24 Basic Cookie Decorating Ideas: Fun and Easy Designs for Every Occasion -

Decorating cookies? It can be a blast, honestly, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve already got a few tricks up your sleeve. There’s something satisfying about making cookies look a little extra special for any get-together or just because.

Here’s a bunch of basic cookie decorating ideas that pretty much anyone can tackle. With just a handful of tools and a sprinkle of patience, you’ll end up with cookies that look as good as they taste.

Heart Outlines

A plate of round sugar cookies each decorated with heart-shaped icing in pastel pink and green colors.

Piped hearts made with pastel icing make these cookies sweet and simple. Try it yourself—no special tools needed for this charming design.

Thin Lines

A plate of six round cookies decorated with white frosting, each featuring parallel lines drawn with red or white icing.

Thin diagonal icing lines in red or white add instant polish. You’ll love how effortlessly these cookies come together with just a steady hand.

Polka Dots

A plate of decorative cookies with white and pink icing, each featuring multicolored dot patterns.

These colorful dot cookies are as easy as they are cheerful. Just pipe small dots in pastel shades over white or pink frosting for a playful finish.

Basic Leaves

A plate of five decorated cookies, each with pastel-colored icing and a delicate leaf design, in green, white, pink, and yellow tones, placed on a light surface near a window.

Clean and modern, these botanical cookies use a simple leaf outline technique. A leaf shape adds a hint of elegance without extra effort.

A plate with six cookies decorated to look like basketballs, featuring orange icing and black lines to mimic the seams of a basketball.

Perfect for sports fans, these basketball cookies use just two icing colors for a high-impact look. You’ll score major points with this simple design.

Blue Lines Over White Base

A plate of six round cookies with white icing, each decorated with blue icing lines.

Go bold with basic lines! These cookies keep it classic with bright blue stripes over a white base—easy to do and hard not to love.

Leaf Lines

A plate of six round cookies with pastel-colored icing in shades of pink, yellow, and green, each decorated with a leaf pattern.

These soft-toned cookies get a stylish touch with a simple leaf-like line design. It’s a relaxing pattern that’s easy to repeat on every cookie.

Sun Rays

A plate of round sugar cookies decorated with yellow icing in the shape of a sun on each cookie.

Brighten your batch of cookies with cheerful yellow sun designs! Just pipe a circle and add short rays—perfect for summer parties or a sunny afternoon treat.

Pastel Swirls

A plate of cookies with swirled pastel icing in various colors, including purple, pink, green, blue, and cream, arranged in sunlight on a white surface.

Swirls in pastel hues make these cookies look extra dreamy. You’ll love how simple it is to create that soft spiral using just a steady squeeze.

Flower Designs on Flower Cookies

A plate with five flower-shaped cookies decorated in pastel colors with a yellow icing center, placed on a bright white surface.

These colorful flowers are all about happy vibes. Add a large piped yellow center and your cookies will instantly bloom with charm!

Dipped in Chocolate With Sprinkles

Six cookies partially dipped in chocolate with colorful sprinkles, arranged on a white rectangular plate.

Dipping cookies in chocolate is already fun—toss on sprinkles and it’s a party! No piping needed, just dip, shake, and smile.

Dotted Border

A plate with several round sugar cookies decorated with intricate white icing, forming a circular pattern of dots.

Two rings of piped dots create a classic border that feels neat and polished. It’s an easy way to elevate plain sugar cookies with minimal effort.

Goofy Monster Face

A plate of five cookies decorated with blue icing and white and black eyes, arranged in a circle on a light-colored surface.

These goofy blue cookies are bursting with personality! Just add big candy eyes and a squiggly mouth with black icing for an instant smile.

Cluster of Colorful Sprinkles

Close-up of several sugar cookies decorated with smooth icing and colorful sprinkles on a plain background.

Start with a smooth pastel base and drop a cluster of sprinkles in the center. It’s cute, quick, and instantly festive.

Two-Tone Hearts and Glitter

Six heart-shaped cookies with dual-colored icing and sprinkles, arranged neatly on a pink tray. Each cookie features a different color combination including purple, pink, green, yellow, and orange.

These colorful heart cookies get a sweet twist with two-tone icing and a touch of sparkle. Ideal for beginners wanting big impact!

Snowflake Design

Sugar cookies decorated with white icing shaped like snowflakes, arranged on a light surface.

Enjoy cookies that exude winter vibes with seasonal snowflake-shaped cookies with snowflake outlines and flooded icing. You’ll love how crisp and elegant they look with minimal effort.

Marbled Swirl

Close-up view of several sugar cookies with smooth marbled icing patterns arranged on a clean background.

To create this design, flood your cookies with white icing, then add a few drops of pink food coloring. Drag a toothpick through the drops to create marbled swirls. No perfection needed—each cookie turns out uniquely lovely!

Scalloped Edges

Keep things classic with smooth white icing and dainty scalloped edges. This timeless look is easy to master and always elegant.

Simple Red Hearts

Closeup view of several heart-shaped sugar cookies decorated with red icing on a plain background.

These bright red hearts are as simple as outline and flood. Perfect for Valentine’s Day—or any day you want to share a little love.

Chocolate Drizzle

Add a chocolatey zigzag over white icing for a deliciously dramatic effect. It’s quick, striking, and totally doable for cookie decorators of all skill levels!

Bright Smiley Faces

Closeup of several sugar cookies decorated with smiley faces made from icing arranged on a clean surface.

These bold cookies are pure happiness with bright-colored flooded icing and cheerful smiles. They’re a great choice for parties or whenever you want to brighten someone’s day.