Hooray for Fall!!!

Fall just happens to be my favorite season. I'm pretty sure it has to do with moving away from shorts (not that I wear them) and sleeveless tops to sweaters and boots. And tomorrow, the high will only reach 66 degrees. {That's downright chilly for south Texas.}

I wanted to ship some cookies to friends, friends I've never met, actually...namely a certain book editor and team.

So, I went with a fall theme. Original, right?

{PS...I really like photos of cookies from the side. Bear with me; it's a weird little obsession I have.}

Both the pumpkins and the acorns are so easy to make...I'll show you the pumpkin how-to here.

To make the pumpkins, you'll need:

pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies
royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor orange, a darker orange (I used electric orange mixed with super red), chocolate brown and green
disposable icing bags
tips: #2 (and/or #1)
squeeze bottles
toothpicks

Use a #2 tip to outline the pumpkin shape in orange.

Thin the orange, darker orange and brown icings with water, a little at a time, until it is the consistency of thick syrup. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes.

Stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop any large air bubbles that have formed. Transfer to squeeze bottles.

Working about 6 cookies at a time, fill (flood) the pumpkin with the thinned orange icing. Use a toothpick to guide to edges and pop and large air bubbles that have formed.

Starting with the first cookie flooded, drop lines of the thinned darker orange icing on top of the wet orange icing to make the pumpkin "ridges."

Repeat the process with the thinned brown icing.

Let the cookies sit for at least 1 hour.

Use a #1 or #2 tip (I used a PME #1.5...right in the middle) to pipe on a stem and vine. I like the stem piped rather than flooded to give it some texture.

Let dry 6-8 hours, or overnight. (Keep in mind that the colors will deepen as they dry.)