These Pantone Cookies are the cutest way to celebrate the Color of the Year! Or any colorful occasion, really.
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A lot of blogs I follow are doing Valentine’s Day posts this week, but I’m not a huge fan of the holiday. Instead, I decided to devote a post to something I love with all my heart and soul — color.
A few years back I made cookies that look like Pantone’s signature swatches for the office, and they were a huge hit. This time, I decided to tackle Pantone’s 2014 Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid.
Pantone, for you non-designers out there, is the color powerhouse that studies and identifies trends in color across the realms of design.
Designers of all kinds, such as fashion, interior, product and graphic designers, rely on color to catch people’s eyes and sell products, but it can be difficult to stay true to a color across platforms.
For example, a company would want to be sure the colors in its logo appear the same online, on paper, on a wall and on fabrics, so Pantone created the Pantone Matching System (PMS).
A universal standard, designers buy and use the PMS swatch books, filled with tiny paper swatches, to achieve perfect matches in inks, dyes, paints and pigments. As a designer myself, this system is one I use every day.
The reveal of Pantone’s Color of the Year is always something I look forward to. Pantone released its first Color of the Year in 2000 to set the pace for the year ahead. It’s always interesting to see what color Pantone is going to pick next.
I wasn’t a fan of Radiant Orchid when it was announced in December, but it’s growing on me.
Keep your eyes peeled, as you’ll probably see clothes and products in this pretty lilac hue pop up in stores all year long, if you haven’t already. Last year’s Emerald and 2009’s Mimosa are my favorites from years past.
For the cookies, I added cinnamon to a basic sugar cookie recipe and frosted them with royal icing, dyed to match Radiant Orchid as best I could. I wrote the word “Pantone”with a food color marker.
If you’re in a pinch, you could always ice a flat, rectangular, store-bought cookie, such as Pepperidge Farm’s Chessmen, instead. If you try them, let me know in the comments what Pantone colors you try and how you achieved them! // susannah
To make the Pantone Cookies, you’ll need these supplies:
- Baking sheet
- Rectangle cookie cutter
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Icing colors — I used Wilton’s Aster Mauve
- Toothpicks
- Piping bags and tips
- Offset frosting spatula
- Black food color marker
Pantone Cookies
ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the icing (from Martha Stewart):
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- ½ scant cup water
- 3-4 drops food color for icing
- 1 food color marker
instructions
For the cookies
- Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix until well-combined. In three batches, add reserved flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Separate dough into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with non-stick baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rectangular cookie cutter or knife, cut dough into rectangles and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Let cool completely.
For the icing
- Add confectioner's sugar, meringue powder and 1/5 of the water to the bowl of an electric mixer. With an electric mixer, beat ingredients on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water; if too thin, beat 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Separate icing into as many bowls as you need colors. For white, don't dye the icing. In small batches, dip toothpicks in icing color, then swirl them in the icing to add color. With a spoon, stir the color in. Repeat until you have a slightly lighter color than desired, as the icing will darken slightly as it dries and hardens.
Decorating the cookies
- Spoon icing into piping bags or plastic zip-lock bags and snip a small corner off the bag with scissors. Test the pressure of the icing on a plate or wax paper. Pipe squares of color and rectangles of white to look like a Pantone chip. Use an icing spatula or butter knife to smooth, if necessary.
- Let harden completely. If desired, write "Pantone" and the color's PMS number on the white part of the icing with a black food color marker. Store in airtight container. (The cookies can be frozen in an airtight container. Let container reach room temperature before opening to avoid condensation and discoloration on the cookies.)
notes
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Rosanne says
Great!!!
Susannah says
Thank you, Rosanne!
Rin says
This is insanely awesome! Well done!
Susannah says
Thanks, Rin! They’re always a hit 🙂
Cottoncandydiva says
Great job! Could you please tell us what colours you used to get that shade? Thanks
Cottoncandydiva says
Never mind…just saw the note at the end. Guess I’ll just have to experiment
Susannah says
Hi Cottoncandydiva, I definitely recommend experimenting! Bear in mind that the icing darkens when it has hardened, so you may try letting a few cookies dry to see if the color matches what color you are going for.
Lauren says
LOVE these, Susannah! So creative! I’ve seen someone make Pantone tags for cupcakes before, but not actual pantone cookies. That’s awesome. I don’t know how you got your handwriting so neat on there. I’m very impressed 🙂
Susannah says
Thank you, Lauren! Pantone cupcakes is a cute idea. Pantone cookies on cupcakes is even better! 😉
The handwriting is tough, but if your icing is 100% dry and doesn’t have a lot of bubbles (read: potential holes), the food color markers work miraculously well.
tamara says
LOVE the Pantone cookies! We’re still pondering our “Radiant Orchid” level of adoption for our own work, but have to say – your interpretation is awesome. Thanks for sharing all the details!
Haleigh DeRocher says
I love these cookies soooo much.
Susannah says
Thanks, Haleigh! Let me know if you try them 🙂
maci says
Oh my word, these are the cutest things I’ve ever seen!!
Colleen Pastoor says
These are fantastic! Pinned and can’t wait for an occasion to make them for some design loving friends 🙂 Maybe I’ll to Marsala… maybe eating sugar in that color will help me like it better…
Susannah says
Not a Marsala fan either? Meh, I don’t like it at all. Thank you for pinning! I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
Shaina Longstreet says
Okay, seriously?! I ADORE these. 🙂 What a fun idea.
Susannah says
Yes! Seriously! So glad you like them, Shaina. 🙂