Paper Mario: The Origami King Sugar Cookies
If you haven’t already heard, Paper Mario: The Origami King (i.e., the new Mario video game) comes out this Friday!
My husband, Nabil, and I grew up playing video games. Nabil is a gamer and plays lots of games with me on the Nintendo Switch (and occasionally on the PS4). We’ve played many Mario games in the past, both for fun and competitively. My preference is for “fun” games over the “versus” ones because I can be a little competitive from time to time (probably a bit of an understatement) and it takes away from the enjoyment.
I can’t tell you the numerous times I played Mario Bros on the original Nintendo Entertainment System growing up. Mario games are always so much fun and I adored playing the last one (Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch) with my husband. Nowadays, my Switch gaming mostly consists of Ring Fit Adventure and puzzle games, but when my husband told me there was a new Paper Mario game coming out, I got super excited for the new RPG spin-off. I decided to make some Mario-themed cookies to celebrate the launch.
Hopefully this tutorial allows you to 1-up your cookie decorating skills and helps you to decorate the best Mario Cookies for your play-a-longs!
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Materials for Paper Mario: The Origami King Sugar Cookies:
- Sugar Cookie Dough (get my favorite sugar cookie recipe here)
- Paper Mario: The Origami King templates (Click here to get the templates I used )
- Parchment paper
- Sharp knife or X-acto knife
- Scissors
Making Paper Mario: The Origami King Sugar Cookies
Use the instructions on my sugar cookie recipe for cookies that will not spread. To make cutting the design easier, place rolled out dough (I rolled mine to approximately ¼” thick) into the fridge to harden. It’s MUCH easier to cut the dough when it’s chilled.
To make transferring the dough easier, I rolled it out between a sheet of parchment paper and plastic wrap. After rolling the dough to the desired thickness, pick up the sheet of parchment paper with the dough still on it and move it to the fridge. Make sure you have a cleared shelf so the dough can chill in a flat layer.
Use scissors to cut out the printed template shapes. Place the template on the chilled dough and use a sharp knife or an X-acto knife to cut around the outside of the template. If the dough softens while cutting, just place the dough back in the fridge to harden. I chilled the dough before removing the cookies from the parchment paper to make sure I didn’t distort the cookie shape while removing it.
Bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes. Look for the bottom edges to be a little golden brown. Baking time will vary slightly based on how thick you roll out the cookies and how large the cookies are. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for approximately 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Materials for Decorating Paper Mario: The Origami King Sugar Cookies
- Stiff consistency royal icing (i.e., holds its shape without healing on its own) in Americolor Super Black
- Medium consistency royal icing (i.e., slightly stiff, but able to heal) in white, tan (Wilton Ivory), brown (Americolor Chocolate Brown), red (Wilton No-Taste Red), blue (Americolor Royal Blue), yellow (Americolor Lemon Yellow), green (Americolor Leaf Green), and purple (Americolor Violet)
- Very small amount of orange (Americolor Orange), and bright blue (Americolor Sky Blue)
- Tracing Projector app
- Disposable piping bags and/or parchment paper triangles
- Rubber bands (optional) – to keep piping bags closed
- Couplers and icing tips #1 and #2
- Toothpicks or Pick tool
- Black and Yellow Edible Marker (Red and Green edible markers are optional) – These are the edible markers I use.1
- Offset spatula
- Airbrush
- Pink airbrush color2
Just a heads up, this is a long post with step-by-step instructions for each cookie. To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, I made a “Cookie Designs” table below with each Paper Mario cookie design listed. Feel free to click on the section you’re interested in to jump to that part of the post.
Cookie Designs
- Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies
- Mario (jumping and standing)
- Olivia
- “Paper Mario” Logo
- “Origami King” Logo
- Luigi
- Toad
- Koopa Troopa
- Goomba
Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies
Begin by coloring royal icing and thinning it to the correct consistency. I suggest using #1 tips (i.e., very small opening), which allows for greater control while piping. These Mario cookies require a lot of detail work. It’s easier to do this with smaller piping tips than larger ones.
