Cookies for Joanne : Baby Shower for Sweet Baby James

We're throwing a little internet baby shower today and you're all invited! I hope you brought a gift.
(Just kidding.)


Please tell me that you all know Joanne of Fifteen Spatulas. Joanne's recipes are SO, SO good. Take a peek at her blog and videos and you'll want to make them all....like these handheld chicken pot pies, and skillet baked pepperoni garlic knots. Dessert? How about her black & white cookies or these peanut butter sandwich cookies?


Here's the deal, though...Joanne more than a great cook; she is a lovely person. Always with a radiant smile, always with something encouraging to say, she is just the type of person you want to be around. (Side note: she's kind of a crazy awesome packer. Like, she should really have a show on the travel channel.)

Anyhoo! Joanne and her husband Pete just had a baby!!! A boy! James! 
Sweet baby James!

Well, I couldn't be more excited for Joanne and Pete! And for James!!! Lucky little guy!
(You can read more about James coming into the world here. It is QUITE the story! Wow.)


Big surprise, I made cookies for this little shindig. I've always wanted to make some ombre cookies in shades of the same color, so that's what I did here.

Mini ombre heart cookies, all in shades of baby blue. Those lightest ones look a little white in the photos, but I promise you, they have just the lightest tint of blue.

For the cookies, I used this recipe...and this one for the icing. 
The icing was tinted with AmeriColor Sky Blue.

I thinned the icing a bit with water, and since these were small, I didn't even outline them. I used a piping bag with the tip snipped and covered the cookies with icing.


After letting the cookies dry overnight, I loved seeing them all together as a group...but thought maybe they needed a little more.


So, I broke out my bottle of vodka from the freezer (I hate to admit that this vodka really only ever gets used for cookies), and some Rolkem gold luster dust.

I don't ever measure my luster dust and vodka mix. I just stir together a little of both and test it.




On a few of the cookies, I painted on a little "j" for James.
(Can you tell from my testing plate that I thought I would be able to fit "sweet baby james" on those tiny cookies? Not gonna happen. I need a teeny tiny paintbrush.)

I love the way the gold catches the light. You can see it more in person, but you can get the idea.

Welcome to the world, baby James! ♥

*amazon links are affiliate links...thank you. 

Here are more treats from the baby shower: 

Appetizers
Italian Sub Sandwich Roll-ups from Michael of Inspired by Charm
Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Sun Dried Tomato Hummus from Jeanette of Jeanette's Healthy Living Creamy Sweet Potato Soup from Sadie of Dairy Good Life
Whipped Goat Cheese & Blueberry Balsamic Crostini from Meseidy of The Noshery
Rosemary Flatbread with Baked Goat Cheese from Heidi of FoodieCrush
Spring Herb Cream Cheese Appetizer Cups from Rachel of Rachel Cooks
Crostini with Almond Ricotta and spicy olive tapenade from Heather of HeatherChristo

Drinks
Fruit Freeze from Deborah of Taste and Tell
Mint Lemonade from Trish of Mom On Timeout
Ginger Lemonade from Kathy of Panini Happy

Desserts
Chocolate-Covered Rice Krispies Treats from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Orange Fluff from Jamie of My Baking Addiction
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies from Susannah of Feast + West
Mini Ombre Heart Cookies from Bridget of Bake at 350
Mini Coconut Pound Cakes from Mary of Barefeet In The Kitchen
Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting from Jennifer of Savory Simple
Unicorn Shaped Cookies from Jessie of CakeSpy
Oreo Cheesecake Bites from Brenda of a farmgirl's dabbles
Lemon Blueberry Bread from Glory of Glorious Treats
Blintz with Blackberry Sauce from Sommer of A Spicy Perspective
Pastel Rainbow Cake from Bree of Baked Bree
Individual Chocolate Souffles from Andie of Andie Mitchell

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. :)