Rustic Poinsettia Cookies

December 19, 2011 | 43 Comments »

Every cookie season, I go through a phase.  I think this was the season of burlap and poinsettias.  Ever since spending time with my friend Susan at cookie camp, burlap has never been far from my mind…

Then, I saw these sparkling poinsettia meringues that my friend Haniela made, and an obsession was born.  Suddenly flat cookies weren’t cutting it.  I wanted to make a cookie as pretty as the real thing.

I started with a snowflake cutter.  Of course a flower cutter, or even a REAL poinsettia cutter would work, but I like the symmetry of the snowflakes.

Next, I pulled out my leaf tips.  I have a ton of them because I use them all of the time.  The sizes range from #65s to #70 and then I have two really large ones, #112 and #113.  I especially like #65-#67 for cookies.

If the leaf tip isn’t working for you, use a slim bladed knife to gently open the tube a bit.  Be careful not to separate it too much, just enough the icing can flow out smoothly.

To make these cookies you will need:

  • medium stiff consistency red piping icing
  • medium stiff consistency green piping icing
  • sugar pearls

I would describe the consistency I used for this as similar to cold pudding…gross, yes, but you get the idea.

Begin by using a small leaf tip to pipe three or so leaves onto the cookie.  In this case, I used a #67.  Let dry for 10-20 minutes.

While you’re waiting, it would be a great time to make gold  DIY-colored sugar pearls.  My amazing, soon-to-be Texan friend Linzy, came up with this great idea.  I mixed a bit of ivory Americolor and gold lustre dust here.

After the leaves dry a bit, use a larger leaf tip {I used a #70} to pipe petals.  Holding the icing bag at a 45 degree angle, begin in the center, give the bag a firm squeeze while pulling the bag out toward the tip of the cookie.  The speed at which you pull determines how the petals will look. Pull fast, and you”ll have a flatter leaf like Haniela’s.  Draw back more slowly and allow the icing to stack a bit for a more ruffled look.

Begin by making three petals, let them dry for about five to ten minutes then add the remaining petals.

At this point it’s best to let the cookie dry overnight.  The next day, use green piping icing fitted with a #2 or #3 tip to attach the sugar pearls.  Pipe dots of icing onto the cookie then use tweezers to drop pearls into the dots.  push down just enough to make sure they are secure, but not enough to damage the flower.

Let the cookie dry completely.  I love that it doesn’t take a lot of color mixing or steps to make these beautiful cookies.

If you’re worried about the icing being “hard”, don’t.  It isn’t any crunchier than actual meringues.  The moisture of the cookie softens the icing.  It has a little “bite” but it’s never crunchy.

I added a few fun burlap cookies and holly leaves {made from one of my favorite bat cutters} to round out the collection.

These beauties are now on their way to the East coast as a special surprise for two of my favorite Virginians!

There aren’t many more days until Christmas.  So few, in fact, I’m afraid pointing out the actual number may cause a panic!  But in any case, even if you’re like me and feel like December passed you by, I hope you’re still baking away!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Creative Use of Cutters, Holiday Cookies, Tutorials
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