What is your problem? They look very tasty to me. To be honest I skip the "perfectly" decorated cookies. I could say it's to not to destroy works of arts, but most of the time I just like them better. You can ruin a perfect cookie by putting too much decorations on it. Especially these hard silver pearly looking things.

I think there's a learning curve to using frosting tips, but I also think that your cookies look delicious!

cara, I don't make really pretty food. I can usually make it taste good but not magazine photograph worthy.

For the few cookies I do decorate, I use one of the soft plastic squeeze bottles (cheating for frosters) to outline and let that dry. Then if I'm going to do more, I flood the center with royal icing spooned on, it stays within the outline. I'm pretty darned clumsy with the tips and bags, not enough practice.

My SIL just took a class a couple of weekends ago...she spent about 4 hours at the class and came home with something like 8 cookies. It might have been 6. She's ordered them from this gal (who taught the class at her bakery) for special events and they are so expensive, but no wonder if that much labor goes into them.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSugarCanvas/photos/pb.203054543110269.-2207520000.1490120206./1278321765583536/?type=3&theater

The tools on the page were the cookies my SIL ordered for the contractors Thank You party at completion of her house build. (She served them more than cookies, it was a great party ;0))

ETA: And I really should have added, I don't think your cookies look like complete flops either. I'd happily eat one if offered to me.

It's a fine motor skill using frosting bags and tips and it takes practice. You will get better..

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4943269/cookie-decorations-inspired-by-india?n=91

There have been several topics about cookies in Home Decorating Conversations recently. I linked to one of them. Lots of tips.

Beware. It looks like cookie decorating can become addictive.

I agree with DawnInCal - and I would happily eat one of your cookies!

I agree the frosting is really mainly a matter of practice, but I can give you two hints:

For the lines, a tiny bit (and I mean a drop or two) of water - or a little heat- will soften the icing to make it easier to pipe.

For the filled in cookies, to get a neat edge, pipe a line around the outside edge, then flood the centre with some slightly runnier icing. It will set with nice clean edges.

Not a flop. Any ginger bread cookie that is edible is a good one.

It takes skill, patience, and practice practice practice to make "beautiful" iced cookies. It takes a good recipe, love, and willingness-to-try to make perfectly delicious, delightful, fresh iced cookies! If I saw yours on a cookie buffet, I'd choose them ANY day. The bake looks good, and the amount of icing looks like it would enhance the cookie flavor, not overwhelm it. Your father and your volunteers are lucky people :-)

I love decorating fancy cookies! My 'trick' is practice, practice, practice, as others have said. Your hand and arm need to develop a memory, so to speak, of how to do it.

Practice several times on wax paper, even if you go through a batch of icing. And curves are hard for everybody! It's the stopping and starting that makes it look so jumpy. My first cookies were round, lol!

I would have drawn straight lines diagonally from opposite points...take a look at these snowflake cookies for inspiration.

Easy snowflake design.

Your cookies look delicious!

morz8...those are spectacular!!!!! :0) :0) Construction tools! YAY!

Your dad and volunteers will love them. I give you an "A" for effort. I have tried several ginger cookie recipes and all were failures. Yours look yummy!

Thank you all for the kind words and the suggestions and links for icing recipes, ideas, and decorating tips! I only decorated some of the cookies, not all, so I'll give it another shot!

Well, I can only add that you can outline (thicker frosting) then flood (thinner frosting)...However, I have been known to just flood the whole cookie and it looks like your icing is the perfect thickness for that.

The secret is to sprinkle stuff all over....I have white sprinkles, blue, and those silver edible balls that I'm able to arrange in something of a snowflakey-y pattern. Work fast on that though as the icing sets up fast.

So, my trick is to distract from everything with sparkley sprinkles.

Yours do look delicious just the way they are though...