Ahh, can you believe it's fall already?! Although it's still hot and humid as ever (since I'm in Florida), I figured maybe if I made some fall-inspired cookies, it would help put me in the fall mood...and what better way than with some adorable scarecrow overall cookies!!!
What you'll need:
- Roll out cookie dough (CookieCutterKingdom sugar cookie recipe here)
- CookieCutterKingdom 3" Baby Overalls cookie cutter
- Light blue royal icing (CookieCutterKingdom royal icing recipe here)
- Gray royal icing
- Airbrush & compressor
- Navy blue airbrush color
- Cheese cloth
- Toasted coconut
- Scribe tool or toothpick
- Tweezers (for food only - optional)
- For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
Directions:
If you're not feeling the fall theme for these overalls, just skip the toasted coconut part and they would be adorable for a kiddie birthday or baby shower. Enjoy!!
Xx,
Jenessa
@dolcecakesconfections
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
]]>CookieCutterKingdom Cutters:
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
Pardon our French, but the macaron trend is just everywhere these days! Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections uses the CookieCutterKingdom Macaron Cookie Cutter to combine elegant dessert and classic sugar cookie.
*
I love macarons! I love everything about them...except making them. The delicate treats are the most finicky little cookies that I've ever tried to make. If you over-mix the batter, they end up flat with no feet. If you under-mix the batter, they end up bumpy. If you don't mix the meringue to the right consistency, they end up hollow. You get the picture. They can be a real pain to make.
With that being said, after trying my hand at several batches of these, I decided that I should just stick to what I'm good at...decorating sugar cookies. If you're like me and would rather decorate a macaron than make an actual French macaron, then keep reading.
French Macaron Cookies
What you'll need:
Directions:
Dust work surface with flour, roll out your dough, and dip cutters in flour before cutting out the french fries. Freeze shapes for about an hour, then bake according to recipe, and cool completely.
To start, pipe a narrow, horizontal rectangle in the center of your cookie. Do not pipe the white all the way to the sides.
Next, use the flooding consistency colored royal icings to pipe the side shells of the macarons. Don't worry about piping all the way in to meet the white in the center. If the shells do touch the white, that is fine too.
Set the cookies aside for 10-15 minutes...just long enough to let the top layer of the royal icing to set.
When the top layers have set, take the colored piping consistency icings and pipe a thick line (about 1/4 of the size of the sides) in between the white and shell. Take a scribe tool or toothpick and even the icing out to make the line look straighter.
Allow the icing to dry for 30 minutes or until there is a hard crust on top. I popped mine in my dehydrator on the lowest temperature setting for 5 minutes to help speed up the process. If you don't have a dehydrator, a small counter top fan works too!
Once the cookies have crusted over, take your scribe tool/toothpick and poke around at the thick line of icing you just piped to create the look of getting those perfect, little feet that you want on your macaron. It's better if the royal icing on the inside is still kind of gooey so the cracked crumb pieces stick to themselves and look more cohesive than a bunch of random holes in your cookie.
When you've finished poking holes into your cookies, set them aside to finish drying completely and you're all done!!
I promise these cookies are 100x easier to decorate than having to make real French macarons! So, for your next tea party or ladies event, make a bunch of these, save yourself the hassle of making actual macarons, but you can still take credit for making "macarons" (wink wink).
Xx,
Jenessa
@dolcecakesconfections
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
]]>
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
We're well into the middle of summer and we've all probably seen a ton of ice cream cookies by now. Well...I love ice cream so I'm going to show you another one, but this time with a little texture and a lot of crunch!
If you'd like to add another ice cream variation to your decorating list, keep on reading because I think you'll really like this one.
Dust work surface with flour, roll out your dough, and dip cutters in flour before cutting out the french fries. Freeze shapes for about an hour, then bake according to recipe, and cool completely.
To start, take a small amount of thick white royal icing and smear a thin layer on the top, round section. Try to keep the icing away from the edges.
Next, outline and flood the lower triangle to form a cone shape with the light brown royal icing. Set the cookies aside for 20-30 minutes so a crust can form on the top of the icing.
Then use the thick, light brown royal icing and pipe thin diagonal lines across the cone. I use tipless bags and snip a tiny bit off, but you can use whatever you have. I find the finer lines are more aesthetically pleasing.
