How to Make Nerdy Apple and Books Cookies

As a new holiday season approaches, I like to sometimes use that opportunity to update a past design.

Take these nerdy apple on books cookies, for instance. This new design is based on this older apple with stack of books cookie from a few years ago. It was a fun design that I loved back then, however, I've always thought it might be easier to decorate if it was bigger in scale. That's how this new version came about.

This updated design shares the same aspects of the original one. However, I decided to simplify the design of the books, added nerdy glasses to the apple for interest, and made the design into a 2-piece set for easy decorating.

Nerdy Apple on Books Cookie Cutter Set

Recently added to the shop is this new nerdy apple on books cookie set design.

This 2-piece cookie cutter set is available in both LARGE and REGULAR sizes. For this tutorial, I'll be decorating the LARGE size. However, both sizes of the cookies are also showcased at the end of this post.

Template for the Nerdy Apple & Book Cookies

To help with the decorating process, I made a PDF template of all the designs of my 2020 Back-to-School cookie collection, including this nerdy apple with books cookie design.

Click the link below for the downloadable template PDF file.

• 2020 Back-to-School Cookie Templates

This file is 2 pages long and is rather large in data size. Just a warning, it might take a moment before the file opens in your browser.

If you have a Kopykake or Pico projector, just print it out (or pull it up on your mobile device) and you are good to go. For those without a projector, follow the suggested steps below by tracing the design onto the cookie with an edible food marker.

The Decorating Process

For the colors used for these nerdy apple and books cookies, you will need the following suggested colors:

• Red icing. (I used Americolor Tulip Red.)
• Green icing. (I used Americolor Leaf Green.)
• Optional: Darker Green piping icing. (I mixed Americolor Leaf Green with Americolor Forest Green.)
• Brown medium icing. (I used Americolor Chocolate Brown.)
• Black medium piping icing. (I used Americolor Super Black.)
• Blue icing (I used Americolor Royal Blue.)
• Tan icing. (I used just a touch of Americolor Ivory. A little coloring goes a long way.)

Nerdy Apple Cookie

Step 1

Begin by outlining and flooding the apple section with red icing. Let that icing set (about 15 minutes), then fill in the leaf section with green icing.

Let the icing dry for about an hour before moving on to the next step.

Step 2

Once the icing had time to dry, etch the outline of the eyeglasses into the icing with a scribe tool using a homemade template from the PDF file above.

Next, with black icing, outline and fill in the eyeglass frames. Also, with brown icing, add the stem detail at the top.

Step 3

Lastly, add the black facial details. I added a white reflection dots while the black was still wet. I drew in the smile and the eyebrows using a black Rainbow Dust food pen.

Finish off the apple by adding a darker green outline to the leaf.

Stack of Books Cookie

Step 1

Begin by filling in the top pages section with ivory icing and the bottom cover section with green icing. Let this icing set for about 15 minutes.

Then fill in the remaining bottom pages section with ivory icing and the top cover section with blue icing.

Let the icing dry for about an hour before moving on to the next step.

Step 2

Lastly, just like the apple above, add the black facial details. I added a white reflection dots while the black was still wet. I drew in the smile and the eyebrows using a black Rainbow Dust food pen.

Video Tutorial

The steps above are demonstrated in the time-lapsed video below.

To complete the presentation of this nerdy apple and books cookie set, here's a few gift box recommendations.

LARGE (left in photo)- This size set will fit in these “7 3/8″ x 5 1/2” boxes from Paper Mart.

REGULAR (right in photo)- This size set will in this classic BRP cookie box (7" x 4 3/8" x 1.25").

There's plenty of wiggle room with these boxes. If you place the cookies in heat-sealed cellophane bags (which I recommend to help keep the cookies fresh), there should be enough room where the bags still won't feel cramped in the box.