Patriotic Cookie Bouquet
by Jeannine Norder of Michigan
Layout & Editing by Diane Shavkin NY

 
 
Sugar Cookies (Credit:  Wilton Cookie Treat Pan)

1c butter 2 teas baking powder
1c sugar 1 teas clear vanilla extract
1 large egg 3 cups flour
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. 

 The dough will be very stiff; blend the last flour by hand. (If dough becomes too stiff, add water, a teaspoon at a time). Do NOT chill dough. Note: Dough can be tinted with Icing color by kneading in small amounts until desired color is reached.

 
 
The first step in creating this bouquet is to make your sugar cookie dough. The recipe I used is found with the Wilton Cookie Treat pan, but you can use your favorite (sturdy) cookie dough recipe. 

Roll out the dough (I roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment to minimize sticking and to make the cookies easier to handle/transfer to the cookie sheet.) 
The second step is to prepare your cookies. This can be done one of two ways:

First Way:  Cut out the cookies using a cookie cutter OR use a cookie treat pan. After cookies are on the pan, dip a wooden skewer into flour and insert well into the cookies.
Second Way:  Using the cookie treat pan, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray inside of the cookie treat pan with vegetable oil spray. Fill cavities with cookie dough to 1/8 in. below top edge; insert dowels into dough covering 2 in. of dowel end. 
Bake in middle rack for 10-15 minutes. Cool cookies 5 minutes, gently loosen with spatula, and tip pan upside down to remove. Cool completely before decorating. Wash pan and repeat to bake remaining cookies. 
While cookies are cooling, prepare your glaze. Using white (vanilla) betty crocker/pillsbury/duncan hines (or your favorite brand), tint frosting to your desired shade. Once cookies are cool, microwave the frosting 30 seconds to a minute until pourable consistency. Pour the glaze over the cookies, starting in the center of each cookie and working towards the edges.
Before the glaze has set, place a royal icing lay on (or other decoration of your choice) in place on the cookie.
While the glazed cookies are drying, prepare your cookie container. Find a fairly heavy container and fill it with dried beans (for weight). Cut a circle of styrofoam, the same size as the opening of the container and place it on top of the beans. Next, using colored foil, wrapping paper or tissue paper that matches your theme, "wrap" the container and tie it with ribbons and bows.

Finally, once the cookies have dried, very carefully place the cookies into the container to form your arrangement. Do NOT push directly on the cookies as they may fall off the sticks. Handle and insert the cookies by using the dowel rod. 

Note:  The "border" on the cookies was formed by the cookie treat pan that was used; it was not anything specifically done.

 
 
Patriotic Cakes

 
This page has been created by Diane Shavkin of NY
Back to Diane's Home Page