This next part is optional, but I really think it adds to the final look! Using some ivory airbrush color, spray one side of the cone to add some shading. Make sure to cover the white section with a paper towel or something so you don't get overspray on it. I totally forgot to do this and had to make another cookie for this tutorial (oops)...but don't worry, we will fix that cookie later.
Now, take the dark brown icing and pipe a circle in the white section and flood to the outer edge of the rounded area. The circle doesn't have to be perfect. It will actually look better if it's misshapen because it will look more like a bite. Also, I added a drop of black into my icing to create that deep, rich color instead of overloading my royal icing with brown gel color.
Let the icing sit for 10-15 seconds then sprinkle on your crushed peanuts. If you apply them immediately after you flood, the peanuts sink down into the icing, rather than sitting on top.
Oh yeah, remember that cookie I messed up earlier with the overspray?! Well, I ended up filling the whole top in with the brown-black icing and added the crushed peanuts so it looked like a cone that hadn't been bitten into yet.
Enjoy!
Xx,
Jenessa
Dolce Cakes & Confections
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
]]>
]]>
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
]]>
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
]]>Check out this colorful butterfly by @missdoughmestic Amazing!! ? #cookiecutterkingdom
For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
Choo Choo! All aboard the birthday train! Ardy of @ardycakes shows us how to use CookieCutterKingdom's Caboose Train Cutter to make these cookies, perfect for any child's birthday party!
Things you’ll need:
-4 inch CookieCutterKingdom Caboose Train Cutter
-Shortbread cookie dough
-Rolling pin
-Royal Icing in red, blue, and gray
-Piping bags fitted with tip #3 (or try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!)
Directions:
Roll out your dough, cut out the train shapes, freeze them for about an hour, bake at 350, and cool completely.
Pipe your blue and gray areas first: the wheels, the chimney, the window, etc. Let them dry for about 15 minutes. Then pipe the red areas. Let them dry for at least an hour, or overnight.
Once the red areas are all dry, outline the window in blue again. Then outline the wheels in gray, adding detail to the “cattle catcher” (the front of the train - I had to look that up!).
Wrap them individually with ribbon for favors at any transportation-loving kid’s party!
Enjoy,
Ardy
@ardycakes
Oh deer! What do we have here? Ardy of @ardycakes transforms CookieCutterKingdom's Moscow Plaque and Deer Head cutters into these elegant boho chic deer head cookies.
]]>Oh deer! What do we have here? Ardy of @ardycakes transforms CookieCutterKingdom's Moscow Plaque and Deer Head cutters into these elegant boho chic deer head cookies.
Things you’ll need:
- CookieCutterKingdom 4-inch Moscow Plaque Cutter
- CookieCutterKingdom 2-inch Deer Head Cutter
- Shortbread cookie dough
- Rolling pin
- Fondant, tinted brown and ivory
- Royal Icing, tinted light pink and a tiny bit of green
- Piping bags fitted with tip #5 and tip #2 (or try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!)
Directions:
Cut your cookie shapes using any plaque cutter you like; my 2 favorites are the Moscow Plaque and the Nice Plaque. Freeze the shapes for about an hour before baking so that they hold their shape better. Bake as directed and let cool.
Mix up a batch of royal icing and tint about a quarter cup green. Tint the rest light pink. Outline your plaques and then flood the inside using the pink in a piping bag fitted with the #5 tip. Set aside to dry.
While your cookies are drying, roll out the brown fondant and cut out deer head shapes. Cut off the antler portion and discard. Then, roll out the ivory fondant and cut out the deer head shapes again. Cut off the antler portion again, but this time, save the antlers and discard the heads. Using a dab of water, connect the 2 pieces and set aside to dry.
Place a 2-toned deer head fondant shape onto each dried cookie.
Then pipe on tiny pink dots (as flowers) and green dots (as leaves). To give your leaves a more realistic look, drag a toothpick through the center of each dot to create a split leaf look!
Enjoy!
Ardy
]]>
What's better than a cheesy pun? A cheesy Valentine's Day pun! Mini of @minimandakay shows us how to use CookieCutterKingdom's Heart Cutter to create the perfect corny message for your valentine!
]]>What you’ll need:
- CookieCutterKingdom's Heart Cutter
- Sugar cookie dough (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Royal icing in red, light blue, royal blue, navy, and pink (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Scribe Tool
- Gel food coloring (I most frequently use Americolor and Spectrum)
- Rolling pin (an adjustable pin or guides help make an even sheet of dough)
- Piping bags (CookieCutterKingdom Piping Bags here)
- Scissors
Directions:
Begin by filling in the hearts with red royal icing.
