Holiday Treats

With the holidays right around the corner, I've got some cute treats for you today!  I've got tutorials for melting snowmen cookies, as well as nativity scene fondant topper for the cupcakes.

First up is the melting snowmen cookies. I used to always wish for a white Christmas every year.  I remember one year when I was little there was no snow predicted. I still wished for snow and was determined it would on Christmas day.  We were done opening presents and suddenly it started snowing.  I was pretty sure it had snowed just for me!  Now that I don't get snow days and have to drive in it, I'm not as big of a fan of snow.  But, I do still secretly wish for a white Christmas each year! It doesn't look like we will have one this year, but we did get some snow last night.

These melting snowmen cookies are as enjoyable to make as they are to eat.  So grab your favorite holiday movie (mine is Elf), pour some hot cocoa, and enjoy these snowman sugar cookies!

 

Melting Snowman Sugar Cookies ingredients (yields 1 dozen):

• 12 sugar cookies (I cheated and used ready to bake cookies so no recipe for the cookies!)
• 12 marshmallows
• Can of icing (royal or cookie icing will harden and can be used 
• sprinkles
• Tubes of icing or icing in piping bag with #12 tip (brown for arms, chosen color for scarf/buttons)
• Edible markers

Melting Snowman Sugar Cookies directions:

1. Bake your favorite cookie.
2. Cover cookies with icing while they are still warm, allowing it to melt and run down the side of the cookies.
3. Decorate marshmallow with eyes, nose, and mouth using edible markers.
4. Place marshmallow on side of cookie while the icing is still warm.
5. Let cookies cool completely.
6. Using piping bag, or icing tubes, draw scarf, buttons, and branch arms. 

Next up is a cute topper for cupcakes.  I created these nativity toppers loosely based on an idea I found on Flickr. I didn't have any cookie cutters to create the shapes and was having trouble free handing the toppers.  I decided to use the idea online as a template to create the shapes.  I modified it slightly by removing the stars, and adding the manger silhouette.  The manger background piece created a base for the other pieces to be glued to.

Nativity fondant items needed:

• Blue, white, peach (copper and white combined with slight amount of yellow), copper, and dark brown fondant
• Edible markers
• Gum glue (water with pieces of gum paste or fondant)
• Fondant roller
• Exacto knife
• Paint brush
• Print out 6 copies of fondant scene

Nativity fondant directions:

1. Color fondant and keep it covered until needed.
2. Cut out shape of Mary, Joseph, arms, and Jesus from different copies.
3. Start with the dark brown fondant and roll out to around 1/8 inch.
4. Cut out fondant into pentagon shape about 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall.
5. Roll out the blue fondant to 1/16 inch.
6. Place the shape of Mary over the fondant, and cut out the shape using the Exacto knife.
7. Attach to the fondant nativity using the gum glue.
8. Continue the process with the Joseph using the copper fondant.
9. Cut out the arms for Mary and Joseph using the blue and copper fondant respectively. Roll the fondant to just under 1/16 inch. Attach with gum glue.
10. Cut out the main shape of Jesus using white fondant and attach with gum glue.
11. Roll out the peach fondant to just under 1/16 inch.
12. Cut out three circles for each piece (two larger and one small).
13. Attach the circles for faces to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  
14. Draw on eyes and mouth using the edible markers.
15. Cut out small squares for hand for Mary and one for Joseph.  Round out the side to look like a hand.
16. Attach hands with fondant.

Enjoy these holiday treats and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a happy holidays! I'll be taking a few days off, but still have some more holiday treats coming up.  Check back for an Italian Cream cake and a New Years cake.