Mix butter and brown sugar together until creamy.  Beat in the molasses.  Add 1 cup flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and blend.  Add the remaining flour alternately with 1/3 cup water.  It may be necessary to knead the last cup of flour by hand as the dough will be very stiff.  Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.  Roll out on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Preheat oven to 350 deg F.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Use this dough immediately for best results.

1 lb powdered sugar
3 large egg whites at room temperature
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Sift the powdered sugar.  Keep everything grease free.  Pour the egg whites into a mixer bowl.  Stir while adding powdered sugar and cream of tartar to egg whites.  When all the sugar is blended, turn mixer to high and beat mixture until thick and very white.  The icing should hold a stiff peak.  Beat at least 8 minutes.  Keep icing covered with a wet towel when not using as it dries out quickly.  Unused portions cannot be rewhipped for later use.

Mix the gingerbread.  Hand mold the shape desired for a cornucopia.  Place on parchment or baking mat and transfer to a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 deg F until set.

To purchase the edible bead maker, go to SweetArt Country Kitchen's Web Site.

Brush a thin layer of piping gel onto the center of oil covered cardboard.  Place kneaded, yellow fondant on top and roll out fondant between perfection strips.

Mix royal icing, using recipe or ready-to-use royal icing package directions.  If wanting several colors, separate in individual containers and color with food color.  Keep icing covered with a wet towel at all times.  Add enough water to the royal icing so that the icing will flow together within 7 or 8 seconds.  Blend the water into the royal icing by hand.  A mixer will whip too quickly, adding tiny air bubbles.

To Decorate Cookies

1.  Outline the area to be covered, using a parchment bag with a tiny hole cut or a pastry bag with a #3 tip.  Quickly fill in the outline with the same color.  If the icing is running off the cookie, too much water was added.  You may thicken it by adding more royal icing.  If the icing is not very smooth, add a bit more water.
2.  Pipe adjoining color.
3.  For added dimension, allow icing to harden and pipe on top.

Place tip #3 into a pastry bag, or cut a parchment bag with a #3 size opening and fill with royal icing colored purple.  Beginning at the lowest point of the cookie, pipe a grape by holding tip perpendicular to surface and apply a burst of pressure to attach.  Move up forward slightly, increasing pressure for a slight fan.  Decrease pressure and pull back to form a "tail".  Bring tail down and touch surface to attach.  Make another grape, being sure to cover tail from previous grape.