Baby, it's Cold Outside!

I *know* if it's 31 degrees here in Houston this morning, it's really cold where you are. We're not quite in Eskimo mode, but I have been wearing jeans and boots for 2 weeks straight and THAT makes me very happy. PS: can you send us some snow?

Having never been to Alaska, or anywhere else where Eskimos live, I can only imagine that the girls wear pink & red sweaters, and very big, clunky go-go boots. Seems right.

As I was making these, I was thinking about "Eskimo Kisses," you know, rubbing noses together? Kiddo & I used to do those ALL the time when he was little. As an almost-14-year-old, I'm pretty sure he will be horrified, but I'm going to try to sneak one in today.

These darling eskimo & igloo cookie cutters are from King Arthur Flour.

Let's make some Eskimo cookies. You will need:

eskimo-shaped sugar cookies
royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Copper (fleshtone), Super Black, Deep Pink, Bright White, Red Red
couplers and tips, #2, #1
disposable icing bags
squeeze bottles
toothpicks
pink food coloring pen

Use a #2 tip to pipe a circle for the face in copper/fleshtone.

With another #2 tip, pipe hair on the face in black. Reserve some of this piping consistency icing.

Use a #2 tip to pipe the outline of the sweater in pink...

...and another to pipe the hood and boots with white.

Thin the copper, black, white and pink icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into squeeze bottles as needed.

Fill in the outlines for the different sections with the thinned flood icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.

The order really doesn't matter here.

Let the cookies dry for at least one hour.

Now, add the details.

use a #2 tip to add the sweater details and mittens in red icing.
use a #1 tip to add a mouth and boot details.
use a #1 tip to go over the outline of the hair, add braids, and eyes.

The braids are just piped hearts really close to each other with a little fringe at the end. I added just a swipe of red for a ponytail holder with a #1 tip.

Let the cookies dry 6-8 inches or overnight. Add the cheeks with a pink food coloring pen.