One Batch of Cookies...
3 Different Ways to Decorate!
Lots of little cookies perfect for a Thanksgiving cookie platter!
These cookies are easy to make...and easy to decorate! No messing with the royal icing! Sure royal icing cookies look spectacular, but it takes time and a lot of it to decorate. I am showing you 3 EASY WAYS to spruce up otherwise plain sugar cookies in just a couple hours including clean up!
Start by making the cut out cookie dough and dividing it into 3 parts.
COOKIE #1
Colored Cookie
Begin by coloring your cookie dough, one section at a time, with a paste or gel coloring. If the coloring makes the dough too soft, add a little more flour. Starting with yellow, color the dough by kneading the color into it, and stick that batch into the oven. These cookies don't spread out much so they can be baked close together on the cookie sheet, allowing for more in the oven at a time! Bake as directed in recipe. While the yellow batch is in the oven, move on to coloring your next section of cookie dough orange, and finally the last section red. Going in this order will keep you from accidentally getting a darker color on the yellow dough.
This adds color to the cookies with no additional decorating needed!
Cookie #2
Sugared Cookie
I did make these with the already colored dough from Cookie #1, but could easily be done with the original color of the cookie dough, but may not look as brilliant in color.
For these cookies, after cutting out your cookie dough and placing on parchment paper lined baking sheet, place the cookie cutter back on the cookie. If for some reason it doesn't fit back on, this happens, just hold the cookie cutter over the top of the cookie. Sprinkle colored sugar covering the top of the cookie. It's okay if it gets all over the baking sheet, that is why the parchment paper is there, easy clean up! Bake the sugar covered cookies as you would a plain cookie.
This method not only adds color, but also adds sparkle to the cookie, and a nice little crunch of sugar! It makes brilliant looking cookies, with hardly any extra work!
Cookie #3
Fondant Covered Cookie
Again using the same already colored dough from Cookie #1, for these I baked just as I did cookie #1. While the cookies were baking, I rolled fondant very then 1/8 inch or less, and cut it with the same exact cutters as I cut the cookies. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while still on the cookie sheet, immediately place on the fondant, it will adhere to the cookie from the heat. If you forget and don't get the fondant onto the cookies quick enough just stick the cookie sheet back in the oven, 30 seconds tops! If you leave it in too long the fondant will wrinkle!
I know what you are thinking...fondant taste horrible! Well, it doesn't have to, there are some really good tasting fondants out there, Duff is one of them, sold at Michael's. Another brand that I recently found is
Fondarific. It comes in lots of yummy flavors, from berry to coffee and doesn't resemble some of the bad tasting fondants you may have tried. Currently, they offer a 5 flavor sampler and all you have to do is pay shipping! I know I sound like an advertisement, but this stuff is really worth it!
Again this doesn't involve much work, and makes colorful cookies!
and now you have a
Fall Harvest Cookie Platter
Perfect for a school, church, office party, or just to snack on while waiting for Thanksgiving Dinner! It only take a couple hours at most to make too, the cookies, not Thanksgiving Dinner! This isn't quite all the cookies, they didn't all make it to the platter, and some were set aside for another project coming soon!
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