Tutorial: Edible (OR Storable) Christmas Cookie Ornaments

This year, I think I've done more cookie decorating than ever before...which is ironic because I haven't taken any cookie orders this season....

I had this plan (last year) to make a whole cookie tree...not a tree made of cookies, but you know, our little 2 foot tree covered in cookies.

The 2 foot tree....it's our first tree as a married couple.  We still have it....

Anyway, best laid plans blah blah blah.... you know how it goes.  Didn't happen this year.  Of course.

But that didn't stop me from trying.  At least trying to kick the cookie ornament urge.

So I made a few and put them on the big tree :)

Wanna learn how to make them?  They're super easy.  And the best part is I only had to make one color of icing...woot!


First, you'll need your cookies:

Before you bake them, make sure you poke a hole in the top with your boo-boo stick.  That way, you can string a ribbon through it.

You'll also need a few other things:

A paintbrush.  Any kind will work.  I used a flat angle brush.
Some Americolor Airbrush colors.  For this set I only used 3.  Holiday Red, Gold Sheen and Leaf Green.  I use the airbrush colors because they're thinner / less condensed.  I don't have to add water and they go on a little smoother.
And lastly, some white icing in piping consistency.

Now let's get started.

Your going to want to put a drop or two of your airbrush colors on a pallet or a plate.  Only work with a couple drops at a time.  It's thin and runny so you don't need much.  And the airbrush colors are designed to dry quickly so any more than a couple drops will be a waste.

Use your paintbrush and just paint straight on to your naked cookie.

you don't have to be a great painter for this....really.

You don't even have to let this dry before you move on to the next step:

Add your details!

Just anything you want.  If you want to use more icing colrs you can of course...I like the simplicity of just using white on the colors...also feel like I'm putting off color mixing induced carpal tunnel for one more day....

Now at this point your ornaments are still 100% edible.  If you want to save them (and make them too toxic to possibly eat) let them dry overnight at least.  Then coat them, front and back, with either a UV resistant spray acrylic (if you want them to look like cookies still) or modge podge.  If you want to make them inedible from the very start, you can always use a salt dough....saves on butter too.

I want them to just be cookies...so I let them be.

So pretty!  Makes me happy.

Now, let's hope my daughter doesn't eat them off the tree....