Once the icing is completely dry, pipe the outline of a whale using the light blue and royal blue icing.
Fill in the whale. Use the navy blue icing to add some detail to the belly and tail.
When the whale is dry, pipe an outline and face with the navy icing and add some ribbing detail with the light blue icing.
Add a water spout, heart, and decorative border.
You can check out my instagram @minimandakay for more punny ideas.
]]>Cookie cutters aren't just about making cute, sweet cookies- they can be used for making savory foods as well! Follow along as Celine of @celines_eats uses CookieCutterKingdom's Apple Cookie Cutter to make argula salad with apples, roasted delicata squash, and gruyere frico!
]]>Cookie cutters aren't just about making cute, sweet cookies- they can be used for making savory foods as well! Follow along as Celine of @celines_eats uses CookieCutterKingdom's Apple Cookie Cutter to make argula salad with apples, roasted delicata squash, and gruyere frico!
What you need:
-CookieCutterKingdom’s 4-inch Apple Cookie Cutter
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp Gruyère cheese, finely grated
Pro tip: To remove pomegranate seeds without making a mess, submerge half of a pomegranate in a bowl of water and remove seeds underwater so that pomegranate juices don’t fly everywhere. This also cleans the seeds since these sink to the bottom while the white membrane floats to the top.
Directions:
Frico
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Place the cookie cutter on the prepared baking sheet and place 1 tablespoon of grated cheese inside the cutter. Carefully spread the cheese evenly and place a sage leaf in the location of the apple leaf cutout. Slowly lift the cookie cutter up, being careful not to move the cheese out of position. Repeat with remaining cheese, spacing them at least 1” apart from each other.
Carefully place baking sheet in oven and bake for about 4 minutes or until golden brown and melted. Let cool completely on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container until ready to eat.
Salad
Toss arugula, apples, roasted squash, roasted fennel, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts in a large serving bowl. If serving right away, pour apple cider-mustard vinaigrette on top and toss to combine. If serving later, store salad separately from the vinaigrette until ready to enjoy. Before serving, top each salad with a Gruyère frico.
Apple cider-mustard vinaigrette
In liquid measuring cup, whisk together apple cider vinegar, mustard, and honey. While whisking, slowly drizzle in olive oil until dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Watermelon meets rain gear in this rainy day tutorial by Amanda of @minimandakay. We wouldn't mind rainy days if we had cute boots and umbrellas like this!
*
We had a few thunderstorms roll through last week and it reminded me how badly I am in need of a new pair of rainboots. With the rain keeping me indoors I decided to design my much needed rain gear as cookies using one of my favorite summer treats as inspiration!
What you’ll need:
-CookieCutterKingdom's umbrella and rainboot
-Your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
-Royal icing in dark green, light green, red, black, and tan (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
-Scribe Tool
-Gel food coloring (I most frequently use Americolor and Spectrum)
-Rolling pin (an adjustable pin or guides help make an even sheet of dough)
-Piping bags
-Scissors
Directions:
]]>
1. Photograph oodles of cookies! We know you've been baking up a storm, and now it's time to show it off. A spread filled with lots of cookies looks super enticing, colorful, and exciting. Your audience will want to be right there with you!
2. Delight with bright colors that stand out. You can put even more emphasis on your cookie creation by using a light background. Or, mix it up and frost your cookies in creatively unconventional ways. For example, below, Totoro was celebrating St. Patrick's Day and his green color really makes him POP!
3. Brighten up your lighting and filters as well! This lets the details shine through and creates a cheerful atmosphere. Doesn't the brightness makes these blank canvases look so fresh and lovely?
4. Engage with your cookies. Getting your hand in the shot gives your creation a personal touch. People love to see a glimpse, however small, of the creative mind behind the cookie. It helps foster a connection between you and your audience!
5. Video posts are golden! Posting your cookie frosting process is a fabulous way to get engaged your Instagram audience. They just won't be able to stop watching! Be sure you have a steady camera shot (try using a tripod) and great lighting for maximum cookie goodness.
Time to get your technique on point and start catering to your Instagram audience. Also, don't forget to use hashtags! We'd love to be there with you every step of the way - tag #cookiecutterkingdom to be featured!
