I often get asked: if I could only buy two classes, what would you recommend? Or four? Or six? (To take advantage of my bundle sales, of course!)
Asking me to pick from my 30+ classes is like choosing a favorite child, so I’ve avoided this question for a while. But, I decided it’s finally time to answer!
It’s very hard to pick ONE class from each category because no class covers every single technique that you need to know for each skill level/set of techniques.
That is because my approach is to create a library of classes where no two classes teach the same techniques or designs. In other words, each class brings something different/valuable/unique to the table.
This page covers the following:
- Which skill level is right for me?
- 5 main categories of techniques you want to learn (just as an FYI for you)
- Grouping all of my classes into 6 different categories
- Purchase recommendations
- 2 classes (one absolute beginner class and one more advanced—recommended for total beginners)
- 4 classes (increasing difficulty order—recommended for total beginners)
- 6 classes (in increasing difficulty order—recommended for total beginners)
- 6 classes (all more advanced techniques—not recommended for total beginners)
Which skill level is right for me?
First off, I’d like to mention that ALL of my cookie decorating classes include the same cookie and icing prep regardless of the skill level. While others differentiate skill level partly based on how much prep is provided, I provide the same prep regardless and differentiate skill level based on the techniques covered in the set and amount of equipment required.
I believe anyone from a total beginner to intermediate/advanced cookiers can take any of my cookie decorating classes because there is always something to learn. Honestly, I made these cookie decorating classes because these are designs I’d make myself!
The way that I distinguish skill level is not just in terms of difficulty of techniques covered, but also into terms of time and financial investment. Typically (but not *always*), the intermediate classes are going to require a combination of more consistencies and colors (aka more prep time) and/or more sprinkles, cutters, tools, etc. (aka more money spent on supplies) than the beginner classes.
You’ll also see that most of the classes are labeled with two skill levels like advanced beginner/intermediate. I largely do that because it really could go either way: for the advanced beginner cookier it will be more of a challenge, but for an intermediate cookier it will be more in their wheelhouse already.
Each skill level is classified as follows:
BEGINNER: These classes are typically best for those that have never decorated with royal icing before, or maybe just a handful of times, as I simplify the approach as much as possible. Or even if you do have a decent amount of experience, I recommend starting with one of my beginner classes so you can learn from me how I approach beginner decorating (every teach has a different approach, terminology, etc.) and can establish the best foundation for tackling my more advanced classes.
I use as few colors as possible and typically just one consistency (and many of the beginner classes use just one shape). These designs have beginners in mind as well, so I will often choose design elements that will hide common mistakes beginners make and I take care to reduce the amount of materials required. These parameters allow for less prep and investment all around.
ADVANCED BEGINNER: I qualify an “advanced beginner” cookier as someone who has been working with royal icing for maybe a few months to a year and have learned the basics of royal icing. They have some experience working with more than one consistency and some additional techniques. At this point they are still not super confident in their skills, especially when it comes to getting the consistency right. That said, someone who aspires to be at the advanced beginner level can certainly just jump right into these classes!
These are a clear step up from beginner cookie decorating classes. We are using two consistencies (sometimes more) and often a custom set of cookie cutters. These sets tend to use more decorations/tools as well. That said, I’ve had many students take an advanced beginner class as their first experience with royal icing ever and they’ve loved it!
INTERMEDIATE: I qualify an “intermediate” cookier as someone who has been working with royal icing for months/years and has a solid foundation of skills but is looking to refine them. They have experience with a variety of consistencies and techniques, and can more often than not get icing consistency right. Cookiers at this level are also more likely to already have a decent toolbox full of cookie decorating tools and decorations. That said, someone who aspires to be at the intermediate level can certainly just jump right into these classes!
These sets are more like how I would decorate cookies if I wasn’t doing it for a class. We decorate just as I would, not cutting any corners to make things easier 😉 Designs will often require more involved decorations and tools (such as luster dust) and will include more advanced icing techniques.
Techniques you want to learn (eventually!):
- Piping techniques (line work, dots, cutting piping tip in different ways like leaf tip and pie crusts, knife technique, brush embroidery, pressure piping—tear drops, hearts, knit, cable, and beaded border)
- Flooding techniques (wet on wet, flooding in sections, cutout, 1 vs 2 consistency outline + flood, pressure piped flooding, painting the flood)
- Icing texture/dimension techniques (icing crackle, bear technique, layers, frost, painting icing, flooding in sections, avoiding craters)
- Other decoration/tool applications (sprinkles, edible glitter, splatter, grass, cookie crackle, gold painting, metal piping tips)
- Lettering/writing
Some additional techniques to learn that I do not cover in my classes because I don’t use them are: stencils, edible printer, airbrush, florals, working with others materials like wafer paper and fondant, royal icing transfers and painting with gel colors (these last two I use sparingly…maybe it will come to a future class!)
Grouping all of my classes into 6 different categories
If you’re not sure which skill level you are, check out the top of this page ffor a breakdown of how I categorize skill level.
The categories below are grouped based on the types of techniques taught and the corresponding skill level. Not only does the skill level increase with each category, but also the time investment for prep time and financial investment for tools, cookie cutters, etc. You will use these categories to help select your 2, 4 or 6 class purchases.
Click on each category to be brought to a landing page with just those classes.
1) One Shape Abstract Designs with Foundational Techniques (Beginner): 1 shape, 1 consistency outline & flood, basic wet on wet, flooding in sections and crackle with abstract designs, which are inherently easier than realistic (aka the most basic techniques everyone should know how to do)
- Beginner Hearts
- Beginner Shamrocks
- Beginner Stars
- Beginner Flowers
- Beginner Pumpkins
2) One Shape with Realistic Designs (Beginner): 1 shape, 1 consistency outline & flood plus other basic techniques with realistic designs, which are inherently more challenging than abstract
- Beginner Halloween
- Beginner Christmas
- Beginner Winter
- Beginner Barnyard Animals
- Beginner Easter Eggs
3) More Complex Shapes with 1 Consistency (Beginner): 1 consistency outline & flood - piping a circle to look like a dog is not the same as piping a cookie shaped like a dog ;) Since these classes have individual shapes, they require more financial investment.
