How to Make Nautical Whale Cookies

Written by Mike Tamplin • Jun 14, 2017

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy.

Take your cookie decorating to the next level!

Trace cookie designs with ease with the Akaso mini projector.

Ahoy there, matey! (Did that greeting come off as more “sea captain” and less “pirate?” Hopefully so, because I have a fun nautical set to show you!) The idea of a nautical cookie set came after finishing up my previous shark post. Continuing on with another ocean series, instead of grinning fishes from last time, I have a dressed-up sea mammal for you today!

These nautical whale cookies are pretty similar to decorate as the shark cookies from before. However, I added a sailor’s hat to the whale as an extra whimsy detail. If you aren't feeling the sailor hat, you could easily sub out the hat for a water spout design.

Nautical Cookie Cutters

Added to the shop this week are 5 new nautical-themed cookie cutters. In addition to the nautical whale cookie cutter, I've also included a simplified lighthouse, a chubby sailboat, a cork bottle, and a cute crab design.

These cookie cutters are available in a number of sizes. For the cookies shown in the example photos, I mixed these sizes to add some variety to the finished platter (shown at the bottom of this post). For reference, I listed the sizes I used below:

Nautical Whale: Regular
Lighthouse: Large
Sailboat: Regular
Bottle: Regular
Crab: Small

Template for the Nautical Whale Cookies

To help with the decorating process, I made a PDF template available for all the nautical designs shown. For an added bonus, I included an alternate design for the whale in case you would like to substitute the sailor's hat for a water spout design. (You'll see what I mean if you click the link below.)

You can download the nautical cookie templates HERE.

If you have a Kopykake or Pico projector, just print it out (or pull it up on your mobile device) and you are good to go. For those without a projector, follow the suggested steps below by tracing the design onto the cookie with an edible food marker.

The Decorating Process

For the colors used for these nautical whale cookies, you will need the following suggested colors:

Dark Blue royal icing. (I mixed Americolor Royal Blue and Sky Blue with a small amount of Super Black.)
Light Blue icing (I mixed a spoonful of the Dark Blue icing from above to plain icing.)
White icing (I used Americolor Bright White.)
Black icing (I used Americolor Super Black.)

Step 1

For those without a projector, begin by making a guideline for where the main body should be. I made a template with template plastic from the PDF file above and used a food marker to draw the guideline on the cookie.

Step 2

Next, with the dark blue icing, outline and fill in the main body area, as shown below. Let this icing set for about 15 minutes.

Then, with light blue icing, create stripes and fill every other belly section. Also, fill in the top part of the sailor hat. Let this icing set for another 15 minutes.

Step 3

Once the icing had time to set up a bit, fill in the remaining sections of the belly and hat. Now leave the cookie to dry completely for 1 to 2 hours.

Once the base layer had time to dry, add the finishing touches. Add the body outlines, the stripe across the hat, and the eyes.

Video Tutorial

The steps above are demonstrated in the time-lapsed video below.

The completed nautical whale cookie is shown below, along with the rest of the nautical-themed cookies in this set.

Looking back now that this set is done, I like the whale cookies but I'm really in love with the charming crab design. It's probably my favorite of the set. The crab is both cute and simple, which is a winning combo in my book.