Whimsical Reindeer Cookies with Cookies with Character {Guest Post}

December 8, 2013 | 43 Comments »

What happens when a former Disney animator becomes a cookie artisan?  Amazing things, is all.

I fell in love with Krista, of Cookies with Character a few years ago.  Besides being amazingly perfect, her cookies have so much…CHARACTER!

When this amazing cookie landed in my inbox, I was completely inspired.  I’ve seen gingerbread reindeer, but never like this!

Blog breakHey there fellow cookie lovers! I’m Krista from Cookies with Character.

When Callye asked me to do a guest post, first I picked myself up off the floor, then I started racking my brain for just the right thing to do.  These fun whimsical reindeer were something that I have always wanted to do, so what a better time than now?  Thanks for having me!

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with CharacterI’d like to say that this is not my original idea. The idea of reindeer made on an upside down gingerbread cookie has been around for a long while. This is my take on it.

Supplies:

  • Baked  “Female” Gingerbread cookies in any size {I used a cutter like this}
  • Brown piping and flood icing
  • Pink flood icing
  • Red 20-second icing
  • Blue 20-second icing
  • White 20-second icing
  • Black piping icing
  • White sugar sprinkles
  • Gold petal dust and some form of alcohol to mix with it {I use vodka but any extract with a percentage of alcohol will do}

First off, choose a cutter.  I went with a large gingerbread cookie cutter, six inches to be exact, because I knew my kids would love them.  You can pick any size you want.

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 2Flip the cutter upside down. I chose the female gingerbread because of the skirt allows more room for the lovebirds and whimsical antlers.

Begin by outlining the head of the reindeer with edible markers.  Sketching a design on a cookie before hand is a great way to keep things straight, especially if you don’t have a Kopykake.

Just make a big heavy bottomed pear shape, then add some big ‘ol floppy ears.

  1. Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 3Brush a very light coat of flood consistency pink icing on what will be the inside of the ears.  This will dry fast due to how thin it is. 
  2. Outline and flood head and snout with brown.

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character How toNext, outline and flood ears, squeezing a little heavy on the lower line on the ears.

  1. Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 5Grab your edible marker again and draw on the antlers.
  2. Pipe the antlers on to the desired thickness.

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 6Let the antlers dry completely!  Its very important that you let the antlers dry for at least twelve hours before the gold painting. Otherwise the icing will pit. 

Using the red icing pipe on a large cute nose. While it is wet, use the white icing and a #2 tip to pipe one reflection line across the top of the nose.  Tap the cookie lightly to make the white icing settle into the red. 

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 7Pipe one large oval with the white icing and immediately add a pupil. Allow the first eye to dry for about ten minutes before doing the other one so they don’t become one large lump. 

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 8Once the antlers have had time to dry, paint them gold using a paint brush. They should be dry after at least 30 minutes and ready for the next step. 

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 9Using the red and blue icing pipe little birdies on the antlers. You really could do them anywhere and in any position you like. Use a toothpick, boo-boo stick or scribe to drag up the tail, into a nice point.

Add details, such as feather tails, wings and little beaks in the brown piping icing. 

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 10Next, add the black elements: eyebrows, small crooked smile, and the dot eyes on the birds

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 11To create the small hairs, pipe them in opposite order. 

  1. Pipe the second and fourth one
  2. Then pipe the first and third

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 12Also, don’t forget to paint the little beaks gold.  It’s the little things.

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 13Looking at the cookie I felt it needed a little more detail, so, I added some white piping icing as snow. 

While the snow was still wet, I sprinkled with white sanding sugar.  Make sure the rest of the reindeer is dry before you dump the sprinkles on it, of course! 

Feel free to add any other snowy elements. I tossed in just a few snowflake shaped sprinkles.

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 14And just for fun, a little snow on his nose!

Reindeer Cookies Cookies with Character 15Anyway you do it, these little-big guys are so much fun to make.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Blog breakBe sure to “like” Krista’s Facebook page, Cookies with Character and follow her blog, here!

For more Christmas characters, check out these posts:

Animal Cookies, Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Creative Use of Cutters, Guest Tutorials, Holiday Cookies, Sweet Sugar Belle, Tutorials
43 Comments »