Personalized Christmas Ornament Cookies (a how-to)

Are you finished with your Christmas baking? Are you like me and smack dab in the middle, with a kitchen covered in a layer of flour, which should be cleaned, but the lure of the computer and blogging is just too strong? *sigh*



Tomorrow I'll share with you MORE Christmas ornament cookies...some that were (unbeknownst to me) actually used in a marriage proposal (!), but today, let's make personalized ornaments.


This one happens to be my favorite because Phyllis is my favorite character on The Young & The Restless. (Is that more than you wanted to know about me?)


To make them:

• With gold icing and a #2 tip, make the hanger and top of the ornament. (AmeriColor Gold mixed with Egg Yellow)
  


• With a #2 or #3 tip, pipe the outline of the ornament and two lines across the center. (AmeriColor Leaf Green)
• Thin green, mint and red icings with water (by hand) to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes.
• Stir gently with a rubber spatula and transfer to squeeze bottles.
• Fill in the center section with green icing.
  


• Fill in the top and bottom areas in mint icing, work about 6-8 cookies at a time. (AmeriColor Leaf Green)
  

{Remember the colors will darken up and these were taken at night. It kills me a little inside every time I post these dark pictures!}

• Go back over the 6-8 cookies, adding a line of green and red (AmeriColor Super Red) thinned icing right on top of the wet mint icing.
  


• Drag a toothpick up and down the icing, through the stripes creating a zig-zag look.
• Let the cookies dry at least 1 hour.
• With a #1 tip, add the names in white royal icing.
• Let dry overnight.

To add the sparkling sugar:

This is how I set up my sparkling sugar station....

1. coffee filter for catching extra sprinkles,
2. mixture of meringue powder and water,
   
3. small container for the sanding sugar,
4. child's paintbrush,
5. paper towel (or dish towel)
   

Paint the meringue powder and water mixture where you'd like the sparkles. Shake on the sparkling/sanding sugar. Shake off the excess onto the coffee filter.


Use the coffee filter as a funnel to use again.


OK...I'll see you guys tomorrow with the marriage proposal cookies!!! In the meantime, here's a link to blue and red ornament cookies from last year. Happy baking!