How to Make a Graduation Cookie Platter

Every get-together calls for a fun cookie platter!

With graduation season on our heels, I just released four new graduation cookie designs to help celebrate the occasion. Out of the bunch, this new graduation cookie platter design is sure to please the crowd.

With its ring of alternating grad caps and diploma cookies, this graduation platter makes quite a statement as a whole. Even more, I would say each cookie piece makes a great stand-alone cookie, as well.

Graduation Cookie Cutters

Added to the shop are these four new graduation-themed cookie cutter designs.

I'll go over all of these new designs at the end of my post. However, for this tutorial, here's a quick guide on how to decorate the new graduation cookie platter.

Template for the Graduation Cookie Platter

Each of the new graduation cookie designs has a template file you can download to help guide you through the decorating process.

Click the link below for the downloadable template PDF file.

• 2019 Graduation Cookie Templates

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

The Decorating Process

This graduation cookie platter can be easily customized to reflect the school colors of the grad-to-be. For this example, I use typical red, yellow, and black colors. However, feel free to modify the colors to your own liking.  

Step 1

For those without a projector, begin by making a guideline of the outline of the grad cap. I made a template with template plastic from the PDF file above and used a food marker to draw the guideline on the cookie.

Then outline and fill the grad cap area. Give this icing time to crust over. (About 15 minutes.)

Step 2

Next, fill in the diploma area with white icing, then quickly add a middle dot for the wax seal. Let this icing set up for about an hour.

Once the base layer of icing had time to set, add a top dot on the cap, the ball of the tassel, and the edge detail of the wax seal, as shown.

Step 3

Continue by adding the string of the tassel and its lower tail detail. Then outline the cap with piping icing for definition.

Finish up by drawing the paper scroll edges on the diploma with piping icing, as shown.

Video Tutorial

The steps above are summarized in this time-lapsed video I put together.

In total, this graduation cookie platter required eight individual grad cap & diploma cookies, and a center message cookie of your choosing.

For the center circle cookie, I added the phrase "Congrats Grad" using my pico projector. (You can see how I piped a similar message in this sunflower platter tutorial.)

I will include the center message graphic in my PDF template file. However, for reference, if you would like to create your own message using the same fonts, I used Magnolia Sky and Ziggurat HTF Black to create this one.

As for the other remaining graduation cookie designs, here's a preview of the grad year banner, the graduation tassel, and the grad cap diploma with a bow.

One nice feature of the grad year banner design, it was made to be future date proof. It's design will work with grad years into the new decades to come.

Congrats to all the 2019 grads-to-be!

Creating a graduation cookie platter is a fun and rewarding way to celebrate this special milestone. With the right tools and techniques, you can create a stunning array of cookies that will impress your guests and make your graduate feel extra special. If you're looking for more cookie cutter ideas, be sure to visit our shop for a wide selection of designs.

And check out the links below for more step-by-step tutorials for graduation. Happy baking!

• Royal Icing Graduating Star Cookies for Graduation
• How to Make Graduation Cap Cookies
• How to Make a Shooting Star Cookie Platter