Are you vacationing somewhere warm to escape the cold winter? Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections brings summer back using CookieCutterKingdom's Pineapple Cookie Cutter to make these realistic pineapple cookies!
Are you vacationing somewhere warm to escape the cold winter? Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections brings summer back using CookieCutterKingdom's Pineapple Cookie Cutter to make these realistic pineapple cookies!
***
When it comes to cookie cutters, I consider myself to be a bit of a hoarder. I go through fazes where I'll order a bunch of random shapes in hopes of being able to use them in the future. With that being said, I have a box full of random cutters collecting dust patiently waiting to see the light of day. Several months ago, I ordered this adorable pineapple cutter thinking I would use it for a luau or Hawaiian themed set (obviously). To my surprise, I haven't received any requests for that theme, but since I keep seeing those cute "Be a pineapple…" quotes floating around, I figured I could break this cutter out for a more "trendy" set. Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections shows us how to make these cute Hawaiian themed pineapple cookies.
Materials Needed:
- Rolled out cookie dough
- Cookie Cutter Kingdom Pineapple Cookie Cutter (3 inch)
- Yellow royal icing, 15 second consistency (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Green royal icing, 15 second consistency
- White royal icing, thick piping consistency
- Small leaf piping tip or a tipless bag and scissors
- Edible marker
- Edible gel color or airbrush color - yellow, green and brown
- Small paint brush (for food only)
- Water
It's not quite time to say goodbye to the holiday season yet! @ardycakes shows us how to use CookieCutterKingdom's Christmas cutters to make these deceptively simple yet elegant winter holiday cookies.
***
The holidays are upon us and if you’re like me, you don’t have time to make super fancy cookies. But, here’s a trick to making super fancy-looking cookies that will have your friends ringing your praises!
Things you’ll need:
-CookieCutterKingdom Holiday Cutters (Bell, Ornament, Tree, Stocking, Mitten)
-Shortbread cookie dough
-Rolling pin
- White royal Icing (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
-Piping bag fitted with a tip #4 (For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!)
-Red and green fondant
-Flower and leaf molds
Directions:
After cutting out the different shapes and baking the cookies, outline your shapes with the royal icing and fill them in. I chose all white because they look elegant and so that the colors can really pop.
While your icing is drying, make red flowers and green leaves with your molds. Once the cookies are dry to your touch, attach the accessories with a dab of royal icing from your piping bag. That’s it! It’s really that simple!
Now you’ll have time to finish that shopping and wrap those gifts. In fact, throw these cookies into cellophane bags tied with ribbon! Now, that’s a pretty sweet gift!
Ardy
Just as we're rounding out fall and transitioning into winter, what could be better than giving the classic symbol of fall- the pumpkin- more of a snowy winter vibe? Catherine of @birdandbiscuit shows us how to make these gorgeous white pumpkin cookies using CookieCutterKingdom's Pumpkin Cutter!
***
It seems like white is the new orange when it comes to pumpkins, and I can’t get enough. The colour (or lack thereof) puts a grown up spin on a simple cookie, and the touch of gold gives it just enough glam! Eat your heart out, Cinderella!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Clear extract or alcohol
Directions:
Cut out the pumpkin shapes and bake the cookies according to the recipe's instructions.
Use your #2 piping tip to draw an oval in the middle of your pumpkin.
Flood the piped area with white icing, and let it dry for a couple of hours so that when you add the other sections, they don’t melt into each other. You want each section to be as clearly defined as possible.
Use your #18 open star tip and very stiff white icing to create the stem of your pumpkin. For the larger pumpkins, I piped two separate lines close together and then used a scribe to gently connect them.
For the curly details, use the smallest tip and stiffest icing you have; I actually switched to a PME #1 tip for this part because I found that I had more control over the flow.
Once the middle section has dried enough, pipe two sections on either side and fill it with your flood.
I used Rolkem super gold to paint the stems gold, but you could just as easily leave them white or used a brown icing. I have to say that Rolkem super gold lived up to its reputation! It was shiny, not too dark or yellow, and very easy to apply! I added coconut extract to the powder, but you can use any type of alcohol or clear flavoured extract. Just be careful to avoid getting any on your white icing, as you can’t wipe it away!
Catherine
]]>Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections shares her recipe and teaches us how to make these stunning edible cookie ornaments using CookieCutterKingdom's ornament cutters.
