confirmation of your booking within 24 hours, and as long as you meet the minimum group size, you can make changes to your booking up to 72 hours before the event.
Virtual Cookie Decorating is popular with groups. In this class, students learn how to turn sugar cookies into holiday ornaments that they can eat or give away as gifts. A professional chef and teacher demonstrates the techniques. The class runs for an hour and a half, and costs $105. It can be taken by up to 250 people. All participants receive freshly-baked sugar cookies, a variety of colored frostings, and decorations prior to the start of the class. A rubber spatula is required.
Another group cookie decorating class is Virtual Holiday Cookie Decorating. This class is all about being silly and having fun. Participants decorate cookies, listen to holiday music, and answer holiday trivia questions. Before the event starts they will receive 12 gingerbread cookies, Christmas sprinkles, decorating bags and tips, and red, white, black, and green icing. Up to 500 people can take the class at one time, at a cost of $90 per person. It runs for an hour.
Email CourseHorse for more information about scheduling a group cookie decorating event, or to discuss other options. Virtual classes take place via Zoom, but Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx are also supported.
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