Polka Dot Bunnies

Polka dot bunny cookies...not to be confused with polka dot kitties or polka dotty scotties...these cookies are just pure springtime happiness. I mean, how can you get any happier than dots, flowers, and bunnies?

It's been rainy, rainy, rainy here for the past few days. I can't complain because A. it's an excuse to wear my yellow rain boots, and B. I think I can actually SEE my plants in the yard starting to bud out. Hello, flowing quince, I see you!!! 

These bunnies are definitely adding some sunshine inside the house, even if there's a thunderstorm outside. The bunnies with their little flower garland necklaces are all decked out for Easter and sunny skies. Let's make them! 

You'll need:

• bunny-shaped cut-out cookies
• royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White, Deep Pink, Soft Pink, Leaf Green, Lemon Yellow, Regal Purple, and Electric Pink
• couplers and tips: #2, #1, small star, and small leaf
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks

Use a #2 tip to outline the shape of the cookie in white icing.

Thin the white and deep pink icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup.  You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin.  Count of 2-3 is good.  Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed.  Pour into squeeze bottles.

Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the outlines with the thinned white icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


Starting with the first cookie flooded, dip a toothpick into the thinned pink icing and make small dots on top of the wet white icing.

Let the cookies dry 1 hour.


Place the other colors into piping bags with #1 or small star tips. Place a leaf tip on the bag of green icing. Pipe flowers to make a floral necklace on the bunnies. For the icing with the star tip, make a "rose" by piping a small swirl.


Let the cookies dry uncovered for 6-8 hours or overnight.


Hippity Hoppity!

Don't let the turkeys get you down...

I took a stroll down (turkey) memory lane this week. I'd actually forgotten all of the renditions of turkey cookies I've made over the years.

There were the basic turkeys from my first year of blogging, and the turkey cookies made from a few shapes put together. Then, there were the peanut butter cup turkeys. And last year, I made two turkey cookies: a girly polka dot flower turkey cookie, and an Angry Bird Turkey. (I think I ran out of time to blog them I lost the pictures! Waaaa! Do you know how much it hurts my blogger heart to have cookies undocumented?!?)


Mr. E had a Thanksgiving luncheon at work this week and, of course, I told him to sign up to bring cookies. Now that I think about it, I should have had him help me decorate!


These cookies are made using the most basic turkey cookie cutter that you can pick up most anywhere. This year, I added a wing and some sanding sugar...and used SemiSweet Mike's famous "autumn blue" in the feather. (His cookies = jaw dropping!)


I love how these turned out. You can absolutely leave the wing off. It will save you some time and they'll still be cute...as cute as turkeys can be, I guess.

Here's what you'll need:

• cut-out turkey cookies
• royal icing, divided and tinted brown (Americolor Chocolate Brown + a bit of Super Black), Ivory, orange (Americolor Electric Orange + Super Red), Mike's Blue, Egg Yellow, Super Red, Super Black
• disposable icing bags
• couplers and tips (#2, #1)
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• small paintbrush
• meringue powder
• sanding sugar

Use a #2 tip to outline the turkey body and head. Divide the tail and body sections. 

Thin the brown and ivory icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into squeeze bottles. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


If you'd ever wondered what it's like to decorate cookies round here, this sums it up. Hi, Spike! (Cookies on chair by the window just for the picture.)


Thin the blue and orange icings (reserving some piping consistency ornate icing for later) in the same manner. Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the tail section with brown icing. Going back to the first cookie filled, add stripes of the ivory, blue, and orange icings.


Use a toothpick to pull the icing from the top of the tail toward the body to make feathers. So cool, right?

Let the icing dry for about an hour.


Use a #2 tip to outline the wing in ivory. Fill in with the thinned ivory icing.

Add the beak, legs, (#1 tips) and snood (#2 tip).

Let the cookies dry, uncovered 6-8 hours, or overnight.

The next day, mix 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder with 1/2 teaspoon water. Use a clean food-only paintbrush to paint on the wing and head. Sprinkle on the sanding sugar and shake off excess.


Use a #1 tip to add the eye.

*this post contains amazon affiliate links, thank you!

Gobble, gobble! I'll take one cookie and one slice of sweet potato pie, please!

I only have eyes for ewe...

I wooly hope you like these cookies. (Sorry.)

I made these cookies for a baby shower last week...they're based on a really simple illustration from the invitation. (The invitation actually had two sheep and read "Holy Sheep! We're having twins!" Haha!)


You'd think someone with 500 cookie cutter would have a front-facing sheep cookie cutter. In all fairness, I have a SIDE-facing sheep cutter, but not front...and I was just sure I did. Of course, I realized that I didn't have one two days before the shower.

So, I started the process of dumping out cookies cutters and trying to see what could work for a sheep. My original thoughts were a cupcake or a seashell cookie cutter, but ended up going with a skull. ;)

I just lopped off the bottom of each cookie to make the legs shorter.

[Note: I think these cookies would be even cuter with a little green grass piped down by the legs...it would add a little color and texture. The invitation didn't have grass, so I left it off.]


To make lamb cookies, you'll need:

• cut-out cookies
• royal icing, divided and tinted with Americolor Super Black and Bright White
• disposable icing bags
• coupler and tips: #2, #1
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks

Use a #2 tip to outline the different section of the sheep. 

Reserve some white icing for piping details later. Thin the icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


Pour into squeeze bottles and fill in the outlines.

