plastic lid cookie decoration

Illustration: Florie Duhau

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Create Gorgeous Cookies
A basic chocolate or gingerbread cookie is a thing of beauty—and even more so when it's decorated with a confectioners'-sugar design. Chef, caterer and culinary educator Gerard Viverito says it's easy to make your own stencils out of plastic lids.

Try it: Start with a template (this can be a shape you've drawn on paper, or one you've cut out of a book) and trace it onto the lid. Cut it out using a craft knife, lay the stencil on the baked, cooled cookie (a basic, round chocolate or gingerbread cookie works well) and use a fine mesh sieve to sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the stencil. Carefully lift the stencil off the cookie to reveal the design.