Below are samples of the techniques you’ll learn- the actual designs will vary!
3 Day Cookie Retreat with Lisa He
Class Dates/Times: Wednesday, January 20 to Friday, January 22, 2027 | 9:00AM - 4:00PM (Lunch included each day)
PLUS 1 Evening Event (Chef Night Cooking Class*)Thursday, January 21, 2027 6:00PM - 8:30PM
$1,200.00 (includes all classes/lunches/swag bag) Single Baker**
**Bring a friend to share your station for $200.00 extra (they’ll get a swag bag too!)
Whether you're a passionate home baker or a cottage food business owner looking to level up, this immersive three-day retreat with Lisa He of Borderlands Bakery is designed to take your decorated cookie game from scratch — literally — to a fully realized, professional-quality skill set you can build a business or a beautiful hobby around.
Over three intensive, hands-on days, you'll master four distinct cookie bases, learn to work with royal icing from flood to florals, explore rolled and piped buttercream techniques, and walk away with a toolkit of recipes, skills, and confidence that will transform the way you approach decorated cookies forever. Take advantage of Lisa's 15 years of cookie decorating experience and pick her brain on all things cookies and cookie business while in class!
This retreat is limited to 11 stations and is fully immersive — everything the instructor makes, you make. No watching from the sidelines here.
What You'll Learn
Day 1 — The Foundation: Doughs, Flavors & Prep
Morning through afternoon — all cookies baked and ready for Day 2
The best decorated cookie starts with the best base. On Day 1 we slow down and do it right — mixing, flavoring, chilling, rolling, cutting, and baking four distinct cookie doughs so every cookie is perfectly prepped and ready for decorating.
You'll cover:
Classic vanilla-almond cut-out sugar cookie: the workhorse base that I'll teach you to customize into 3 additional flavors of your choice
Flavor extracts, emulsions, and how to build your own flavor profiles
Mix-ins and inclusions: cocoa powder, citrus zest, espresso, spices, and more
Proper dough hydration, chill times, and how both affect your cut
Rolling for consistent thickness, cutter technique, and clean release
Baking for flat, even cookies — oven tips, pan rotation, and cooling
By end of Day 1, you'll have 4 full sets of baked, cooled cookies ready to decorate.
Day 2 — Royal Icing: From Flood to Fine Detail
Full day — all things royal icing
Royal icing day is where decorated cookies become art. We'll spend the full day working through every consistency, every technique, and every tool — from your first flood fill to hand-painted florals.
Morning: Foundations
Royal icing from scratch — meringue powder vs. egg white, ratios, and troubleshooting
Understanding consistency: flood, stiff, floral and when to use each
Color theory for cookie decorating: mixing, marbling, achieving true blacks and whites, a little discussion about non-artificial dyes & impacts
Flooding technique: how to outline, fill, and get a perfectly smooth surface every time
Wet-on-wet designs: simple patterns, color blocking, and blending
Afternoon: Advanced Techniques
Fine line piping and detail work
Brush embroidery and hand-painted details
Royal icing florals: roses, wildflowers, and leaves
Lettering: block, script, and bounce lettering on cookies
Stenciling with royal icing
Airbrushing: base colors, gradients, shading, and using stencils with an airbrush
You'll leave Day 2 with 2 dozen decorated royal icing cookies plus the confidence to do it again at home.
Day 3 — Buttercream: Rolled, Piped & Molded
Full day — buttercream techniques
Day 3 brings a completely different feel: softer, more tactile, and incredibly versatile. We'll work with both rolled buttercream (think fondant, but better) and classic piped buttercream to create a third and fourth set of decorated cookies with an entirely different aesthetic.
Morning: Rolled Buttercream
Rolled buttercream from scratch — recipe, ratios, and texture troubleshooting
Coloring and tinting for even, streak-free coverage
Rolling, cutting, and applying to cookies for a clean, smooth finish
Embossing, texturing, and using molds with rolled buttercream
Layering and dimension: combining rolled buttercream with other media
Afternoon: Piped Buttercream
Make American buttercream
Piping bag setup, tip selection, and pressure control
Rosettes, ruffles, shells, stars, and rope borders
Piped florals on cookies: peonies, daisies, and succulents
Color loading and multi-tone piping for dimension
Finishing touches: edible gold, luster dust, and sprinkle work
Day 3 wraps with 2 full sets of buttercream decorated cookies and a complete recipe portfolio to take home.
What You Take Home
1 cookie base recipe — fully annotated with flavor variation ideas & direction
Complete royal icing recipe with consistency guide and color mixing reference
Rolled buttercream recipe with troubleshooting notes
American buttercream recipe
4 full sets of decorated cookies from all three days — beautifully packaged to travel
A curated Swag Bag stocked with tools, ingredients, and treats selected for this retreat
All class notes, technique guides, and reference sheets
The skills, confidence, and inspiration to keep going at home
As we are located just across from the beach, the experience also invites moments of relaxation—beach chairs are available if you’d like to unwind by the water between daytime and evening sessions. You’re also welcome to bring a non-baking travel companion to join the evening classes as your guest, sharing your workstation (at no additional charge.)
This class is suitable for the following Dynamic Duo types:
YES: Parent/Grandparent & Child - As these are full day classes, they are more suitable for accompanied older children (10+) or younger children with a keen interest in baking.)
YES: Couples
YES: Friends (you will share all equipment/ingredients for 1 recipe/batch…we let you rock, paper, scissors if the recipe doesn’t divide equally.)
Q:What is a Dynamic Duo?A: It’s basically two people sharing the same workstation. You share all equipment and ingredients for a single batch of whatever we’re making that day. Don’t worry, we won’t stick you with some random stranger- if you want to fly solo, you’ll have the station (and all the yummy food) all to yourself! On the Chef/Date Night (the evening class) you will always have enough for two and generally extra to bring home too.
These are full-day classes, please wear comfortable shoes (stools will be provided) and have long hair tied back. For the comfort of all our students and staff, we ask that you refrain from wearing perfume or cologne. You may wish to bring a cardigan or sweater as the kitchen is kept at 68F. You will warm up once you start working!
Please read our FAQ’s on the RETREATS page BEFORE booking.
Email us at info@fabbaker.com if you have any further questions.
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