I have been saving these flora & fauna cookie cutters for a special baking occasion. The 2014 Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap seems like such a moment in this holiday season. Started by fellow bloggers at Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen a few years ago, this very worthwhile fundraiser for Cookies For Kid’s Cancer is always a lot of fun to participate in and if you did not have time this year try to make time in 2015.
My cookies combine dark cocoa, Nashville’s own Olive & Sinclair Cinnamon Chili Mexican Style Chocolate along with gingerbread spices & local molasses. The dough cut into forest animals, acorns & leaves lightly decorated with a simple icing is perhaps all you need, along with world peace & love to make this one nice holiday season one chocolate-gingerbread bite at a time.
Just
Olive & Sinclair has shown up in quite a few desserts here at food on fifth. This one is my favorite for cookies…cinnamon & chili.
Round cookies? Square? Shapes for sure. Some vintage, some new cutters.
Upon my doorstep one day there appeared a package from OXO and inside was what really turned out to save the day when it came to icing my cookies….Like magic a set of OXO Good Grips Baker’s Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit appeared just when I needed to ice these cookies. Thanks OXO elves!
Royal icing, my new OXO icing tool and some sanding sugar made this part effortless.
While the icing dried I put together a few tags, my business card……
…stamped the tins with Holiday images, checked to make sure the tags worked…..
..nestled the cookies for a safe trip out into the big, wide world……
….tins packed…boxes stamped….Happy Holidays all you other Cookie Swapper’s out there.
A big thanks to my three fellow bloggers that I received delicious cookies from…Kristin at kesaling.com (sorry your site is not coming up so I could not do a link!…Amanda at amandakbythebay.blogspot.com and Renee at marriedandhungryblog.blogspot.com…Santa is going to love your cookies as much as I do!
Happy December, Be Sweet and Kind and Bake more cookies to share!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes: These cookies are terrific dipped in hot coffee or alongside a cup of tea. Kids love the animal shapes.
Teresa Blackburn http://www.foodonfifth.com http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com
Sources:
Animal Cookie Cutters from IKEA, Trees, Acorns & Leaves various Antique Malls during the year.
OXO Icing Tool (randomly arrived at my house unsolicited but it turned out I needed such a thing so I am saying I like it with no money having changed hands! Available online I suppose.
Glitter Christmas Houses from All Seasons right here in Nashville. Every year I buy a few to add to my village!
White tins and packing boxes from The Container Store.