What's better than Christmas ornaments? Edible Christmas ornaments! Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections shares her recipe and teaches us how to make these stunning cookie ornaments using CookieCutterKingdom's ornament cutters.
***
Like so many others, one of my favorite holidays of the year is Christmas. I love Christmas not just for the decorations and other typical things about it people love, but because I have such fond childhood memories attached to it. Out of these memories, the one that I always think of is when my grandfather took a bite out of a cookie ornament off of my mother's Christmas tree. To my recollection, the cookie was a simple heart with pink sanding sugar on it, tied off with a red ribbon. The thing must have been at least 3-4 years old and hard as cement, but my Aboo loves cookies so much that he ate it anyways. I want to say my mother hung the cookie up for a few years after, even with the bite out of it just because. I figured this year, since I'm going back home for Christmas, I would make some sugar cookie ornaments to share.
DIRECTIONS:
To start, bake off your cookies like you normally would. Immediately after taking them out of the oven, use your #5 round tip or straw to punch a hole in the warm cookies where you would like to hang them from. Make sure not to press too hard or your cookies might split near the edge. If that happens, lightly press the cookie back together so the crack becomes flush with the rest of the cookie. Once the cookie cools down, it should stay in shape and hold after it is iced.
When your cookie has cooled, take an edible marker and draw on some droopy horizontal lines as guidelines. I normally use a light colored marker because the darker colors can bleed into the white sometimes.
Next, pipe and flood in every other section of your cookie using the white royal icing. Depending on how many cookies you're decorating, the alternating sections may be dry enough to fill in by the time you're finished. If not, set your cookies aside or in front of a fan for about 15 minutes or until they are set, and fill in the other sections.
When your cookies are dry, mix the luster dust with a little alcohol or clear extract and paint alternating sections on your cookie.
Take your stiff consistency royal icing and pipe small swags on the solid white sections of the cookie. Pipe on small dots at the points where the swags meet.
Next, pipe larger swags with 2 smaller swags in between them. Don't worry if they're not perfectly symmetrical. There will be plenty of other details to draw your eye away from the discrepancies.Pipe a cluster of 3 dots in between the larger swags.
Then pipe a cluster of 3 tear drop shapes at the outer corners of the larger swags. To do this, start on the outer section and squeeze enough royal icing until you get the size ball you want and gently drag your piping bag towards the top as you release pressure, creating a tear drop shape. I usually pipe the center drop first before the outer ones.
Finish the design by piping a pearl border along the edges of any bare sections. Use the same technique as the tear drop shapes when piping the border, just start the next pearl right after each one.
Now that the decorating is complete, set your cookie aside to dry completely before tying on your ribbon and hanging the cookie up.
Decorating and hanging these cookie ornaments is great alternative activity to do with children instead of building gingerbread houses, especially since these ornaments probably taste way better than those gingerbread kits do!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays from my kitchen to yours.
Xx,
Jenessa
]]>
Regardless of whether you’re a professional or a hobbyist, Pinterest is the perfect site to share your recipes and ideas and to find inspiration for your future projects. These quick tips and tricks will help you make your posts more “pinteresting,” and attract more users to your recipes and tutorials in no time!
How to Create a Great Pin: You need a great image! Canva is a site that can help you create graphics with templates, your uploaded photos, a variety of fonts, and different layout options. You can stack photos, add text, add icons, etc. This easy-to-use website will help you create great graphics in no time. They also have the option to create graphics in various sizes for different types of platforms you’d like to post on.
The image on the left has a 2:3 ratio, while the one on the right has a 2.5:1 ratio. Due to Pinterest’s display features, the image on the left will be shown in full, while the one of the right will have to be cut off.
For more tips on photography, check out our other blogs, such as Choosing the Best Cookie Photo Background and Cookie Photography Tips & Tricks.Add Text to the Photo: Add a title to the photo so people know immediately what they are reading. Don’t forget to add you Instagram handle or website to the photo too!
]]>
Now that the weather is getting cold and our big fluffy blankets are out, there's nothing we want more than to spend a day in bed. Follow along as Catherine of @birdandbiscuit helps us simulate this feeling with sleep mask cookies using CookieCutterKingdom's Mardi Gras Mask Cookie Cutter!
