Cornhole. Bag Toss. Bags. Tailgate Toss. 

However you call it, this outdoor game is a staple at BBQs, campgrounds, and tailgate parties across the country. This fun game is great for kids and adults alike, and you can even customize your Cornhole boards and bags. Speaking of customized Cornhole boards, how about some custom COOKIE Cornhole boards and bags to sweeten game day? Using some simple cookie cutters, with a small tweak, you can earn bragging rights and win the day with your own Cornhole cookies!
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Do you notice what cutter I used for the Cornhole boards? I used the top hat/bread slice cutter from the Sweet Sugarbelle Shape Shifter 2 set. Don't own this set? Try a different top hat or bread cutter like this one from The Flour Box. Want to go for mini boards? Try the mini hat/bread cutter is from Sweet Sugarbelle Mini Shape Shifters Set Two. The process of trimming the cookie dough before baking will be the same. The final cookie doesn't have to be the exact proportions of a real Cornhole board. It can be a playful spin to get the impression of the board.

​I made these boards as a 2-tone wood grain, but you can decorate them however you like! The boards provide a great base for a wet-on-wet decorating technique or an airbrushed stencil once dry. 

What you'll need: 
* your favorite roll-out cookie recipe
* top hat/bread slice cutter to make the boards
* small rectangle or square cutter (I used a .75"x1.25" cutter) to make the corn bag cookies
* bagged royal icing in the following colors/consistencies:
     black (just a little bit!): thick consistency icing OR black food marker
     ivory: 20 second
     light brown: 20 second
     Corn bag colors (I used red and blue): 20 second
* scribe tool or toothpick

2-Tone Wood Grain Icing Bag:  Pipe a small line of brown icing inside a new icing bag. Fill the remainder of the bag with ivory and clip/tie shut. When piping with this bag, keep the stripe facing up so that the line is visible. Viola, 2-toned icing!

 Let's Decorate!
1. Make your cookie dough. Roll and cut out two of the hat shapes for each Cornhole board sets. Use the edge of the cutter to trim off one of the brims on one of the cookies. The remaining brim will become the leg of the board. Now trim off the opposite​ brim on the other hat cookie to make shapes that mirror one another. Bake as directed. 

2. Cut out your cookie corn bags. You'll need 8 for every 2 Cornhole boards. I used a small rectangle cutter and cut the rectangles in half. Pinch in the edges with your fingers before baking to give them a "pillow" kind of look. Bake as directed.

3. After your cookies are baked and cooled, get your decorating tools ready. I used a food marker to mark the lines on the baked cookie. 

4. Smear black icing or color the cookie with the marker where the hole of the board will go. Use the scribe tool to mark the margins of the hole. 

5. Pipe the light brown icing along the edge of the board and the one side of the hole. Let this section crust over.

6. While waiting for the light brown icing to dry, flood the corn bags. You'll need four of each color, for a total of 8 bags for every two Cornhole boards. Let the corn bags dry.

7. Flood the wood grain portion of the board. Hold the striped icing bag so that the stripe is facing up. Starting at one side of the board, pipe the icing in side-by-side/parallel lines. Use a scribe tool to push icing into any gaps and gently wiggle the cookie to smooth out the icing. Pipe the leg of the board with the same icing. That's it!

These Cornhole cookies make great additions to the dessert table at your next outdoor gathering. Maybe they'll help you to score an ace, cornhole, or even a gusher!  
(Yes, those are real Cornhole scoring terms)

Even if you don't win the Cornhole game, you'll win the dessert game!

Potted plants. Macramé art. These flashbacks from a 1970's-era living room are trendy again! And how do we celebrate home decor trends? With cookie-fied versions, of course! These hanging macramé plant cookies are made with a simple cutter that's found in many cookier's cutter arsenals- an ice cream cone shape. Let me show you! 

