Embossed Cookie Dough Valentines Decorated Cookies

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As this Valentines season drew close, I really wanted to incorporate texture into the cookie dough before baking... to take advantage of that beautiful 3D look. Once you've rolled it into the dough and baked it, all you have to do is dust it to emphasize the impressions.

The most important part of this process is rolling the texture into the dough before baking. Here's a video (of a different project) showing how to place the texture mat face down on the dough and use the pressure of the rolling pin to make the impressions into the dough before baking it. The relevant part is at the very beginning of the video.

Once the cookies are baked and cooled, brush food coloring or dust over the surface to bring out all the details. For these Valentine cookies, I used Americolor Bright White gel for some and gold dust mixed with vodka for others.

After completing the dusting of the textures, embellish the cookies with layered patterns, mini cookies, or cut-out edible clay pieces.

The background texture really makes these cookies "pop". 

❤️

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Embossed Valentine Gift Tag Decorated Sugar Cookies YouTube video HERE        Tag Cutters found HERE

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This set shows the same mold or texture shown on two different cookies. One cookie has impressed dough before baking, and one uses a edible clay mold added on top of a plain cookie. YouTube video HERE

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Lantern Decorated Cookies (Tutorial)

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Lanterns.....they are all the rage right now. It's funny how things come and go in popularity. I remember when my son and daughter-in-law got married FIVE years ago. The bridesmaid "bouquets" were lanterns. I loved the idea of something completely different than just flowers. 

So I probably shouldn't go through my house and count how many lanterns I have right now. haha There are several......most have a battery operated candles in them. I love having little "candle lights" all over the house for fall and winter. It makes everything so much more homey and cozy. :)

Here's a lantern cookie tutorial made from this cute cutter from BobbisCookiesCutters.
I've also recently purchased this lantern cutter.....so be on the look out for an alternative lantern design. Yeah!

Refer to the video and photos for this decorating tutorial.

Outline and flood the border and inset of the lantern in your choice of glaze color. Refer to a simpler drawing/clipart of a lantern to help create a more realistic outline/inset.

Allow the flood to dry for at least 30 minutes. Press a small round cutter into the base of the lantern to make the control knob seen on most lanterns. Use that impression to outline and flood a circle on top of it. Also, add detail lines from top to bottom on the lantern. (see video for details)

Outline and flood the "bulb" of the lantern with white glaze. (see photo and video)

Allow the cookie to dry overnight. 
Using a cotton swab, spread dry yellow luster dust within the "bulb" of the lantern to give it a lighted effect. (Dust found HERE)

Brush dry caramel dust lightly over the entire lantern to give it an aged-look. (Dust found HERE)

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Hot Cocoa Mug Decorated Cookie (Tutorial)

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Hot drinks in the cold winter months are my favorite way to warm up.
Hot cocoa and hot tea are my go-to drinks when I come in from a blustery frigid day.

Let's make a hot cocoa mug cookie!

Here's a new mug cutter from BobbisCookiesCutters.

For this tutorial, refer to both the video and the photos below.

Outline and flood the base of the cup in your choice of glaze color. Set a timer for 3-3 1/2 hours so that you can emboss the partially dried glaze later on in the project.

Allow the base to dry at least 15 minutes before adding the outline and flood to make the handle.

Add a thin horizontal line to the top and bottom of the mug to add some dimension. (refer to the video for their placement) Outline and flood the "whipped cream" on the top of the mug with white glaze.

Allow the "whipped cream" to dry for at least 30 minutes, and then outline and flood layers to the top of the white base. (refer to video for their placement)

Once the layers have dried for at least 30 minutes, add some swirly white accent lines.

When the timer that you set [after flooding the base of the mug] goes off, use a plunger/cutter like THIS ONE or THIS ONE or a mini cookie cutter to emboss the front of the mug as shown on the photos/video.

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Semicircle Snowman Decorated Cookies (Tutorial)

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Snowmen are not something that I can get enough of. 
Every holiday season, I usually create a multitude of designs, because you can never have too many snowmen. haha

Here's a simple version using an oval cutter with one of the longer sides trimmed off.

Refer to both the photos and the video for this cookie tutorial.

Outline and flood the entire head of the snowman with white glaze.

After the initial flood layer has dried for at least 30 minutes, add eyes and a nose using the white glaze. Outline and flood the scarf layer (as seen in photos and on video) in your color of choice.

Dry the cookie overnight. 
Color in the eyes (black marker) and the nose (orange marker) as shown in photos and video.

Using a color that is subtly different than the scarf glaze color, paint stripes over the dried scarf. (You can use straight gel or luster dust mixed with vodka).

Add a cute funky smile with a fine-tipped black food color marker. I used THIS one.

Warning.....this will NOT be the last snowman cookie you see from me this season. :)

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Homespun Christmas Tree Decorated Cookies (Tutorial)

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This is one of my favorite Christmas cutters.
Several years ago, I designed this shape with some good cookie friends and the cutters were made in mass quantity. But eventually, they sold out of the cutter and it was hard to place another order. Thankfully, my good friends at Creative Cookier agreed to offer this shape in their shop. You can find the "Homespun Christmas Tree" cutter HERE. 

Refer to the video and photos below to learn how the two homespun tree designs were made.

Before baking the cookie dough, place an impression mat face down on the dough and impress the dough by adding pressure from a rolling pin. Cut out the shape using the embossed dough. The two mats used for these designs: 1) Burlap and 2) Wood planks

After the cookies have been baked and cooled, brush the embossed dough with dry caramel dust.

For the first design, cover the tree portion of the cookie with green glaze using random zig zag lines. (see photo and video for more visual details)

After the initial layer of glaze has dried for at least 15 minutes, add an additional layer of zig zag lines.

Completely fill a silicone button mold with red edible clay. (Recipe for clay found HERE & Mold used found HERE.) Place the filled mold in the freezer for at least one hour.

Once the clay has been frozen for more than an hour, you should be able to pop the buttons out of the mold and place directly on the cookie. If preferred, you can mold the buttons, pop them out, dry them on parchment paper overnight, and then "glue" them onto the tree using left over glaze. (see photos and video for more visual details)

For the second design, emboss the dough with the wood plank impression mat. Bake and cool the cookies. Brush dry caramel dust over the embossed dough.

Outline and flood each "plank" with a different color glaze and a different wet-on-wet pattern to give a patchwork appearance. (see photos and video for more visual details)

And there you have it......two fun homespun Christmas tree cookie designs.

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