Decorated Cardinal Cookies
I’ve always wanted to make cardinal cookies, but I’ve never been able to find quite the right cutter. This year, I decided to make it happen.
It took a little thought, but when it finally hit me I was super excited…and a little sad I hadn’t thought of it earlier. I made this cookie using a simple egg trimmed with a heart. If you want a curvier bird, a flip-flop works well too.
Like many of my cookies {on a good week} my cardinals started out as a sketch. If you’re not a sketcher, try it sometime. It often saves time and frustration during the decorating process.
Once the cookies are baked, use a food color marker a smaller egg cutter to draw wings on each cookie. This is a great way to create uniform cookie designs without a projector.
To decorate these cookies you will need:
- Black 20-second icing
- Light red outline and flood icing
- Dark red piping 20-second icing {just a small amount}
- Yellow piping icing
- White piping icing
Begin by using black icing to create a face.
Once the face has had time to dry, outline and flood the body {excluding the wing} with light red.
When the lighter red icing has set, use the darker red shade to fill the wing.
Finish up with a few small details:
- Pipe a beak using a #3-4 tip
- Add a small white dot to form an eye
- Add a fun little swirl of icing to the wing {optional}
Mix with other fun designs to create a pretty platter. I was inspired by Lizy B Bakes and Flour de Lis to add snow cookies and sweet dotty trees.
If you’re interested in the front facing birdies, I used this Wilton Christmas cutter that I picked up at Walmart. For more inspirational cookies, check out these posts:
Did you use the same christmas ornament to make the cardinal facing the front? If so, where did you get it. I have looked for it since you posted the grinch cookies and can not find it! Thanks for sharing all your beautiful cookies! I look forward to your posts!
Wow, I love the cardinals, the snow cookies, and the dotty trees! The simplicity of each makes them really pretty! It’s funny how the more I cookie, the better my piping skills, the more I appreciate simple cookies. Yours are great!
So true how the more simple the cookie, the more I like them. Love these!!!
Hi, I just wanted to take a moment to say that I’m not a cookie decorator, but am definitely an admirer of your cookies! I found your blog during the Christmas season when was searching for a sugar cookie recipe, and I’ve been following you since then. I really enjoy when a new post comes into my reader from you – I am so awed by what you and other bloggers like you can do with just a a little sugar and some food coloring. Wow, is all I can say! Thanks for posting your beautiful creations. I’ll keep watching and being inspired!
LOVE These!!! Cardinals are on of my favorite birds!! Thanks for the tutorial, I am going to try these 🙂
These are adorable, Callye!! Love the cute cardinals 🙂
Oh my goodness… can we just talk about that dreamy tree in your pictures for a minute?! I LOVE the shape and the dots and the snow!!!!! Genius idea to trim the egg cutter with the heart!
These are awesome! Love that cutter trick.
I saw the title of your post and thought ‘my goodness! I needed a cardinal cutter this year!’ I never did figure out how to make it work….so I just drew that cardinal on some rounds and called it a day…..and sent them off as a thank you to another blogger. Christmas got so crazy that I never even knew Amy put them on her site. :). Whoops!
Love the cookies miss Callye!
Your snowy trees are so dreamy! You’ll get a good laugh when I tell you that the ones I made were actually inspired by a set of yours (the ones with the easy polar bear tutorial, I spent a lot of time looking at those this year and was really hoping I would get a chance to make them!)
The cardinals are so cute and the colors together are just magical! I love the whole platter!
Brilliant design and your platter is perfect!!
I am a certified bird-nerd, so I love these cookies for sure! I can hardly wait for that morning when the birds are so noisy, and then I know that spring is close!
Yes, loving these cookies!! and your cutter idea.
Your decorations are truly perfect for any occasion . It is really very beautiful decorations of a cookies and brilliant use of cutters too. I want to all of them.
You are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing so much of your creativity and knowledge! I admire ALL of your creations!
As always, amazed at your creations. It’s not just your creativity and vision that are so incredible, but the execution. Your cookies are pure perfection. Happy new year!
Wow! I am in complete and utter awe of your cookie decorating prowess. Genius is another word that comes to mind when I gawk at your creations. Thank you for sharing your talent and allowing people like me to admire with my mouth agape.
My mom’s favorite bird is the cardinal. She says they bring good luck. I wanted to make her cardinal cookies this year for Christmas but couldn’t find any I liked. Now I can make her some. Thank you!
Oh, cardinals are my favorite bird! They’re just so pretty. And so are these cookies, Callye!
I love these!! You have so many great ideas on your blog. If I completed just one I’d feel like I really accomplished something!
Thank you! PS-I love your site! You wouldn’t believe how many cutters I have ordered from y’all!
hi,
i’ ve pinned this photo on my pinterest side. i hope, this is okay. i love your cookies.