# Need something to make designs on cookies show up better
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 25, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230 "2013-10-25T19:20:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230/1 "2013-10-25T19:20:21Z")
Hi there! I’m making some rolled sugar cookies, and stamping them with some awesome Halloween stamps that I got. I’m thinking that they would look even better if I could somehow make the outlines of the stamps show up even darker, but I’m not sure how to achieve that effect. Any ideas?
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230/2 "2013-10-25T19:23:59Z")
> [@Zombie Whisperer](#):
>
> Hi there! I’m making some rolled sugar cookies, and stamping them with some awesome Halloween stamps that I got. I’m thinking that they would look even better if I could somehow make the outlines of the stamps show up even darker, but I’m not sure how to achieve that effect. Any ideas?
Do you mean something you do to before you bake it to make it look darker after baking?
Use a fine-tip paintbrush and brush egg wash onto the lines might help.
Also, if you use those little tubes of decorating gel, with the fine tip, before baking, it will sink into the dough and darken as it bakes. We do this when decorating cookies sometimes.
No promises, but it might be good!
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### Author:  [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230/3 "2013-10-25T20:52:35Z")
What about making a sort of ‘stamp pad’ of food coloring?
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230/4 "2013-10-25T21:27:12Z")
Update: The cookies are baked! They turned out good, but as I suspected, the stamped figures aren’t showing up very well. Do you guys think something like a watery icing would highlight them better?
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### Author:  [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-something-to-make-designs-on-cookies-show-up-better/672230/5 "2013-10-25T21:36:49Z")
I’ve had the problem with cookies raising a bit too much and “hiding” the design. Now if I want a stamped cookie look, I’ll cut back a bit on the baking powder etc so that the cookies turn out flatter and the stamp remains more visible.