Begin by using the Tracing Projector app, to trace outlines for all cookies. I used a yellow edible marker (until it ran out) to make the outlines. Lighter colors are easier to cover with icing and are less noticeable if your line isn’t completely covered by royal icing. The marker color can also sometimes bleed into icing, so it’s a good idea to either keep it light or have it match the icing color.
Pipe black royal icing over the marker outline for all of the cookies except Olivia.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Mario (jumping and standing)
This is the main player in Paper Mario: The Origami King. He is always embarking on quests to beat villains and to rescue other characters. In this game, Mario teams up with Olivia (see the cookie tutorial below) to fight King Olly and other invaders to return peace to the land.
Filling in Outlines
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with the appropriate colored royal icing. You will not need to wait between colors (except for the “M”) because they are all separated by the black outline.
I used my pick tool to guide the royal icing into the small corners/areas of the cookie. There were multiple times that the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., the small yellow button), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small shape.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Piping the “M”
After piping the white circle in Mario’s hat (see the previous section), allow it to crust (i.e., let the icing sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until the icing is no longer shiny). Then, pipe the “M.”
I tried piping the letter first and filling with the white, but it looked terrible. I actually needed to scrape the M out of a few of Mario’s hats because I didn’t like the way it looked.
You could also write an “M” with a red edible marker. If you use this option, let the white icing dry completely so you don’t accidentally break through the royal icing crust with the marker.
Adding finishing details
Use a black edible marker to draw eyes and ears on the cookies. If you didn’t already pipe the hand or shoe creases, use the black marker to draw those in as well. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eyeballing most of the drawn details.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Olivia
Olivia is Mario’s primary partner in the Paper Mario: The Origami King video game. She helps him throughout the game and can transform into different origami creatures. This cookie is designed to resemble folded paper (i.e., origami). To achieve this look, there is a lot of filling in small sections, allowing them to crust and then filling in the section next to it to create a crease and added dimension. This is a cookie that probably would have been easier to pipe if it were larger. Feel free to modify the size using the Word Document template.
Piping the Royal Icing
Fill in the cookie with royal icing using the following steps. Allow parts to crust for 15-20 minutes before piping sections that touch:
- Yellow hair directly next to her face and the small pointy triangles (i.e., the tips of her hair)
- Brown legs
- The yellow horizontal portion of her hair (i.e., the part above her arms)
- White arms and tan face
- Yellow chest and parts 1 and 4 of her crown (see diagram below)
- Vertical chest sections and part 2 (see diagram below)
- Part 3 of her crown (see diagram below)
Allow the cookie to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Adding finishing details
Use a black edible maker to draw eyes on the cookies. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eyeballing most of the drawn details.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
“Paper Mario” Logo
I made two different options for the logo. The first is with individual cookie letters that can be stacked to create an overlapped effect. The second is with the entire word and the piping creates the overlapped effect.
Filling in Outlines – Both Options
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with yellow royal icing. Use the pick tool to guide the royal icing to the outlines.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Airbrushing Letters: Both Options
When airbrushing, always choose a spot that can be easily cleaned. There is typically a fine overspray (i.e., some of the coloring sprays around the cookies and gets everywhere). Place letters/words on a piece of parchment paper to minimize your cleanup.
Pour a few drops of your airbrush color (this is different than gel food coloring in thickness so make sure you are using the correct one) into the cup and test the spray on a piece of paper towel to practice how much pressure you’ll need to get the effect you want.
Begin airbrushing the cookies by gently pulling on the trigger and moving your hand horizontally. Aim the airbrush at the top edge of the letters to get the darkest color at the top. By staying at the top, you will automatically create a fading effect on the letters. It ended up looking amazing and I was SOOOOO excited. You’ll get some color on the top exposed cookie, but that will be ok because it will be covered by more royal icing.
Allow the cookies to dry for 30 minutes.
Option 1: Individual Letters
Add a white border around each letter and let it crust (i.e., let the icing sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until the icing is no longer shiny). There were a few times the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., the spaces in the middle of letters (e.g., P, A, and R), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small space.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line. I tried to pipe far enough away from the black line that the white wasn’t touching at all and then I used the pick tool to gently make it touch.
Let the white outline crust for 15-20 minutes.
