Why Knowing Color Theory Can Help With Cookie Decorating
Do you remember painting a color wheel at school? It looks like a rainbow but is in a circle.
Knowing color theory can go a long way when it comes to cookie decorating and aspects like icing a cookie. This can help you to mix colors more accurately, as well as know which color combinations work.
Here, we will look through some of the core parts of color theory to help you get a bit more familiar with this part of cookie decorating.
Primary Colors
First, we will start by looking at primary colors.
These colors exist as they are and cannot be created by mixing other colors together. These are red, blue, and yellow, and even though they can’t be mixed, they make many different colors!
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are a staple in creating outfits that look great and even when it comes to creating appealing-looking cookies.
Examples:
- Purple and yellow.
- Green and red.
- Orange and blue.
Notice something? Each combination has a primary color, and the positions of the colors on the color wheel are opposites.

Color Combinations
These are also known as analogous colors. They are near each other on the color wheel and can be used to make a theme with cookies or a color scheme that is visually appealing.
Some examples of these include-
- Light blue, dark blue, and fuchsia.
- Red, orange, and light pink.
- Light green, dark green, and blue.
Put them on a cookie in any order, and you will have a pretty pattern!
Top Tips:
When you are icing a cookie with deeper colors, such as deep blue, red, or pink, these will look better when paired with metallic edible paint. Pastels will look washed out by adding metallic colors to them, so aim to add a shimmer if desired.