a quick peek out the windows say that our leaves don't look anywhere near that colorful and god knows that there's never been a cookie coming out of MY kitchen that looked like that!

Those are the most beautiful cut out cookies I have ever seen! What makes them so shiny? You are an artist!

Michelle - great job. I'm jealous!

Hey Michelle, how long did it take you to make those? I have never seen cookies that beautiful before. I would hate to eat those. They are a work of art!!! I'm impressed!!! Diana55

Those are gorgeous! bet they taste as delicious as they look!

They are lovely Michelle and the colours are so authentic!

SharonCb

Mother nature is taking her time in my neck of the woods, too. Your cookies look absolutely gorgeous!

Lucy

Michelle, they are just beautiful!! Was that the sugar cookie dough from the WFD thread? I love the decorative details, and it looks like you had fun making them:-) Can you share details regarding the decorative icing?
DONNA

Oh, wow! Those are beautiful cookies! I'd like to know how you made them, also.

Tracey

Oh goodie, you gave these gorgeous creations their own thread ... these cookies are stunning ! Again, they are just too purty to eat.

:)

Here's the icing recipe I used and I found it on the Wilton.com site and just copied it. The icing did not taste too bad but once I added the food coloring it was sort of yucky. But you only use a thin glaze of icing so the cookie was still good.

Materials I used:

1. Icing, recipe below
2. Paint brush, one for each color would be nice but I just used one and washed it out a lot.
3. Food coloring
4. Fine Writing tip and pastry bag
5. 4 years of art school***

Icing (Powdered Sugar)

This flavorful, smooth, slightly translucent, shiny glaze is great for decorating sugar cookies or drizzling over other desserts.

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
food color, if desired

Combine powdered sugar, water, 1 tablespoon butter, corn syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in small mixer bowl; mix until powdered sugar is moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional water if necessary, to reach desired glazing consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.

***Only kidding on the art degree. Decorating the cookies is easy and very forgiving for mistakes. I do have a BFA though but we sure did not decorate cookies.

Michelle

Michelle, they look too pretty to eat!

Wow - those are gorgeous!

Definitely foodie art. Great job on the icing and decorating - -they truly are wonderful. Thnaks for sharing the recipe too - I may give them a shot for Christmas

Alexa

I've done the egg food color too but not for years now. My Great Aunt used to bake cookies every year for Christmas and I would help her paint them and it was so fun spending the day painting cookies and sipping tea and she used the good china too.

I did just read a good tip for the pastry bag. Wet a paper towel, put the towel in the bottom of a tall glass and then put the pastry bag, tip side down, in the glass. This way the tip does not dry out and your frosting is ready when you are.

I found a very simple decorating icing recipe:

Snowy Sugar Glaze
Use the snowy sugar glaze to cover the cookies first, then use colored glaze on top to decorate in straight lines, drizzles, squiggly lines, dots and other patterns. Let the glaze dry (usually 5 to 10 minutes in a warm, low humidity room) and harden to create a perfect work surface. Do not use egg yolk on cookies after they have been baked, as it may contain salmonella!

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons skim milk
*Few drops green food color

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure cookies are completely cool then coat each cookie with the white glaze.
2. To make colors, remove one of tablespoon glaze to several custard cups. Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring to each. Make some tints and some darker colors for creative decorating. Use a small brush or toothpick to swirl colors into desired patterns on cookies.
3. To use the same recipe as frosting, simply add a little more powdered sugar to thicken.

Here's the egg yolk paint that we used.

Egg Yolk Paint

Adult supervision suggested. Do not eat raw egg yolk paint. Paint cookies before baking for food safety reasons. Raw eggs/yolks can cause foodborne illness. Wash hands after using raw egg yolk paint.

Empty Styrofoam egg carton
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon water
1 package assorted food colors

1. Stir together egg yolk and water. Divide yolk and place in compartments of empty Styrofoam carton or several custard cups.
2. Tint with food color to desired brightness.
3. Using a small paintbrush or toothpick, decorate cookies before baking. Paint may dry out during sitting time, cover and add a few more drops of water to keep moist.

I thought these Lollipop Cookies, Martha Stewart, were such a great idea and children would love them! I think I might make a few of these next week and send to my nieces in their Halloween Goodie Box.

Michelle

Michelle, I love your leaves! Unfortunately, our actual leaves have been almost all blown away, and we've already had snow! I'd be happy to have those cookies on any plate in my house, but like the leaves outside, they probably wouldn't last long!
Enjoy!
Catherine

I love them..you have alot of time on your hands Ms Michelle!

