Peppermint Candy Cookies & and a trip to . . .

You won't believe how easy these cookies are to make!!!

This cookie idea was ~~inspired by~~ stolen directly from Martha Stewart Living, December 2009. Why I waited a whole year to make them, I'll never know.

**{update 11/9/11: it was brought to my attention today, that even though these cookies are IN the Martha magazine, they are the work of Danielle Boglivi-Fiori a stylist at The Martha Stewart Show and the founder of Sweet Dani B." And here I thought Martha was toiling away in her kitchen. So, just to be clear, I got them from Martha, Martha got them from Dani. }**

These peppermint candy cookies would be so cute for a cookie exchange, Christmas gifts, holiday open houses...anything, really.

To make them, you'll need:

royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Bright White, Super Red and just a bit of Super Black
disposable icing bag
decorating tip (#2 or #3)
squeeze bottles
toothpicks
silver luster dust
candy-shaped cookie

With a #2 or #3 tip, outline the candy and wrapper in light grey icing. (We're trying for a silvery look.) Reserve some of this icing for later.

Thin the white and red icings with water, a bit at a time, until it is the consistency of thick syrup. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes.

Stir gently with a rubber spatula and transfer icings to squeeze bottles.

Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the centers in white. Use a toothpick to spread to edges and pop large air bubbles.

While the icing is still wet, go back over the same cookies and draw a cross and an X in red icing. directly on top of the white icing.

Drag a toothpick through the icing in 3 circles, going the same direction.

Thin the grey icing as described above.

Fill in the wrapper.

Wait about 1 hour, then add the detail on the wrapper with the unthinned grey icing.

Let dry overnight.

The next day, brush the "wrapper" ends with dry luster dust, using a small paintbrush. This will give the cookies a sheen, instead of an opaque silver look.

Now...to the trip!

If you're on twitter, I've been teasing a little about making a trip to "the happiest place on earth." There's a reason that for the last two weeks, I've been singing:

"Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you..."

Saturday, I am going HERE to decorate cookies with some gals. Did you click over? HERE, I'm going HERE!!!

{Who wants to *squee* with me?!?}

So, think of me Saturday, will you? Send good thoughts so I won't forget how to decorate cookies, and that I don't faint, and that I remember to suck my stomach in. OK?

I am so, so, so excited! {You might be able to tell by all of the all of the !!!}

I'll be sure to report back from the land of butter, Wranglers and Ethel Merman! SQUEE!!!