What you'll need:
* pointed ice cream cone cookie shape. I used one from Sweet Sugarbelle.
* Royal icing in the following colors/consistencies:
    base flood royal icing, optional: 20 second
    white royal icing: 20 second
    ivory royal icing: piping consistency
    green royal icing: thicker piping consistency
* Icing tips: round, leaf (or you can cut a tipless bag into a V for a leaf tip)
* Wilton petal dust (available at many craft stores), vodka, small paintbrush (optional)  

Disclaimer: The following in-process pictures are not my best work. Like they're pretty embarrassing. It was at night and I was tired and the lighting was all wonky when I shot them. But I loved this cookie design so much! So just look past the icky pics. I'll get around to re-making (and re-photographing) this design one day. Hopefully!

​1. Flood the base of your cookie, if you wish. I went with blue royal icing so that it would coordinated with other cookies with the set. Let the base icing dry.

2. Use the white icing to pipe the planter bowl. Use the ivory icing to pipe a circle at the tip of the cone to represent the macramé hanging ring. Allow these sections to crust. 

3. Use the ivory royal icing to pipe the hanging ropes from the ring to the planter. Next, add the first series of "knots", represented by the groups of three horizontal lines.

4. Add more "rope" details with the ivory icing. I added curved icing lines between each "knot" on the planter and "knots" at the ends of each hanging rope. I also added perpendicular icing lines at the planter hanger (at the ice cream cone point). Put rope lines and knots wherever you'd like! You're just trying to get the impression of macramé. It doesn't have to be perfect!

You can even stack icing lines to give more dimension. 

5. Grab the green icing with a round tip. Add some plant stems.

6. Pipe icing leaves on your plant stems. I used a PME ST50 icing tip. Any small leaf tip will do! Or make your own by cutting a V at the end of a tipless bag. 

7. Once the leaves were dry, I mixed some Wilton green petal dust with a little bit of vodka. I painted this mixture on some of the leaves to add some color variation. That's it!

Cookie macramé hanging plants are a great addition to a realtor or housewarming cookie set. And you don't have to worry about having a green thumb to enjoy these plants!

Message boards are trendy right now in home decor. From words of encouragement to snarky statements, message boards give a perfect outlet for our thoughts. Real message boards are pretty simple: pleated felt fabric in a frame + plastic letters that are pushed into the pleats. That's it! Cookie message boards can be much more complicated if you try to pipe every pleat. The look of a pleated board can be made quickly with an airbrush and the flat edge of a stencil, without having to pipe every pleat or worry about cratered sections. 

What you'll need:
* Cookie message board shape. I just used a simple rectangle cutter.
​* Royal icing in the following colors/consistencies:
   Gray: 20 second (I make gray icing with a tiny bit of black + yellow/ivory gel food color. The yellow helps to offset the purple-y undertones that black can sometimes have)
   Tan: 25 second
   White: Piping
* Airbrush machine
* Black airbrush color (I use Chefmaster Airbrush Color)
* the straight edge of any random stencil, preferably where the cut stencil portion is away from the edge.

​1. Bake your cookie shape. Use the gray icing to flood the middle section of your board. Leave room for the frame that will be added later with tan icing. Let the gray icing dry for several hours.

2. Gather up your airbrush, airbrush color, and stencil sheet. I prefer to use a clear stencil so that I can see through it. 

Lay the stencil edge parallel to the icing edge of your cookie. Lightly spray airbrush color along the edge of the stencil.

Now, slide the stencil up just a little bit, covering what you just sprayed. Lightly airbrush the edge of the stencil again. See how it's creating a layered/pleated look? Continue to move/spray up the entire surface of the cookie. 

If it's difficult for you to keep your airbrushed lines parallel and evenly spaced try placing the cookie on an index card. Match up the edge of the stencil with the lines on the index card as you airbrush.

3. Once your lines are airbrushed, pipe the frame with the tan royal icing.

4. Type out your sayings in Helvetica font (that's actually the font of real message boards!). Pipe them on with the white icing. 

Feel free to leave your message boards on the plainer side...