]]>Now that the weather is getting cold and our big fluffy blankets are out, there's nothing we want more than to spend a day in bed. Follow along as Catherine of @birdandbiscuit helps us simulate this feeling with sleep mask cookies using CookieCutterKingdom's Mardi Gras Mask Cookie Cutter!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Sue of Munchkin Munchies teaches us how to recreate this adorable fall-themed garden! We wish our gardens would produce such cuteness!
***
I have wanted to make gnome cookies for awhile, and since fall is my favorite season, I thought now would be the perfect time. I'm rather smitten with these gnomes in their pumpkin patch (another favorite thing)! We tried to grow pumpkins in our garden this year, as we have in the past, but this time, the darn gophers got the best of us, and our pumpkin plants disappeared overnight, literally! Big SIGH!
Follow along as Sue of Munchkin Munchies teaches us how to recreate this adorable fall-themed garden! We wish our gardens would produce such cuteness!
Ingredients
- Rolkem silver dust (optional)
- For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
Instructions
1. Mix cookie dough and roll out about 3/8-inch thick.
2. Cut out cookies and place on baking sheets. (I usually place the baking sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking to help the cookies hold their shape)
3. Bake according to cookie recipe and allow cookies to cool.
4. Mix up the royal icing and place portions in separate bowls to make the different colors, estimating how much of each color you need. I usually add white gel to the royal icing that will be white because I think it helps to prevent bleeding of just plain, untinted icing and it looks less transparent, but that step is optional.
5. Place the tinted frosting in the decorating bags with the appropriate tips (smaller tips for finer details).
6. To decorate gnomes: With the green, medium consistency frosting, outline the green suit. Next, outline the hat in red or green and fill in. Allow to dry for an hour and then fill in the suit. (If you fill it too quickly you will lose definition on the arms, unless you want to detail it afterwards.) When the hat and suit dry for about an hour, add the white or yellow squiggle detail to the hat. Outline and fill in the beard with the white icing, and the face with the ivory. Add the nose, hands, and ears with the ivory icing. Let dry overnight before adding the facial details with the black and red (cheeks) food markers.
To decorate toadstools: (Of course you can decorate these at the same time as you are decorating the other cookies.) Using red, medium consistency icing, fill in the top part of the toadstool. Immediately add the white dots with tip #1 with the same consistency of icing as the red (wet on wet decorating). Let the red dry for about an hour and then use white icing to outline and fill in the stem. Sprinkle on some of the moss (explained below) mix while it is still wet.
To decorate the hedgehogs: Outline and fill in the head and feet of the hedgehog with the ivory icing. Let it dry for about 20 minutes and then outline and fill in the body of the hedgehog with the brown icing. While it is still wet add the chocolate jimmies. Add the nose with some red icing. Let dry overnight before adding the facial details with the food markers.
To decorate the garden tools: Outline and fill the handles of the tools with the color of your choice. Fill in the bottom part with gray icing (black icing mixed with white). For extra detail, you can add silver dust (mixed with a bit of clear almond extract) and apply it to tools after drying with a small paint brush, used only for food. Add some finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs to wet tool as "dirt".
To decorate pumpkins: Outline and fill in the pumpkin with orange icing. Decorate the stem with the brown icing. Let dry. Add the vine with the green icing. Add brown shading details to pumpkin with the grown food marker.
To create other decorations: I used a leaf-shaped paper punch tool to produce tiny fall leaves, punched from real leaves! Such an authentic, sweet touch! The "moss" is crushed graham cracker crumbs with some green food coloring added.
To make my cookies stand upright, I attached a small piece of baked sugar cookie to the back of each cookie with the royal icing and let it dry. The small cookie piece was a 90 degree triangle, to adhere to the cookie like a bookend.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday may have just wrapped up, but that doesn't mean by the slightest that pie season is over! Jenessa of @dolcecakesconfections uses CookieCutterKingdom's Pie Slice Cookie Cutter to show us how to channel the spirit of "pie season" and create these pumpkin pie cookies!
***
Forget your apple pie and cherry pie- nothing says fall like good ol' pumpkin pie! Ironically, with that being said, I'm not a pumpkin fan. I don't drink pumpkin spice lattes, eat pumpkin donuts, nor do I like pumpkin pie. So if you're like me and want to be a part of the pumpkin trend, but don't actually like pumpkin, give these festive pumpkin pie cookies a try!
