Description

It’s amazing how a perfectly piped border can elevate a simple iced cookie to extraordinary heights! And no one is better at demonstrating this point than Cookie Connection’s January 2024 Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #56 guest, Noriko Forster of Cookie Crumbs by mintlemonade fame. In her kickoff demo for this challenge, Noriko demonstrates three very unique ruffle borders that employ some unexpected pastry tips and a novel combination of both piping and brush embroidery techniques. At the conclusion of the demo, Noriko and challenge host Manu Pezzopane encourage viewers to create cookies of their own for Challenge #56 by replicating Noriko’s ruffle borders and by creating brand-new ones using Noriko’s approach.

Once you’ve purchased, you’ll automatically receive a receipt with a link to a downloadable resource list with links to Noriko’s key tools. Then, simply return to this page to view the tutorial as often and for as long as you like. If you are logged into the site, the sneak peek video above will disappear and be replaced with the full-length video. To log in, simply go to the upper right account area of the site (in laptop viewing mode), and enter the username and password you created at the time of purchase.

About this Guest: Known the world over for her meticulous piping and picture-perfect icing – not to mention her ultra-sophisticated color choices – Noriko Forster needs little introduction. She started her cookie art journey in 2012 when she happened upon a cookie decorating book in a shop in her hometown of Tokyo, Japan. She was so intrigued that she decided she would cover a store-bought cake with cookies for her elder daughter’s birthday to make the cake extra special for her. She did just that, and the rest is history. By 2016, Noriko was teaching six cookie decorating classes per month, all while raising two girls and working as a book editor. By 2023, her cookies had been featured twice in a calendar produced by a famous Japanese cosmetics company, three times in Cookie Connection‘s coveted banner spot, and countless times in that same community’s Saturday Spotlights and challenges. Today, Noriko is arguably one of Japan’s finest cookie decorating instructors, having taught an estimated 1,000 students through her series of in-person, hands-on classes.

Notes: Though this challenge ended in March 2024, it’s worth pointing out that the techniques taught in the video can be used to add elegant borders to almost any cookie, at any time. To see the cookies that challenge entrants made with these techniques, check out the Challenge #56 recap post on Cookie Connection for inspiration. If you have any questions about this tutorial or Noriko’s work, Noriko can be found on Instagram or any of her various sites. For other guest tutorials originally filmed for Cookie Connection challenges, check out the “MORE LIKE THIS” section below.

Details

Skill Level: All, as the techniques covered are quite beginner-friendly, yet even advanced decorators will glean useful tips about piping elegant borders

Video Format: Recording of live demo by Noriko Forster; lightly edited

Video Length: 1:27:56

What You’ll Learn (~7 Techniques)

• Best royal icing consistency for ruffle borders
• Cellophane piping cone preparation and filling
• Piping best practices (i.e., tip orientation, pressure application, and piping cone movement) to ensure uniform borders of any type, and for making three ruffle borders
• Brush embroidery methods for shaping borders
• Outlining and flooding, including a trick for outlining perfect circles
• Cutting cellophane piping cones (and tipless piping bags) to simulate pastry tips
• Arranging and attaching royal icing transfers in artful bouquets

What You’ll Receive:

• Forever-access to video recording on this site
• Resource list with links to Noriko’s key tools used in this video

Video Outline (Time Stamp):

• Introduction of guest Noriko Forster by host Manu Pezzopane (0:00 – 4:04)
• Overview of Noriko’s signature cookie work (4:05 – 4:40)
• Overview of Noriko’s three ruffle borders (Types A, B, and C) covered in the demo (4:41 – 5:59)
• Review of best royal icing consistency for ruffle borders (6:00 – 7:32)
• Preparation and filling of cellophane piping cone (7:33 – 11:09)
• Practicing Type A ruffle border using star tip, on paper (11:10 – 12:39)
• Demonstration of Type A ruffle border using star tip, on round cookie A1 (12:40 – 21:44)
• Demonstration of Type A ruffle border using star tip, on plaque cookie A2 (21:45 – 28:24)
• Demonstration of Type A ruffle border using alternate rope tip, on paper (28:25 – 30:42)
• Demonstration of Type B ruffle border using leaf tip, first on paper and then on round cookie (30:43 – 39:03)
• Demonstration of Type B ruffle border using cellophane piping cone and no tip, on paper (39:04 – 42:36)
• Demonstration of Type C ruffle border using cellophane piping cone and no tip, on paper and oval cookie (42:37 – 46:39/49:40 – 54:11)
• Demonstration of Type C ruffle border using tipless piping bag, on paper (46:40 – 49:39)
• Demonstration of Type C ruffle swag using cellophane piping cone and no tip, on paper (54:12 – 57:07)
• Visual review of three ruffle borders, plus cookie cutter discussion (57:08 – 59:29)
• Additional cone cutting tips for Type C ruffle (59:30 – 1:01:19)
• Piping tiny swag and teardrop borders to close gaps (1:01:20 – 1:05:38)
• Arranging royal icing flower and leaf transfers, plus discussion of cultural differences in cookie-baking and icing preparation (1:05:39 – 1:23:42)
• Discussion of Challenge #56 rules and prizes, plus closing remarks (1:23:43 – 1:27:56)

Purchase Agreement: Julia M. Usher, LLC is the sole copyright owner of this video tutorial. Noriko Forster, aka Cookie Crumbs by mintlemonade, is the sole copyright owner of the companion handout, and has granted permission to Julia M. Usher, LLC to distribute it in perpetuity along with this tutorial. Reproduction, distribution, resale, and/or any other use for financial gain of this video or handout, in whole or in part, are strictly prohibited. However, as the purpose of the tutorials in Julia’s Watch-Learn-Create challenge series is to teach, any knowledge gleaned from this video and handout can be used to make cookies or other products for either personal use or sale. In purchasing this tutorial, you acknowledge that you agree to these terms of use.

Julia’s Return Policy: Due to the online nature of this tutorial, all sales are final.

Video Production: Noriko Forster and host Manu Pezzopane, via ECamm Live. Again, this class is a recording of a live online demo, so production value will vary throughout the video depending on internet conditions at the time. It is also only lightly edited, so there may be brief pauses as the guest gathers tools or cleans between demo steps.