Add a black border around each letter and make sure the outline goes all the way to the edge of the cookie.
Let the cookie dry completely.
Option 2: Whole Word
Pipe a white border around the “R” in “PAPER” and the “O” in “MARIO.” Let the icing crust for 15-20 minutes and then pipe a black border around the same letters. Make sure the black outline goes all the way to the edge of the cookie. Let the icing crust again.
Pipe a white border around the next letter in each word (i.e., “E” in “PAPER” and “I” in “MARIO”). Let the border crust and then pipe a black border around the same letters. The border should overlap slightly with the previous letter that you piped. This is what gives the overlapping appearance of the letters.
Continue this same process until all of the letters are finished.
Let the cookie dry completely.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
“Origami King” Logo
Create Royal Icing Transfers
In a baking sheet, place the printed “Origami King” template under a piece of parchment paper. I like to pipe onto a baking sheet because it’s easier to move the designs when I’m finished. If you use the template, you will see the size that I used for my cookie. I would actually suggest making this cookie larger because the details will be SUBSTANTIALLY easier to pipe. I’ve included a PDF and a Word Document in my template so you can easily modify the cookie size.
Use a #1 tip to pipe the colored shapes in royal icing. A few important notes while piping:
- The template design should be visible through the parchment paper. If you’re having trouble seeing the design, tape the parchment paper to the pan to make it sit closer to the template.
- To get the same “broken” effect, leave a space between the pieces. Don’t let the icing touch. Use a toothpick or a pick tool to fix any icing that runs into another piece.
- Pay attention to the pieces that overlap. One of the cool things about this logo is that the creators made it look like origami (i.e., folded paper). To do this, a few of the letters have sections that are layered (e.g., the A and the M). Pipe the “under” section first. Allow the royal icing to crust (i.e., let the icing sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until the icing is no longer shiny) and then pipe the top section.
- Use a toothpick or pick tool to move the icing and to get sharp corners. If you’re spreading the icing over a “crusted” section, be very gentle that you don’t break through the crust below and ruin the finish. This is less of a concern if the icing has hardened completely (i.e., has been sitting out for 6-8 hours).
- As much as possible, keep the piped icing relatively thick. If icing is in a thin layer, it’s likely it will break when attempting to remove it from the parchment paper. I had a few break and crumble because I piped them too thinly. This is also why I suggest making this cookie larger, so the small pieces are more substantial and easier to work with.
Allow the icing transfers to dry uncovered for 4-6 hours (or until completely dry).
Gently remove the royal icing transfers from the parchment paper (so they don’t break) by sliding an offset spatula under each. It’s ideal to make extras in case pieces break.
Decorating the Cookies
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with white royal icing. Fill the “The” section of the cookie with black royal icing. Allow the icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or overnight).
Use a small amount of royal icing to “glue” the royal icing transfers to the cookie. A few tips for the “gluing process:”
- Be VERY gentle with royal icing transfers. They are delicate and can break easily.
- You can either pipe the royal icing onto the back of the transfer or directly onto the cookie. I used both methods.
- When adding “glue” to the transfer, I piped small amounts of icing onto my pick tool rather than the back of the royal icing transfer to ensure there wasn’t too much “glue.”
- Gently place all pieces of a letter on at a time. Before the “glue” dries, turn the pieces to align them, and then press down to adhere.
- If the royal icing transfer does not lay flat on the cookie, it’s likely the icing underneath was not perfectly flat. Do NOT push on the transfer to make it flat. This will cause the transfer to break. If the gap really bothers you, add extra white royal icing under the transfer to fill the gap.
Carefully pipe the word “The” onto the cookie and allow the cookie to dry completely3.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Luigi
This is my husband’s favorite Mario character. We even have a small Luigi plush doll hanging off our rear view mirror in our car!
Filling in Outlines
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with the appropriate colored royal icing. You will not need to wait between colors (except for the “L”) because they are all separated by the black outline.
I used my pick tool to guide the royal icing into the small corners/areas of the cookie. There were multiple times that the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., his fingers), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small shape.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Piping the “L”
After piping the white circle in Luigi’s hat (see the previous section), allow it to crust (i.e., let the icing sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until the icing is no longer shiny). Then, pipe the “L.”
