Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of handpainted cookies at MOONBEAMS + MARIGOLDS.
It Starts with the Bake
Baked until just golden, each handpainted cookie has a buttery base supported by sugar, eggs and cornstarch. These help give the cookie a texture that is firm enough to hold a clean circle and tender enough to crumble and dissolve in your mouth.
The Royal Icing Foundation
Once cooled, each cookie is carefully dipped on one side in vanilla bean flavoured royal icing and allowed to dry completely. This creates a distinctive and deliciously speckled "canvas" for painting.
Painting by Hand
This is the part people are most curious about. Using food safe brushes, gel food colouring is combined with clear vanilla extract to make the cookie's "paint". Artfully applied to the set icing, each design is painted freehand to create a floral, botanical and/or abstract design. The process is slow and meditative. A single cookie can take anywhere from a few minutes to much longer, depending on the complexity of the design.
No two cookie paintings are exactly alike. This is intentional. Like portraits, their uniqueness makes them interesting. That they are also tasty and edible cookies makes them all the more amusing as art.
Why It Matters
I started MOONBEAMS + MARIGOLDS because I believe art, like food, is meant to be enjoyed and shared. A simple cookie can become an artful experience — and something you can give when you want to say, you are special to me.
Shop the Collection
If you're curious to try a handpainted cookie by MOONBEAMS + MARIGOLDS — or looking for a gift that surprises and delights — explore our current collection. The cookies are elegantly boxed and prepared to order, so what you receive is always fresh and created just for you, or that lucky someone you want to acknowledge.