...or add some special accents like beads or plants. Maybe do seasonal accents, like a little pumpkin for fall-themed message boards. Florals would be pretty, too!

Let these cookie message boards do the talking for you!

I love adding texture to cookies. Texture introduces a new dimension to an otherwise flat cookie. Don't get me wrong- there's great beauty (and great skill!) in making a perfectly flat, flooded cookie. But my heart will always be drawn towards texture. And an added bonus of textured decoration? It can hide flaws in your icing! 

So when I had the chance to make a new set of palm tree cookies I knew I wanted to bring some texture to the palm tree party. Read along to see how fun these textured palm trees can be!

What you'll need:
* palm tree shaped cookies 
* Royal icing in the following colors/ consistencies:
     Brown: 20-22 second
     Green: piping, 20 second
* brown sanding sugar
* brown petal dust (I used this Wilton petal dust. It's cheap, lasts forever, and you can use a store coupon on it!)
* paint brush (I have this Wilton set)

You'll also need an edged tool to make the creases in the palm tree trunk. I like the curved edger from Sweet Sugarbelle, but you could also use the edge of a cookie cutter or even a spatula or knife.

1. Bake your cookie tree shapes. Flood the trunk of the tree with the brown icing. Wait about 5 minutes. Then use the edger tool to gently crush the surface of the icing, creating creases in the tree trunk. If the icing smooths back over, wait a few more minutes and try again.

Here's a quick video of the process.

2. After piping the palm fronds, use the petal dust to enhance the creases on the tree trunk. Load the paint brush with the petal dust and buff it into each crease. 

3. Use the green piping consistency icing to pipe a vein on the fronds.

4. Coconut time! Use the brown icing to pipe as many coconuts as you want. Wait a minute or so. Then cover the coconuts with the sanding sugar. Shake off the excess.

I love the pop of texture that sanding sugar brings to a cookie!

Palm tree cookies make great additions to lots of party themes- luaus, dinosaurs, and of course beach themes! Check out this post on how to make the awesome beach scene below!

These royal icing poppy flowers can be lovely accents for cookies, cupcakes, and full-sized cakes for Memorial Day celebrations. Since they are royal icing transfers, they can be made weeks/months in advance. Or you can speed up the drying time by using a fan on low speed or a food dehydrator. 

What you'll need:
* stiff red royal icing (Americolor tulip red is the perfect food coloring for this flower because of the orange undertones)
* Wilton decorating tip #150 (or other large petal decorating tip), icing bag, and coupler/ring
* flower nail
* parchment squares
* black royal icing, piping consistency
* black sanding sugar
* red petal dust and small paintbrush

Here are some close up pictures of the Wilton #150 tip (excuse the tarnish- it's an old tip). Notice how it is angled in the middle picture, with the left side slightly taller. Unlike other petal tips, the opening of this tip is the same width. A regular petal tip with a tapered opening would work for this poppy too, with just a slightly different final look. 

1. Load the red icing into the decorating bag with the coupler, tip, and ring. Attach a parchment square to the flower nail with a small amount of icing. Pipe the four flower petals with the taller point of the decorator tip closest to the flower nail. Check out the video of the flower making process.

2. Carefully slide the parchment square off of the flower nail and set aside to dry.

​3. After the flower has dried, use some red petal dust to dry brush (that means no liquid) the center of the flower. Simply load up the end of the brush with the dust and work it into the center of the flower and under the petals. It's subtle, and adds just a little depth. Don't have petal dusts? You could lightly airbrush the centers- or just leave them plain!

4. Peel the flower off the parchment paper square. Use the black icing to create a small icing ring in the center of the flower. Immediately sprinkle on the black sanding sugar. 

5. Use the black icing to make a mound of icing in the center of the sanding sugar ring. You're done!

Lest we forget the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Tequila. Salt. Lime. 
Putting together a collection of cookies for a Cinco de Mayo birthday created a challenge. I wanted to include this quintessential indulgence in the set of cookies, but I didn't have a shot glass cutter. 
​Cutter flips to the rescue!

