Your friends and family will love these cookies a "latka" when you decorate them with these whimsical Hanukkah cookie stencils from Confection Couture!
Here's what you'll need:
Stencils & Cookie Cutters:
- Hanukkah Phrases Cookie Stencil
- Hanukkah Subway Background Cookie Stencil
- Oy to the World Cookie Stencil
- Challah La La La Cookie Stencil
- 4" Square Cookie Cutter
Airbrushing Accessories:
- AirGenie Airbrush System
- DecoPac Airbrush Food Coloring in the following colors:
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- Electric Blue
- Malibu Blue
- Navy Blue
- Bronze Shimmer
- Stencil Genie and Screen Genie
- Wonderbar Accessory for the Stencil Genie
- Cookie Magnets
- Plastic Bottle with Dropper Tip
Isolation and Masking Tools:
- Gyro-Cut Craft and Hobby Cutting Tool
- Quadrant Masking Tool (x2) and the Isolation Tool for Cookie Stencils
- Glad Press'n Seal
Other Items Needed:
- Paper Towels
- Sugar Cookie ingredients
- Royal Icing ingredients
Mixing Colors
For the lighter blue elements of the cookies, mix Electric Blue and Malibu Blue in roughly equal parts. You can mix them in a dropper bottle, which comes with a dropper tip. Once mixed, shake the bottle and pour 4-5 drops into the reservoir of the AirGenie airbrush tool. Test out the color on a spare cookie or white sheet of paper. Add more of any of the colors as needed until you achieve the desired shade.
Masking
To mask off intricate design elements, cut a piece of Glad Press'n Seal roughly the size of the stencil and place it over the top, pressing it into place to remove any bubbles or wrinkles.
Now, take a Gyro-Cut craft and hobby cutting tool and trim around the desired element - in this case the tent element between the trees. Turn the blade sideways and use it to lift the corner of the cut plastic. Then peel it away leaving everything else covered.
Stenciling
Separate the two portions of you Stencil Genie and place the thicker side down, magnets facing up. Next, place the stencil over the top with the tree and tent design centered in the middle of the square.
Place a Quadrant Masking Tool above and below the design to protect those areas of the cookie from overspray. Next, place the Screen Genie over the top and lock everything into place using the remaining piece of the Stencil Genie.
Place the entire assembly over the cookie with the design properly positioned where it will be airbrushed.
Lastly, use cookie magnets, in stacks of three or four to further help keep the stencil flat against the cookie surface.
Be sure to test out the volume of spray on a stack of paper towels prior to airbrushing each cookie and color. Adjust the flow as needed by turning the knob on top of the unit.
You can also use a long needle or chopstick to press down any of the stencil edges that are continuing to lift away from the cookie as you move around with the airbrush.
Apply the color in light coats using a small, circular motion. Once finished, place this cookie aside for now.
Finishing up the Light Blue Elements
Next up is the "Miracle" cookie. Mask off the "Eight Nights" and "Festival of Lights" text using the Press'n Seal. This time, instead of the Stencil Genie, which will not fit around this larger cookie, try using the Wonderbar Accessory to replace the bottom portion. Use the upper portion of the Stencil Genie as you did before.
The airbrushing process is the same.
Cleaning the Stencil Tools
To clean the stencils, masking tools, and Stencil Genie between colors, remove any Press'n Seal and rinse them in water. For the Screen Genie, you can either rinse it under running water or spray water backwards through the stencil. Dry everything completely using either paper towels or a lint-free dish towel.
To clean the airbrush tool between colors, rinse out the reservoir 3-4 times, then reattach the hose and fill the reservoir with water. Run the tool on full power until empty. Repeat this step twice more, once again with water and then a third time using an inexpensive 100-proof vodka.
Gold Elements
For the "Oy to the World" cookie, repeat the above masking and stenciling process for the Menorah, star, and laurel elements.
Next, mask and airbrush the stars on the Challah LA LA LA cookie.
Navy Blue Elements
Now, switch to Navy Blue and and airbrush the subway cookie - no masking required unless you want to make the different elements different colors.
Next, stencil the text on the "Oy to the World" cookie.
For simple masking jobs, such as the "Challah" text, try using a Quadrant Masking Tool to isolate it from the rest of the elements.
Finally, mask and airbrush the remaining text on the "Eight Nights" cookie.
