BALLOON CUTTER
This group of cookies is all about celebration. The wreath and balloon are pretty self-explanatory, but the beauty of the balloon is that you can embellish it with a name, a salutation, or a number for a special birthday. The money bag works great for someone who just got that big promotion. It looks just as easy to make as the balloon, but the dollar sign can be somewhat challenging. Practice making it on parchment first, or use an edible pen to draw it on. You might be wondering what type of celebration the target would work for. I once made it for a friend who had enjoyed a big success—she hit the bull’s-eye!
BALLOON
beginner 
intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch balloon cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: royal blue, whitener
3 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
3 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make lining and flooding icing for the balloon. Mix 1½ cups royal icing in a small bowl with royal blue gel to make blue. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline and paint in the balloon. Using the blue lining icing, outline the silhouette of the balloon, following the edge of the cookie and creating a knot at the bottom; let the edges of the cookie show at the knot. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, paint in the balloon. Let set for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make white lining and flooding icing for the shine mark; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing in a small bowl with whitener gel to make bright white for the shine mark. Thin to lining consistency. Spoon 3 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the white lining icing, outline the shine mark on the balloon. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the flooding icing, fill in the shine mark.
- 5. Make lining icing and re-outline the balloon. Meanwhile, mix ¼ cup royal icing with the royal blue gel paste to make darker blue for the outline of the balloon. Thin to lining consistency and spoon it all into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the balloon and draw the knot. Let set for 4 to 6 hours.
WREATH
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch balloon cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: leaf green, whitener, bright red
3 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
3 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make green lining and flooding icing for the wreath. Mix 1 cup royal icing in a small bowl with the leaf green gel to make the green for the wreath. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap.
- 3. Outline and paint in the wreath; make details. Using the lining icing, outline the wreath, drawing a jagged line along the edge of the cookie to make the wreath look bushy. Outline the inner circle, drawing it in the same manner to make the hole in the middle of the wreath. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the green flooding icing, paint in the wreath. Let set for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 4. Make red lining and flooding icing for the bow. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ½ cup royal icing in a small bowl with bright red gel to make red for the bow. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Outline and paint in the bow; make the holly berries and re-outline the bow. Using the red lining icing, outline the silhouette of the bow with the tip hovering close to the cookie. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the red lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the red flooding icing, paint in the bow. Using some of the reserved lining icing, make the holly berries on the wreath and re-outline the bow. Let set for 2 hours.
- 6. Make dark green lining icing for the holly leaves; make the leaves and re-outline the wreath. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup royal icing with leaf green gel to make a darker green for the holly leaves. Thin to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the wreath, following the jagged edges. Draw holly leaves near the clusters of berries.
- 7. Re-outline the ribbon. Using the reserved red lining icing, re-outline the ribbon with the tip hovering close to the cookie.
MONEY BAG
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch balloon cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
2 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: ivory, gold, whitener, leaf green, chocolate brown
3 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
3 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make tan lining and flooding icing for the bag; outline and paint in. Mix 1½ cups royal icing in a small bowl with ivory, gold, and whitener gels to make tan for the bag. Thin to lining consistency, then spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency, add a little whitener, and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, outline the silhouette of the money bag, making it narrow along the sides near the top. To give a gathered look at the top, draw a jagged edge. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the tan flooding icing, paint in the bag and let set until hard, 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make green lining and flooding icing for the dollar sign; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing in a small bowl with leaf green gel and one toothpick of ivory gel paste to make green for the dollar sign. Spoon 2 tablespoons icing into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, outline an S in the center of the bag. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the green lining icing. Using a paintbrush and the green flooding icing, paint in the S in a very thin layer. Let set until hard, about 1 hour.
- 4. Make caramel brown lining icing to re-outline the bag and make details. Draw a line through the money symbol. Meanwhile, mix a scant ¼ cup royal icing in a bowl with gold and chocolate brown gels to make caramel brown to re-outline the bag. Spoon all of the icing into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Re-outline the money bag, then draw the band where the bag is cinched and a few vertical lines for the folds. Using the reserved green lining icing, make a vertical line through the center of the S. Let set until hard, 4 to 6 hours.
TARGET
beginner intermediate advanced
MAKES 24
what you need
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
3-inch balloon cookie cutter
Cookie dough of choice (here), prepared, chilled, and rolled out
Cooling racks
TO DECORATE
3 cups Royal Icing (here)
Pasteurized egg white or water
Gel food colors: whitener, bright red, super black, royal blue, chocolate brown
5 plastic or parchment paper piping bags (here)
5 #1 tips
Assorted paintbrushes
- 1. Make the cookies. Cut out 24 cookies from the dough. Bake and cool as directed.
- 2. Make lining and flooding icing for the white circles; outline and paint in. Mix 1¼ cups royal icing in a small bowl with the whitener gel to make bright white for the circles. Thin to lining consistency, then spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the lining icing, outline a circle for the target, following the edge of the cookie except at the arrow feathers. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the white flooding icing, paint in the entire circle. Let set for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- 3. Make lining and flooding icing for the red stripes; outline and paint in. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ½ cup icing in a small bowl with the bright red gel to make bright red. Thin to lining consistency and spoon ¼ cup into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to thin flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap. Using the red lining icing, outline the rings of the target by making five concentric circles, beginning at the edge and making them approximately ¼ inch apart. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the red flooding icing, paint in every other ring, beginning with the outermost ring and ending in the center bull’s-eye. Paint them thinly so that the red rings don’t rise too far above the white background. Let set until hard, 2 to 3 hours.
- 4. Make lining and flooding icing for the arrowhead. Refresh the royal icing on medium low for 30 seconds. Mix ¼ cup icing in a small bowl with super black gel to make black for the arrowhead. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 2 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Thin the remaining icing to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 5. Make lining icing and flooding icing for the feathers. Mix ½ cup royal icing in a small bowl with royal blue gel paste to make dark blue for the feathers. Spoon ¼ cup of this into a second bowl. Thin one bowl to lining consistency and spoon all of it into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Add whitener gel to the other bowl to make a lighter blue, then thin to flooding consistency and cover with plastic wrap.
- 6. Outline the arrowhead; outline the feathers and paint them in. Using the black lining icing, outline the arrowhead by putting its point halfway into the bull’s-eye. Reserve the black lining icing. Using the dark blue lining icing, outline the arrow feathers by making a heart shape with the bottom point piercing the outer ring of the target. Let set for 5 minutes. Reserve the blue lining icing. Using a small paintbrush and the black flooding icing, paint in the arrowhead. Using the lighter blue flooding icing, paint in the heart. Let set until hard, 1 to 2 hours.
- 7. Make brown lining and flooding icing for the shaft; outline and paint in. Mix ¼ cup royal icing in a small bowl with chocolate brown to make brown for the arrow shaft. Thin to lining consistency and spoon 2 tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a #1 tip. Add a drop of whitener to the remaining icing, thin to flooding consistency, and cover with plastic wrap. Using the brown lining icing, outline the shaft of the arrow from the bottom of the arrowhead and going on top of the feathers. Let set for 5 minutes. Using a paintbrush and the brown flooding icing, carefully paint in the shaft. Let set for 10 minutes.
- 8. Re-outline the arrowhead, shaft, and feathers. Draw in the feathers’ details. Using the reserved black lining icing, re-outline the arrowhead. Using the reserved brown lining icing, re-outline the shaft. Using the reserved blue lining icing, re-outline the feathers without lining over the shaft. Draw the feather details. Let set until completely hard, 1 hour.