You could also write an “L” with a green edible marker. If you use this option, let the white icing dry completely so you don’t accidentally break through the royal icing crust with the marker.
Adding finishing details
Use a black edible marker to draw eyes and ears on the cookies. If you didn’t already pipe the hand or shoe creases, use the black marker to draw those in as well. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eyeballing most of the drawn details.
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Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Toad
This cookie was the easiest out of the whole bunch. The spaces were open without lots of corners and there were only a few colors. Also, I love how cute he looks!
Filling in Outlines
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with the appropriate colored royal icing. You will not need to wait between colors because they are all separated by the black outline.
I used my pick tool to guide the royal icing to the outlines. There were a few times the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., Toad’s mouth), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small space.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Adding finishing details
Use a black edible marker to draw eyes on the cookies. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eye-balling the drawn details.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Koopa Troopa
No Mario game would be complete without a few bad guys to defeat. This Koopa Troopa is a turtle-like creature that disappears into its shell if jumped on. You can then kick the shell away or pick it up to throw at other enemies.
Filling in Outlines
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with the appropriate colored royal icing. You will not need to wait between colors because they are all separated by the black outline.
I used my pick tool to guide the royal icing to the outlines. There were a few times the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., his tail and fingers), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small space.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Adding finishing details
Use a black edible marker to draw eyes, nostril, and shell lines on the cookies. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eye-balling the drawn details.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Goomba
Goombas are another enemy of Mario’s. These creatures resemble angry mushrooms and can be killed by jumping on their heads.
Filling in Outlines
Fill in the outlined cookies (see “Decorating Steps for ALL Cookies” section) with the appropriate colored royal icing. You will not need to wait between colors because they are all separated by the black outline.
I used my pick tool to guide the royal icing to the outlines. There were a few times the space was too small for my piping tip (e.g., his teeth), so I piped a small amount of icing onto my pick tool and used it to spread the icing into the small space.
Try to avoid covering the black outline with the icing since the outlines make the cookie look neat. If you cover the line with icing, use your pick tool to carefully remove it from the line.
Allow the royal icing to dry uncovered for 6-8 hours (or until completely dry).
Adding Eyes
Use a black edible marker to draw eyes on the cookies. I tried to use the Tracing Projector App to draw the eyes, but I was struggling to get the marker point at the correct place (my marker tip is thick, and I really needed an extra-fine tipped marker). I ended up eye-balling the drawn details.
Adding the Eyebrows
Use the Tracing Projector App and the pick tool to mark where the eyebrows should go. Pipe the curved part of the eyebrow and use the pick tool to shape it. I used the pick tool to make the vertical line rather than piping because it gave a cleaner look. Make sure the eyebrows touch his eyes. He doesn’t look quite as angry as he should when there is a gap.
Back to “Cookie Designs” section.
Paper Mario: The Origami King – overview
These cookies took a long time to make, but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out. Every step of the process I was so excited that they kept looking amazing. I literally squealed with excitement when I airbrushed the Paper Mario logo cookies since they looked exactly like I imagined them!
If you make any (or all of these Paper Mario: The Origami King sugar cookies), I would love to see them! Please send me an email, message me on Facebook, tag me on Instagram (@windycitybaker), or upload a photo to Pinterest. I would love to see what amazing cookies you’ve made!
Notes
- It might be helpful to use extra-fine marker like these. I’ve never used them before, so I don’t know how well they work, but I know that there were multiple times while decorating these cookies that I wished I had a marker with a finer tip. (Back to “Materials for Decorating Sugar Cookies” section)
- I had to use pink because my red airbrush color had too much brown in it. It looked really ugly on the yellow icing. The pink ended up looking like a bright red. If you have a pretty red, use that instead. (Back to “Materials for Decorating Sugar Cookies” section)
- I did not follow this advice I do not advise trying to pipe the word “the” first and then filling in the outline around it. The details are too small, and it was very difficult. I wish I had just had a smooth surface to pipe onto for this word. (Back to “Origami-King Logo: Decorating the Cookies” section)
