Easy Ladybug Cookies

February 22, 2012 | 75 Comments »

Ladybug cookies seem to be the cookies that never go out of style.  They are simple but striking.  Thee are many ladybug cookie cutters on the market such as THIS ONE and THIS ONE, but my favorite cutter to used for these is actually a BALLOON COOKIE CUTTER.  The tail adds a little extra room for antennae, and something about antennae really up the cute factor of ladybug cookies.

These cookies are so simple to make that you might just cry.  Tears of joy, of course!

To make ladybug cookies you will need:

That’s it!  Gotta love those two color cookies!

Begin by outlining the cookie with a #2 tip as shown below.  To reduce the chances of bleeding, give the outline an hour or so to dry between colors.  It sounds like a long time, but it SURE beats ruined cookies.

Once the outline has dried fill the cookie.  I do mine in three sections…tail, middle, and head, {you can do it in any order you like} allowing an hour or two of drying time between sections to prevent bleeding.

I also use my fan to help dry them as suggested HERE.  I have only ever had one or two bleeding issues with my icing and I wholeheartedly believe that fan drying my cookies is what stops it.

Once the cookie is filled, let it dry overnight.  This is VERY important if you don’t want your spots to bleed.

The next day, used 20-SECOND ICING to add dots.  You can go for a uniform look, or a more whimsical random look as I did below.  At this point, let the cookie dry for another three or four hours.

You can stop here but I like to clean up my final cookie by using a #1.5 ICING TIP to go back around the cookie.  Of course, this is personal preference, so skip it if you like.

For visual interest, I like to mix my ladybugs, or ladybirds as my friend Fiona calls them, with daises {tutorial coming soon} and leaves for contrast and to make them visually appealing.

Until I typed up this post, I’d almost forgotten about the term ladybirds.  I think I like it.  It really doesn’t matter what you call them, there is something sweet about these bugs!

  • If you need a balloon cutter like mine, you can find it HERE at Karen’s cookies.  I love this little cutter and use it for many things, like these PIRATE COOKIES.
  • Red and black icing can both taste kind of icky.  I like to use TULIP RED icing color because it is tasteless.  you can read more about it HERE.
  • If you have bleeding trouble, be sure to check out THE FAN TRICK.  I swear it’s the reason my icing never bleeds
  • If you’re planning a ladybug party, you should check out THIS ONE from my friend Ashleigh of  A Bee in Our Bonnet.  It really is the cutest I think I have ever seen.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Bug and Butterfly Cookies, Cookies, Creative Use of Cutters, Flower Cookies, Popular Cookies, Sweet Sugar Belle, Tutorials
75 Comments »