Materials Needed:
- Sugar cookie dough (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Cookie Cutter Kingdom's Pie Slice Cookie Cutter
- Royal icing (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Wilton 1M tip
- Brown luster dust
- Small brush for food only
- Optional: For an easy, no mess option for cookie decorating, try Tipless Piping Bags. Simply cut the tip size you want and discard the bag when you're done. No need for clean up!
Directions:
To start, roll and cut out your cookie as you normally would.
Next, cut off an extra piece of dough that is roughly the same length as the ribbed section of the cutter. Shape the dough into a long triangular shape. Gently attach the strip of dough to your cut out and pinch it to mimic the shape of a pie crust. Bake the cookie off as you normally would and let it cool.
Using the orange royal icing, pipe a straight line from the bottom edge of the crust to the tip. Outline the bottom section, flood and set aside for 15 minutes or so.
Once the bottom section has set enough so that it doesn't to bleed into the top, outline and flood the rest of the cookie, excluding the crust. Make sure your cookies are completely dry before moving onto the next step.
Take a small brush and lightly add some brown dust to the cookie crust and perimeter of the top section. This will give your cookie the effect of it being baked. Add as much or as little to your cookies as you like, but focus most of the coloring near the crust because this is typically the area that browns the most on actual pies.
Last but not least, take your stiff white royal icing and a Wilton 1M tip (or a similar shaped tip) and pipe a small swirl or dollop of "whipped cream" on your pie slice and you're done!
Whether or not you're a fan of pumpkin pie, these easy cookies make a great treat to share with friends and family during this wonderful time of year!
Xx,
Jenessa
]]>
You will need:
- Your favorite sugar cookie recipe (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- Cookie CutterKingdom’s Maple Leaf Cookie Cutter
- Royal Icing in your choice of colors (I used light green, orange and red to replicate the “turning leaf effect”)
- Icing bottles/bags to decorate your cookies
- Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting (Recipe adapted from the blog Wine and Glue here)
- Piping bag for the buttercream
Ingredients for Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup of 100% pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
- 3 cups of powdered sugar.
Directions:
To begin, you will need to bake your cookies according to your recipe. I used Pumpkin Spice cookies for an extra pumpkin kick, but these would work beautifully with any basic recipe! Make an even number of cookies since you will be pairing them up to make your cookie sandwiches later.
Make sure you allow your decorated cookies to dry completely (12 hours or overnight) before handling. Once your cookies are ready, move on to make the buttercream. I do not recommend making the buttercream until you are ready to pipe it onto your cookies right away.
To make the frosting, begin by creaming together the butter and pumpkin. It was explained in the original recipe that, because of the textures of these ingredients, they will not truly “cream” together all the way. Let me explain. You will see that although they are combined, you can still see specks of just butter, and specks of just pumpkin throughout the mixture. I included a picture just in case you wonder exactly how mixed is "mixed enough".
This buttercream recipe makes enough for five dozen sandwiches (which means you would need 10 dozen cookies total), but the ingredients can be easily cut in half to make a smaller batch. Now we’re ready for the fun part!
Cut off the tip of your bag, or you may choose to use a decorating tip, and begin piping buttercream onto the wider, center part of the leaves. Try to stay away from the tips of the leaves. Since we will be layering another cookie on top of these, too much buttercream near the more delicate and thinner edges of the cookie means that you will have some buttercream running down the sides of the cookies.
For the last step, place your decorated cookies on top of your buttercream to create a cookie sandwich. Make sure to line both cookies up well once you place it. The buttercream will crust slightly after a while and it may be difficult to fix them later.
Once your sandwiches are done, let the cookies sit for about 30 minutes to allow the buttercream to crust and have less potential for messy fingers! Or you can be like me and lick you sticky, pumpkin-y fingers afterwards. Because, who are we kidding? We’re not waiting 30 minutes!
I hope you all have as much fun as I did putting these fall-inspired cookie sandwiches together (and eating them too)! Just think of how pretty your fall or Thanksgiving tables will look with these lovelies on top. Or pair them with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoy the goodness all on your own. Happy Fall ya’ll!
Lynette M.
]]>My favorite time of the year is here, Holiday Season! As a baker, it is the busiest time as well. So when I get the chance to host, it's a relief and such a joy to entertain! Hosting my second Thanksgiving this year, I wanted to do something a little more special and personal for my guests. So I decided this year, I'm going to make these cookie name cards!
