Heart Cookies

I love, love decorating cookies for the holidays.  And Valentine's is the perfect holiday!  Pink and red frosting, heart shapes- LOVE it!  My friend Jennifer came over on Saturday to help me complete the decorating.  It was a BIG job!  Somehow, we didn't get a pic of us decorating : (  Next time!

I borrowed the frosting recipe from the decorated cookie blog.  She has lots of really cute ideas for decorating cookies.  She's definitely a pro, so please don't compare my work with hers! 

Here is her frosting recipe:

"Note: This frosting is similar to royal icing, but I add shortening and flavoring to make it taste delicious. Thus, it dries hard enough to handle and pack when left overnight, but not rock hard, like traditional royal icing. The consistency is NOT the runny kind used for flooding. It's stiffer. Take a spoonful, turn it over the bowl. The frosting should cling to the spoon and slowly fall into the bowl. That's the right consistency.

4 tblsp meringue powder (available at many supermarkets and in most craft stores)
1/2 cup water
6-7 cups confectioner's sugar (may need more or less, see the consistency advice above)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Crisco

Whip the meringue powder and water on high speed for a looooong time, several minutes, until it's fluffy and peaks form. Gradually add the rest of the ingredients to desired consistency. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month."

She's not kidding- it is a loooooooooooonnnnngggg time for whipping the meringue powder and water. Be patient. I made this recipe exactly and added the colors that I wanted. I used the thick consitency frosting and put into bags with tips that we could pipe onto the cookies. I added a few teaspoons of water to a little bit of the frosting and put that into squeeze bottles. We were able to outline with the piping bags and flood with the squeeze bottles.

It sounds like work, but it's really easy once you get it set up.

On Sunday, our life group from church came over for our Bible study and dessert.  I served the cookies that Jenn and I decorated, chocolate covered pretzels, conversation hearts, Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.  And some chocolates.  It was a little cookie/ candy buffet.

I forgot to get a picture of the chocolate covered strawberries.  Super easy to make!  My number one tip is to make sure your strawberries are really dry.  Just a little bit of water in your chocolate can make the chocolate gummy and there is no saving it!

Happy Cookie Decorating!