• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Howe We Live logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category
      • Appetizers
      • Breads & Muffins
      • Breakfast/Brunch
      • Christmas
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Main Courses
      • Sides
      • Soups/Salads
    • By Cooking Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Meal Prep
      • One Pan
      • Sheet Pan
      • Slow Cooker
    • By Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Eggs
      • Pasta
      • Pork
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
  • Resources
    • Book Recommendations
    • Cookbook Recommendations
    • Balanced Eating As a Family
    • Kitchen Hacks & Tips
    • Lifestyle
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Resources
  • Shop My Favorites
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies Made With Royal Icing

    Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies Made With Royal Icing

    Published: Jun 18, 2013 · Modified: Nov 8, 2016 by Andrea Howe · This post may contain affiliate links.

    3 shares

    I’m taking the next few days off to be with my family and enjoy summer, so I thought I would leave you with one of my favorite tutorials that I pulled over from my old blog.  I recreated a cookie that was on the cover of Martha Stewart magazine, skeptical I would be able to achieve similar results.  I in fact did achieve great results and my faith in the Martha Stewart enterprise was restored, or strengthened, depending on how you look at it.  I still love how they came out and think they’re just as timely today as they were two years ago.  And oh my, look at how my children have grown!  I hope you enjoy this little tutorial, and please let me know if you have any questions!IMG_8236I don’t even like royal icing cookies, yet I keep making them.  I’m so weird.  “Hey kids, let’s spend 2 hours making cookies that I’m not going to even eat!”  “Hooray”, say the kids!  They are way too sweet for my liking; as you may recall I much prefer a sweet & savory cookie like a flaky shortbread for instance.  But really, I just can’t help it, they are so darned pretty and let’s be honest, impressive.  Especially these patriotic pinwheel ones, claiming to be “easy” on the cover of this month’s Martha Stewart Living.  I have to say, she didn’t lie, they are in fact easy.  And oh the kids love them!  Instant sugar high no doubt.

    I posted a video tutorial on how to use royal icing back in February if you’d like to check it out.  I was told it was a tad too long, but at any rate, I share some tricks I learned along the way to help you achieve a “perfect” consistency for royal icing.  Once you’ve achieved the perfect consistency, a little practice at a steady hand and consistent pressure is just about all you need to achieve these pretty cookies. IMG_8081You start by outlining the cookie IMG_8084 Then you just start flooding it in, using your tip to push the icing around a bit to help fill it in IMG_8093Add some sprinkles if you like, and enjoy.  Royal icing takes about 10-15 minute to set, so you have to work a bit quickly, but you still have plenty of time to get the job done at a nice steady pace.IMG_8095To achieve the pinwheel effect like Martha’s cookies, simply place a dot of royal icing in the center of your cookie, and then 3 concentric circles surrounding it. IMG_8111Your icing needs to stay wet so immediately place your toothpick in the center of the dot and drag a STRAIGHT line from the center all the way out to the outer edge. IMG_8115Your icing needs to stay wet so immediately place your toothpick in the center of the dot and drag a STRAIGHT line from the center all the way out to the outer edge. IMG_8119The straight line is the part that was left out in the magazine. I was imagining I had to draw wiggly lines to get the curved effect, but nope, a straight line is all you need.

    Here’s what a cookie looks like in the beginning of the processIMG_8126 Drag your toothpick from the center all the way outIMG_8130 Easy right? IMG_8133To get the other side of the wavy pinwheel effect, you start at the outer edge and then drag your toothpick towards the center like so:IMG_8137So you’re first dragging from the center out, and then from the out into the center IMG_8139And you just repeat drag out, drag in, all the way around the cookie IMG_8141And you end up with a pretty spectacular looking cookie! For the red and blue combo, you start with a blue dot and then alternate red and blue circles. Taylor’s cookie below has a wavy effect if you can tell. For that effect, as I was dragging out and in, I slightly curved the line to the right.IMG_8185IMG_8192So even though I may not enjoy these cookies very much, everyone else seems to love them so I’ll keep making them. 🙂 I’m thinking these would be so pretty in hot pinks and oranges for a girl’s birthday party don’t you think?IMG_8194Happy 4th Of July!!

    « Gwyneth Made Me Do It
    Exciting News For Gwyneth Made Me Do It »

    About Andrea Howe

    Andrea Howe is the recipe developer and photographer of Howe We Live. She is also a seasoned home cook of over 20 years, for her family of 5. Andrea has spent over 10 years in the food industry, writing for various publications including Babble and Disney. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Taste of Home, Yahoo, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ralph says

      September 26, 2014 at 4:42 am

      Can youu tell us more about this? I’d care to find out
      some additional information.

      Reply
    2. Kristin says

      June 19, 2013 at 1:53 pm

      Wow! They turned out amazing!

      Reply
    3. Kim says

      June 18, 2013 at 11:50 pm

      So pretty! And easy! I might just make these for our 4th of July party. 🙂

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Caucasian women sitting on a kitchen counter smiling, holding a glass of white wine

    Welcome to Howe We Live. I’m Andrea, a passionate home cook and mother of 3. I’ve been cooking and writing about healthy eating for almost a decade, and my number one goal here is to help you develop the tools needed to throw together a great meal at home that is both delicious, and healthy-ish. All eaters are welcome here! Read More

    Latest Posts

    • 6 Sweet and Savory Cottage Cheese Toast Ideas
    • Miso Butter Salmon – Quick & Easy!
    • Nourishing Fiesta Salad Recipe
    • Easy Creamy Protein Hummus
    • Creamy Spicy Ranch Dressing
    • Homemade Air Fryer Taquitos

    Top Posts

    • picture of 2 glasses filled with coconut pineapple margarita
      Coconut Pineapple Margarita Recipe
    • white plate with top sirloin steak tips and potatoes served on top, with a fork set to the side
      Beef Sirloin Tip Steak With Garlic Butter Potatoes
    • brown rice and turkey meatballs in a cast iron skillet
      Skillet Turkey Meatballs & Rice
    • A piece of chicken cutlet cooked in air fryer dipped in ranch dressing
      Chicken Cutlets In the Air Fryer

    As Featured In:

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • About

    Newsletter & Contact

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Contact

    Notable Links

    • Recipes by Category
    • Shop Clean Beauty

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · Howe We Live · Privacy Policy