My Recipes + Links to free ones! - Borderlands Bakery (2024)

May 28, 2018 | Cookie Decorating Resources, Recipes | 19 comments

I get multiple messages a day of people asking for my recipes. You can find all my recipes in my SHOP. They are all digital downloads so you will get them immediately upon purchase. We keep our website ad-free and provide so many other free resources- this is a great way to support us. Keep reading for links to free ones.

Do keep in mind that all recipes are “starting points” — few times will you try a recipe and it immediately works perfectly. You equipment, environment, technique (and whether or not you are ACTUALLY doing everything the recipe entails) are all contributing factors for success. Knowing your oven is a MUST! Learning where the hot spots are, how air flows, will all affect how your goodies bake. This is different for everyone. Some people have to bake on certain racks only, some have to double up their pans (depending on what pan they’re using), etc. The only way to be certain is to keep trying! Change one variable at a time, write down your experiments, and don’t give up.

PS – The cover image of this blog post are Easter 2019 cookies made from my VEGAN cookie and icing recipe available HERE.

I’m currently using my Tender & Tangy cookie for my cookies, plus one that I only share in my Comprehensive Cookie Course HERE. I recommend taking one of our courses if you struggle with general baking and icing – skip the written recipes.

Don’t know which recipe to start with? Here’s a description of my available recipes (which I use on a day-day basis) and their characteristics– DO keep mind that depending on your method and bake, it can vary. They all hold their shape well and have minimal spread.

Lemon Vanilla Bean (used in my Food Network competition) Round 2
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 3 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Not too sweet, vanilla base with a hint of lemon
- Texture: Dense, chewy at my preferred bake.
- Shelf Life: The longest shelf life of them all when baked at my preferred texture. Texture remains soft for about 4 weeks heat sealed or in an airtight container. 6+ months if frozen (I haven’t gone beyond this but honestly…. maybe it’s just not good practice :P)
recipe:
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 2 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Vanilla with a HINT of almond for the base (almost negligible, it’s really there to amp up the vanilla taste), a little bit of tang. Comes with modifications for snickerdoodle, red velvet, chocolate and ideas for more flavors.
- Texture: Cake like, super tender, melts in your mouth type of feel
- Shelf Life: Similar to my Lemon Vanilla Bean
Fluffy Vanilla (with variations) used in my Food Network competition Round 1 (even though due to editing it looks like I was using Recipe #1)
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 2.5 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Vanilla, again not very sweet, butter also comes through a bit, I teach you how to modify to other flavors (i.e. chocolate)
- Texture: Traditional sugar cookie with fluffier texture, a bit of puff and small spread. Not super chewy.
- Shelf Life: Less than the Lemon Vanilla. About 1.5-2 weeks heat sealed/airtight storage or 3 months frozen.
- Interesting Note: This is a recipe that MANY folks make gluten free! All you need to do is substitute the flour with your favorite 1:1 gluten free alternative. It won’t 100% be the same, but it can get close. People like cup4cup and bob’s red mill brands.
Double Chocolate
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 3 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Chocolatey haha. With chocolate chips. Pretty rich and not too sweet. Good chocolate flavor when using the right cocoa.
- Texture: At the soft bake that I prefer, it’s brownie like but dense. Cocoa can be drying (type, brand, all differ!) so if you find it drier than you’d like, reduce ratio of flour. Not super chewy.
- Shelf Life: Less than the Lemon Vanilla. About 1.5-2 weeks heat sealed/airtight storage or 3 months frozen.
Gingerbread
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 3 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Gingerbready 🙂 Not too sweet. Not crazy gingery either but plenty of spice.
- Texture: Dense. Chewy at the right bake.
- Shelf Life: Less than the Lemon Vanilla. About 1.5-2 weeks heat sealed/airtight storage or 3 months frozen.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): approx. 3 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Like a sugar cookie that has pumpkin spice. Not too sweet.
- Texture: Dense, chewy.
- Shelf Life: Same as my Lemon Vanilla Bean.
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled to your liking): approx. 3 dozen 3-inch round cookies rolled at 1/4″ thick
- Taste: Vanilla — and if you’re sensitive to aquafaba, kinda bean-ish (it CAN be a turnoff for some people!)– I use MELT vegan butter so there is a tad bit of coconut flavor in there as well. Not too sweet.
- Texture: Dense, chewy.
- Shelf Life: Same as my Lemon Vanilla Bean.
Soft Bite Royal Icing – Used in my Food Network competition
- Single batch yield (can easily be scaled up to your liking): ices approx. 4-5 dozen 3-inch round cookies
- Taste: Vanilla. I usually don’t flavor my icing– I flavor the base cookie only
- Texture: Hard thin outer layer when totally dry, gives away to a soft bite when you fully bite into it.
- Shelf Life: The base icing is good for 1 week at room temp if stored in an airtight container. 2 months if frozen. Recombine after it’s been sitting to get the consistency back together
- IMPORTANT: Recipes cannot teach you consistency, which is one of the most important aspects of cookie decorating. You can only learn what consistency you prefer by practicing, A LOT!
— Not sure if I need to elaborate on this here, pretty self explanatory? LMK if not! yield depends on size of your template. I also recommend taking our Video Course (which includes all recipes + so much more). This course is comprehensive and better for visual learners.
Chocolate Chip — my fav that took me way too long to get consistent — again, tons of recipes out there so don’t feel like you need to buy mine. Texture is more tollhouse– on the flatter side and chewy. Yields approx. 2 doz cookies (less than 3 inches small)
— my play on the compost cookie. Chewy at a soft bake (slight underbake), crisp at a harder bake. Read about it more in the product description! Yields 12 large cookies approx. 4 inches across.

Here are some links to some of my other favorite (FREE) roll out cookie and icing recipes:

Roll Out Cookies:

Icing:

Of course– feel empowered to scour the internet– there are a gazillion free recipes to try and there is zero obligation to purchase any of mine– good luck, and have fun!