Cherry Blossom Cookies

Here in Washington DC, where I live, the millisecond the cherry blossoms bloom around the Tidal Basin is big big big. I made these cookies to honor this momentous occasion, but you may want to try these for a big celebration in your own life - bridal showers, baby showers, Easter?

Ingredients

dough
frosting
round or square cookie cutter
fondant (store-bought or homemade)
blue, pink and brown food coloring (I use Americolor soft gel pastes, "Sky Blue,"
"Electric Pink" and "Chocolate Brown")
1 disposable decorating bag
1 coupler
1 size "4" decorating tip
wax paper
rolling pin
small flower cookie cutter
small 1/2 inch circle fondant cutter
light corn syrup

Need a cookie dough or frosting recipe? Check out the Decorated Cookie.

Directions

1. Bake cookies using the round or square cookie cutter and let cool completely.

2. Prepare about a cup of light blue frosting. Use half of it to fill a frosting bag fitted with a coupler and size "4" decorating tip. Tie the bag tightly with a rubber band.

3. Outline circles or squares on the cookies and let set about 15 minutes.

4. Thin remaining frosting with water, a drop or two at a time, stirring well, until the consistency of thick glue.

5. Using a spoon or squeeze bottle, pour some frosting in the center of the cookies and let spread to the edges. You should have to encourage the spreading a bit with the back of the spoon. Let sell well, at least a couple hours or even overnight.

6. Take a wad of fondant (I use about an egg-size, but adjust depending on how many cookies you are making.) Tint the fondant light pink by adding a couple drops of food coloring and kneading very well. If fondant gets too sticky, let sit uncovered at room temperature about 15 minutes or until easily pliable.

7. Take another wad of fondant and tint a darker pink.

8. Roll each pink fondant about 1/8-1/4 inch thick between two pieces of wax paper. Cut out small flowers with the light pink and some mini circles of both light and dark pink.

9. Dab corn syrup on the back of a mini circle and press onto the center of a flower. Set aside on wax paper.


10. When your cookies are dried and your blossoms are done, tint a wad of fondant with brown frosting. You may need quite a few drops to get a dark brown.

11. Roll thinly between two pieces of wax paper and cut out thin slices. With your fingers, roll the slices a little so they are more log like than flat.


12. Arrange your blossoms as desired on the cookies. Dab light corn syrup on the fondant pieces to get them to stick. Arrange branches first, then place a flower and a couple mini circles on the branches. (I had you prepare the branches right before assembly so the fondant is still soft. That way, you can bend and manipulate them as you like.)