This handled mug cutter from That's a Nice Cookie Cutter had a great shot glass look, and provided a space for a tequila wedge too. Yes, I realize the tequila wedge is kind of floating along the side of the glass. But after a few tequila shots, who is going to notice? 😉

What you'll need:
* baked mug shape cookies
* royal icing in the following colors/consistencies:
    white: 20-second
    gray: piping (just a little bit!)
    light and dark green: 25-second
* cardstock paper
* airbrush and gold airbrush coloring
* pencil and scissors
* scribe tool or toothpick
* white sanding sugar (for the "salt") 

​1. Bake your mug shape cookie. Use white royal icing to flood the glass part of the cookie, leaving a space along the handle of the mug for the lime wedge. Use the gray royal icing to add in a few glass lines at the bottom. Allow this section to dry well. 

2. Make a template/stencil by tracing the mug cutter on the piece of cardstock paper. Cut it out. Now draw and cut out a space on the cardstock mug that will represent the liquid in the glass. 

3. Use the template to airbrush the "tequila" onto the shot glass cookie. I like Amerimist Gold (not the metallic gold sheen). Notice that the airbrush shading is heavier along the edge of the template to create a curved appearance.

4. Use the dark green, light green, and white royal icing to pipe the lime wedge. Darker green on the outside to represent the peel, white and lighter green to represent the lime flesh. 

5. After a few minutes, use the scribe or toothpick to scratch the surface of the light green part of the lime to give some texture. Add some detail lines on the glass, and a little bit of sanding sugar "salt", if you wish. You're done! Time for tequila!

Here's the whole Cinco de Mayo collection.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, FLOOR!

Wait, what? That doesn't look like a decorated cookie! And you would be absolutely correct.
Say hello to my newest drool-worthy, diet-postponing treat! Imagine a cheese puff (without the cheese) that tastes like a Butterfinger. Yup, you really did just hear angels singing.

Here's what you'll need:
* Peanut Puffs by Deutche Küche, found at Aldi.
* Wilton white vanilla candy melts

​1. Melt the candy melts according to the package directions. I melted about 3/4 cup of wafers to coat one full bag of the Peanut Puffs.

2. Spread out the Peanut Puffs on a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the melted candy melts over the puffs, and toss to coat. You can fold the parchment in on itself to help the coating process. Spread them out to let them harden for 10-15 minutes.

3. Consume with reckless abandon.

Take note: The Peanut Puffs might be a seasonal item at Aldi. So stock up while you can! Enjoy!

We all know that cookie cutters are made differently. Some are made with molded plastic, some are made with bent metal, some are created with a 3D printer. I genuinely don't have a preference of plastic over metal- there are pros and cons to both.

However, there is one feature of some plastic cutters that I like- a HANDLE!
Oh wait, you didn't know that some cutters have handles? Let me show you!
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The handle on a cookie cutter is a lip (typically around 3/8" wide) that is opposite of the cutting edge and it follows the perimeter of the cutter. When you press these cutters into the dough, your fingers can wrap around the handle to easily lift up the cutter. Typically, metal cutters do NOT have handles (unless it's a rubber grippy kind that can actually be removed). SOME plastic cutters have them; some mass-produced molded plastic ones (like Wilton and Sweet Sugarbelle branded) and some 3D printed ones (Sinful Cutters and Bobbi's Cutters, to name a few). 

But for me, that handle is more than just an easy way to lift up a cutter. It's a way to double your cutter use!

I wanted to use this Sweet Sugarbelle cutter for a gumball machine cookie, but it was a little too small for me. Instead of using the cutting edge of the cutter, I laid the cutter on my dough upside down, with the handle resting on the dough.

Using a paring knife, I cut around the handle of the cutter. ​

The resulting cookie shape was definitely bigger than one made with the real cutting edge. But it retained the same basic shape, just a little rounder.

Here are the two cutter sizes, decorated in the same manner. There are obvious differences between them, but the hand-cut shape works just fine!