Let the icing dry for an hour, then switch the tip on the white icing bag to a #1, and add the eyes and nose.

Let the cookies dry uncovered, 6-8 hours, or overnight.

*post contains Amazon affiliate links


Alright. Let's hear your sheep puns in the comments. :)

A $4.99 alternative to the KopyKake projector for cookie decorating

I've resisted buying a KopyKake projector for years. (A KopyKake is an overhead projector that will allow you to trace images directly onto cakes and cookies.)

1. They're pricey...I'd rather spend my money on chocolate.
2. I have exactly zero space to store it.
3. Honestly, I worried I'd fall into the trap of thinking I HAD to use it to make my cookies perfect. 

So, I wanted to make some cookies for a little Curious George fan. I googled ways to draw George and tried my hand at sketching him. Soon it was obvious, this was not going to work. 

I remembered seeing a post Klickitat Street did about an app that you can use with your iPad for tracing. Here's the post...it's full of great info and a video that's really helpful as well. Definitely check it out! 

Here's the deal...the Camera Lucida app ($4.99!!!) works using the rear camera on the iPad. Save and upload a picture that you want to trace, put the app in draw mode and adjust the opacity so that when you're looking at the iPad, you can see the cookie underneath.

You'll need a stand of some sort. I stacked a bunch of cookbooks on my table. I'm embarrassed that one of my books is on top...totally not planned, but hey... #productplacement. 

What you need to know:

• the app does not project the image down.
• when tracing, you'll be looking at the iPad as a guide, not the cookie.
• because the camera is not in the middle of the iPad, your cookie will be under the edge of the iPad. 
• the image is much easier to trace using a food coloring pen, rather than a piping bag. 

Next time, I'd start the cookie with a base color. I didn't have enough time once I remembered about this app. Also, I tried piping the face details using the app...that didn't work well. 

To make the Curious George face cookies, you'll need:

• circle cut-out cookies
• Camera Lucida app
• iPad
• Curious George stencil (I used this CG pumpkin stencil from PBS Kids)
• food coloring pen
• royal icing, divided and tinted with AmeriColor Super Black, Chocolate Brown (two shades), and Bright White
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• couplers and icing tips: #2, #3, #1

Place the cookies under the raised iPad and trace the image using a food coloring pen. (If you look at the iPad, you can see that I took some liberties with the image...making the right ear more prominent and closing the open lines.)

Use a #2 tip to go over the outline drawn with black icing. Let this icing set for at least 1 hour. 

Thin the brown icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.

Pour into squeeze bottles and fill in the black outlines.


Let the icing dry for at least one hour.

Thin the white icing with just a bit of water to loosen. Pipe eyes using a #1 tip.


Switch the tip on the black icing to a #1 and add the remaining face details. Use a toothpick, pulling through the top of the black icing on the eyes.

Let the cookies dry, uncovered, 6-8 hours or overnight.

Perfect? No. Better that if I had attempted to freehand them? You betcha.


I can't wait to try this again...I don't think I'll use it often, but I think it will be very helpful with logos, mascots, and characters. Also, what if you converted a picture into a line drawing and made cookies of friends and family??? OK...that sounds like it would be difficult. Maybe not. ;)

Confirmation Dove Cookies

You may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet lately. We even missed last Saturday's Trader Joe's review.


The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Two short trips for me (but are you like me and a short trip involves at least 3 days of prep: shopping, errands, the all important pedicure, packing...and then one day to recover, so that a 3 day trip is more like 7?)...kiddo's Confirmation, and our school's big fundraising gala. Can you guess which mom can't say no to signing up for every committee? You guessed it.


I've come to realize over the years that busy is not my strong suit. Some people thrive on it...and are GREAT at it...my sister, my friend Beverly...they can juggle 4 and 5 kids respectively, plan parties, volunteer, clean the house, have the laundry ironed, and redecorate a room all while wearing a smile and lipstick...and I bet they'd be able to keep up with a blog as well. Me? Not so much. Hence, the blog has been on the back burner lately.


ANYWAY...kiddo...(Can we call him Jack now? Yes, I think we can.) JACK celebrated his Confirmation earlier this month. It was the most beautiful ceremony and the most beautiful day.

Mr. E and I sat in the front row in church...wow, it's amazing what you can see up there (!)...and the absolute JOY on the teens' faces as they were confirmed was something to behold.

Here are a few pictures from the reception in the gym. (Why is the lighting in gyms always horrible?!?) Here's Jack with some of his dear friends, his Confirmation sponsor...and us. I'll confess that as this picture was taken, I was saying to myself, "don't do the squinchy eyes; don't do the squinchy eyes." It didn't work.


Confirmation cookies...they're so easy to make.

This cookie cutter was purchased at Target at Christmastime, but you can find some other dove cookie cutters here, here, here, and here.


To make the dove cookies, you'll need:

• cut-out cookies, dove shape
• royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White
• #2 & #1 icing tips and coupler
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• food coloring pens: black and orange

Use a #2 tip to outline the dove shape. Reserve some of this icing for piping details later.

Thin the icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


Let the cookies set for about 1 hour.  Switch the tip to a #1 and add the white detail piping and personalize, if desired


 Let the cookies dry, uncovered, 6-8 hours or overnight.


Once the icing is completely dry, use food coloring pens to add a beak and an eye.

Place in a treat bag, tie with ribbon, and you have Confirmation gifts at the ready. ♥