- Beginner Fall
- Beginner Dog
- Beginner Frozen Treats
- Beginner Easter Bunny
- Sweet Beginner Halloween
4) Intro to More Complex Designs with 2 consistency (Advanced Beginner): 2 consistency outline & flood (in some sets) and/or multiple consistencies - basic designs done with 2-3 consistencies are the best level up after the beginner classes. These classes also tend to have fewer designs, which makes for a more manageable approach.
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Classic Christmas (flood is 1 consistency; however use 3 consistencies in the set)
- Pumpkin Spice
- Pie Pie Pie (flood is 1 consistency; however uses 3 consistencies in the set)
- Gingerbread Sweeties
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Tutti Frutti (flood is 1 consistency; however uses 3 consistencies in the set)
5) Complex Icing Only Designs (Advanced Beginner/Intermediate): this is my favorite category of classes! These classes show a wide of range of textures and techniques that can be achieved with just icing. You’ll be using multiple consistencies, and sometimes the occasional extra tool (like a paintbrush) to achieve additional effects.
- Sweet Hearts
- Easter Eggs
- Cozy Fall
- Candy Canes
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Halloween Cuties
6) Gold Painting + Lettering (Intermediate): painting with gold luster dust and lettering are the most advanced techniques that I teach in my classes
- Christmas Trees (gold)
- Bridal Shower (gold + lettering)
- Plant Babies (gold)
- Graduation (lettering)
Purchase recommendations
If I *had* to recommend just 2, 4 or 6 classes to purchase, these are my recommendations. That said, you truly CANNOT go wrong with the class you pick (even if it’s not my number one) as long as you select a class from the recommended category (this I think is the most important part).
TWO CLASSES
(one absolute beginner class and one more advanced—recommended for total beginners and beyond)
The ultimate crash course if you only took two classes. Select one class from each. This is the one recommendation where I feel strongly about the two choices. These two classes cover the most possible basic/standard icing techniques. They are also the most versatile: they can be done with ANY color combination and don’t have to be on hearts - circles, squares, etc AND you can use the same cutter for both classes!
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Category 1 or 2: Beginner Hearts
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Category 4 or 5: Sweet Hearts
FOUR CLASSES
(increasing difficulty order—recommended for total beginners and beyond)
A medium condensed trajectory from super beginner to more advanced. Select one class from each of the following categories (my top recommendations for each listed). You really CANNOT go wrong with the class you pick as long as it’s from one of those recommended categories! I’ve just given my recommendations for those who would like more guidance.
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Category 1: Beginner Hearts
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Category 2 or 3: Beginner Halloween or Beginner Christmas or Beginner Winter
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Category 4: Strawberry Lemonade or Pumpkin Spice or Classic Christmas or Gingerbread Sweeties
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Category 5 or 6: Sweet Hearts or Cozy Fall or Candy Canes or Easter Eggs or Halloween Cuties or Christmas Trees
SIX CLASSES - skill level progression
(in increasing difficulty order—recommended for total beginners and beyond)
The ultimate progression from super beginner to more advanced. Select one class from each category. Truly you cannot go wrong with the class you pick as long as it’s from one of those recommended categories. But if you MADE me pick one from each category, this is what I’d recommend. First choice from each category, plus some honorable mentions to ADD (if you want) that cover additional techniques NOT included in the first choice.
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Category 1: Beginner Hearts (the most wet on wet techniques, crackle, basic sprinkle applications)
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Category 2: Beginner Halloween (cutouts, crackle, wet on wet, an alternative to flooding for more texture variation, fun addition of edible glitter)
- Beginner Christmas (excellent alternative just doesn't have cutouts or edible glitter)
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Category 3: Beginner Fall (flooding in sections, 2.0 application of wet on wet and crackle)
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Category 4: Gingerbread Sweeties (simplest introduction to 2 consistency outline & flood) or Strawberry Lemonade (more diverse techniques covered, including leaf tip and bear technique)
- Classic Christmas - knife technique
- Pumpkin Spice - knit technique
- Pie Pie Pie - 3 different pie crusts
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Category 5: Sweet Hearts (brush embroidery, pressure piped hearts + beaded border, flooding in sections, complex wet on wet, line work)
- Easter Eggs - grass, cookie crackle, splatter
- Cozy Fall - cable knit and basic pie crust
- Candy Canes - candy cane technique, avoiding craters, basic lettering
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Category 6: Christmas Trees (gold painting, brush embroidery, cutouts, pressure piping, painting with icing, crackle, detail line work, using a piping tip)
- Bridal Shower - most challenging lettering covered
Additional recommendations if you’re going for all six categories:
- Choose Beginner Fall + Cozy Fall OR Sweet Beginner Halloween + Halloween Cuties so you can double up on savings and use the same set of cutters!
- Pick a different theme/holiday for each category that you’d want to make for friends and family
SIX CLASSES - only more advanced techniques
(all more advanced techniques—not recommended for total beginners)
To me, these are the ultimate set of 6 classes that will cover the widest range of techniques offered in my class lineup.
- Sweet Hearts
- Cozy Fall
- Easter Eggs
- Halloween Cuties
- Christmas Trees
- Candy Canes or Graduation or Bridal Shower (the only classes with lettering—Bridal Shower introduces you to the most complex lettering style I offer for now with the “love” cookie)