A few tips:
1. Roll out a disc of dough and chill it for 10-15 minutes, then hand-cut your shapes. Your cuts will be smoother, leaving the cut edge less jagged, and the overall shape less distorted. 
2. Carefully select your cutting tool and what you're cutting the dough on. A dull paring knife on my Pampered Chef mat works for me. A sharper cutting tool will cut through the dough AND what your dough is resting on. Don't be like me and use a brand new PenBlade on an expensive silicone mat. You'll end up buying a new mat because you'll slice and dice through your mat. Trust me on this one. 
3. Keep in mind the shape of your cutter. This technique will work great for some, but not all shapes. A really bumpy-edged cutter will lose some of its definition. You can always trace the handle of your cutter on paper to test how it will look before you cut and bake dough. 

So don't be dismayed that you don't have the "perfect" sized cutter- you might just need a hand(le)!

I love making monogram cookies! They are perfect for many cookie events like weddings, bridal and baby showers, and birthday celebrations. Monogram cookies can easily tie into any decor theme, but floral monograms always have my heart! Take a look at some of my simple tips to make floral monogram cookies the star of your cookie show!

Plaques are the typical go-to cutters for making monogram cookies. Many other cutters have the potential to make beautiful monograms. For this cookie, I used the largest of the Sweet Sugarbelle nested flowers. 

A. Metallics: Just a pop of metallic color can take monogram cookies to another level. I use Crystal Colors metallic dusts, liquified with Everclear. The alcohol evaporates quickly, leaving behind a pretty shine (that is FDA approved!).
B. Greenery: Use 2-3 shades of green icing for the greenery. Also, don't just create ordinary leaves. Add some variety with leafy stems and spikes. 

Pretty piped flowers aren't just for cakes! Pull out those specialized icing tips to pipe a single, large blossom. I piped this flower with an old Wilton 126 tip. Just keep in mind that the monogram is the main focus of this cookie. The single flower is a strong supporting actor. You really don't need other flowers in this design.

A. Dusts for Depth: I dry-brushed a little bit of Wilton petal dust (available at Michaels and other local stores) to the flower to give it some depth. What a difference a little bit of color can make!
B. DOTS: Add a  few dots in white icing (or whatever your icing base color is) to pull together your design.

I can't help it. This cookie just makes me swoon!

Ice cream cone cookies are a staple for sweet summer-time events, and you don't need a heat wave to make drippy ice cream cone cookies. Best of all, you can make an ice cream-inspired cookie using whatever shape you like! These cookies were for a sweet first birthday party, hence the "1" shape. No matter what shape you use, you can make some great drippy cones with this technique!

What you'll need:
* baked cookie shapes, in whatever shape you want! 
* royal icing in the following colors/consistencies:
    ivory- 20 second + piping
    ice cream, whatever "flavor" you desire- 18-20 second + piping
* sprinkles (optional)
* airbrush + airbrush color (optional)

1. Bake the shape that you're turning into an ice cream. This "1" cutter was from Sinful Cutters. Find it here! Use the ivory icing to make the "cone" part of the cookie. You can airbrush it a little, if you want! Let this section fully dry. 

2. Think about where you want the ice cream to drip and not drip on your cookie. Use the piping consistency of the ice cream color to pipe a line where you DON'T want the ice cream to drip. This icing line is creating a dam to prevent or slow down the movement of the thinner icing. 

3. Flood the ice cream part with the thinner icing. Add a little extra icing to the places where you want the ice cream to be drippy.

4. Immediately after flooding the ice cream part, hold the cookie UPRIGHT. Gravity will do the drippy work for you! Gravity will pull on the thinner icing, and allow it to create natural drips. The piped lines will slow down the drippiness in those ares. Feel free to hold the cookie at different angles if you want the icing to drip in a certain direction.

5. Top off your ice cream with sprinkles, if you like!

I especially love that ever-so-subtle dribble off the edge of the cookie!

Looking for another way to decorate ice cream cookies? Check these out!