You will need:
-Alcohol or water to "paint" on cookies
Directions:
After baking your cookies, let them cool and prepare white icing. Ice your cookies and let them dry until they are hard enough not to crack, but still moist enough to press on with the gold leaf.
Let them dry for about 1-2 hours before "painting" on them. Once they are dry, pick your colors. You only need a little since gel food coloring is so potent. Paint away and let dry again for about one hour.
Now you can pipe names of your guests on your cookies. These are perfect to lay on plates or prop them on a tiny succulent or any way you want them! Your guests will love them! You can make these 1-2 days ahead if you are going to be too busy prepping on Thanksgiving day :)
xx,
Jess
]]>Fall is my absolute favorite season! I love the beautiful colors, sweater weather, and making and eating all the pumpkin foods! These mini pizzas are not only really cute and pumpkin-shaped but they also have a pumpkin sauce instead of the traditional tomato base. I continued with the fall theme by topping them with butternut squash, caramelized onions, and fresh sage. These pizzas would make great hors d'oeuvres or afternoon snacks!
Pumpkin Pizza
Yield: 6 mini pizzas
What you need:
CookieCutterKingdom’s 4-inch Pumpkin Cookie Cutter
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place a baking sheet in the oven.
Lightly flour a work surface and the pizza dough. Use your fingers or a rolling pin to spread the dough so it is as thin as you can make it. If the dough starts shrinking back, let the dough rest for about five minutes before working with it again.
Using the pumpkin cookie cutter, cut out the dough and place them on a piece of parchment paper several inches apart. Carefully take out the hot baking sheet from the oven and place the parchment paper with the pizzas on it. Bake for 6-8 minutes to par-bake the crust.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Remove the pizzas from the oven. Spread the pumpkin puree on each pizza – this will act as the sauce. Then sprinkle each pizza with desired toppings. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.
\
Celine
]]>Follow along as Lynette M. of @cpcookiesorlando teaches us how to impress our guests using CookieCutterKingdom's Pumpkin Cutter to create these Thanksgiving cookie place cards that'll put you ahead of any other holiday party!
***
It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating Thanksgiving in just a few short weeks! I personally believe that a well-decorated space can set the tone for any occasion. In this case, Thanksgiving is all about coming together with family and friends and enjoying a meal. With these cookie place cards, you will impress your guests with your elegant style, and they offer a delicious addition to your dessert options.
You will need:
- Sugar cookie dough (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here)
- CookieCutterKingdom’s Pumpkin Cutter
- Royal Icing (CookieCutterKingdom recipe here):
- Piping bags or icing bottle
- Small piece of cardboard
- Pencil
- Scissors or X-acto knife
- Leaf tip
- Edible gold paint
- Food-safe paint brush
- Scribe tool
Directions:
Let’s get started! The first step to make these elegant cookie place cards is to cut and bake your cookies according to your recipe. This time I used a chocolate flavored sugar cookie, but any flavor you choose is sure to compliment your Thanksgiving dinner and delight your guests! While your cookies are cooling, take your cutter and trace its shape onto the piece of cardboard with your pencil. Make a band to go across the middle of the pumpkin and cut out your template.
Next, place your template on each cookie and use your scribe tool to gently scratch a guide of the band. This is where your guests’ name will be. Once your cookies are completely cooled, it’s time to start decorating! We will “flood” the pumpkin in three different steps.
First, you will flood the band in the middle and the stem of the pumpkin with gold flood consistency icing. Wait approximately ten minutes for the icing to crust. Then, using the white flood consistency icing, form the middle section of the pumpkin. Wait another ten minutes for the white icing to crust, and then complete the outer ridges of the pumpkin.
Allow your cookies to dry a minimum of eight hours before adding the leaves. To add the leaves, simply use a leaf tip with white stiff consistency icing and pipe away! If you wiggle the piping bag or bottle a little while you squeeze, you can create different kinds of leaves to decorate your pumpkins. Wait approximately two hours for your leaves to dry and set completely.
To complete this elegant look on your pumpkins, use the edible gold paint and, with you food-safe brush, apply it to the gold band, stem, and leaves. Allow approximately 30 minutes for the paint to dry before you add each of your guests’ names with black medium consistency icing.
Once your pumpkins are completed, allow eight to twelve hours of drying time before you package or serve them. This will ensure that all the details on your cookies have set and your masterpieces will not get smudged by admiring fingers!
Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!
Lynette M.
]]>