I've been painting too..Wooden cutouts my oldest made for me in the shape of a t shirt..I'm turning them into somewhat mini replicas of Kellan's football teams jerseys..One for each child, plus a few for a couple of the coaches...
Kian actually started to help me paint them too...Although..I had to keep my mouth shut and not critique..He's not near the perfectionist that I am..
But I'm greatful for the help. It's alot of work..I'm cheating a bit..I used spray paint to prime and basecoat. And am using squeezy tubes of fabric paint for the details.
shhh...

I think I'll try those pumpkins on a stick..Kamren would like to make those..

Michelle...those are gorgeous! You did a fantastic job! Several months ago, I bought a set of 30 some decorating tips, a whole box of disposable bags and other "assorted materials". I had a few odd cookie cutters and bought a set of "autumn" cutters last week. All this stuff and I don't have a clue what to do...think I could use a lesson from you!

Terri, are you putting magnetic strips on the back so they can stick them on the refrig or something? If not, what would they do with them?? I remember those days! Have fun!

oh my goodness michelle, these are absolutely fantastic. you are so incredibly talented.

i think you need to organize a cookie camp - i'll be sure to sign up. i have plenty of cutters, pastry bags, tips and food colors....i just need the teacher.

just gorgeous works of art!

maryanne

Michelle, wow, what a beautiful plate of cookies!

I love them..you have alot of time on your hands Ms Michelle!

Terry, It really did not take that long to paint the cookies, maybe an hour. I have one of my bad headaches, still do, and it helps if I keep busy with simple things. I usually clean the house, but I just did not feel like cleaning yesterday. But aren't those pumpkin sticks cute...kids love stuff on a stick. Your football jerseys are a cute idea!!

Kent, I think you need to just dive in a make some cookies. If you make a mistake, it's only a cookie so no big loss. Plus you can wipe the icing mistake off and try again, but still it's only a cookie. But wilton.com has quite a nice web site with lots of how-to information and step-by-step instruction and I will link it below. Check it out and remember it's only a cookie and you can eat the mistakes....LOL! Also if you google "cookie decoration" or "cookie decorating" you will find many independent blogs and sites with loads of information and ideas.

Thanks Maryanne, we could have cookie camp but you'd have to demo the pastry bag. I get a lot of globs of icing. LOL!! And we could have High Tea too, I really do want to have a High Tea...so fun!

Marigene, thanks, I remember your summer cookies and they were so pretty.

I'm off to eat some more cookies!

Michelle

Here is a link that might be useful: Wilton

michelle, you need to burp your bag before you get started to avoid those globs.

Beautiful Michele! Love the colorful plate they make.

Maybe I need to get headaches....I might get more done.

Nancy

michelle, you need to burp your bag before you get started to avoid those globs

OMG!!!

See you're needed at Cookie Camp!

Michelle

set it up, i'll be there. i'm sure there are others that would just love a few days away learning such a fine art of baking (among other things). get my room ready LOL

maryanne

Michelle,
They really are gorgeous. You are pretty artsy-fartsy aren't you? And a big big thank you for the fancy sugar! I can't wait to make pretty cookies with it.
Sherry

I have no ability or patience to do such decorating but really love to look at them. I'm sorry you get the headaches Michelle but what a lovely 'recovery' idea.

One hint I'll add that I got from a professional baker... roll your cookie dough out on parchement paper or the rimless sheets they used. Cut your cookies out ON this and just pick up the scraps, rather than try and lift cut out cookies ONTO a sheet. Of course they also were uber-efficient in making use of all the space of the rolled cookie dough and did not have many scaps at all.

I have a zillion cookie cutters but never make rolled cookies. It figures, doesn't it !?!?!?!! I must need camp again. Maureen

Michelle, those are really stunning. Most of our leave are gone,few trees still holding on. Fall is quite beautiful, almost as beautiful as your cookies.

Your cookies are beautiful!

This is exactly why I don't post pictures of my baking. I don't have alot of patience and not a creative bone in my body!

WOW!! Too bad all of the leaves that I'll be dealing with won't look or taste that good....

David

I've never seen such beautiful cookies either - very nice Michelle!

Michelle those are just gorgeous!!! Bet they taste great too!

I'm starting to think that you, sol and Monique were separated at birth!!!

You rock, Michelle! I am really bad at decorating cookies and cakes so I really appreciate the talent in others!

The colors are just perfect.