How to make a Gift Basket for a Baby Shower

It seems that everyone that I know is having babies! I've been to so many baby showers that I know how to put these together with my eyes closed, but I've noticed that most people seem stumped with what to get. Well, I'll tell you the best things to get for the Mom-to-be and how to package it all nicely!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• For the Cookies:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or Splenda
• 2 tsp grated lemon peel
• 2 large eggs
• powdered egg whites (enough for 2 fresh egg whites)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 drops lemon juice
• pink, blue, and yellow food coloring
• Baby themed cookie cutters
• 10" lengths of ribbon in pastel colors
• plastic drinking straw
• For the Basket:
• Medium-Large wicker basket
• Recieving blanket
• Cloth diapers tied with ribbon
• 2 Baby bottles
• rattle
• 2 pacifiers
• 1 Teddy bear
• Booties and mittens
• 2 white snapped T-shirts
• 2 pjs with feet coverings
• 2 bibs, rolled and tied with ribbon
• 1 teething ring
• 1 CD of classical music
• Decorated cookies
• Baby-sitting voucher
• 1 Disposable camera
• 1 Baby's 1st photo album

1. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 F. In a medium bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on high speed, cream the butter, sugar, and grated lemon peel until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4" thickness. Using a cookie cutter or template, cut out the dough into baby booties, rattles, cute animal shapes, or whatever baby themed cutters you happen to have. Transfer the cutouts to ungreased baking sheets. Using a straw, poke a row of 5 or 6 holes, 1/4" apart, at the top of some cutout. Bake the cookies until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer the the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

3. To decorate the cookies, in a small bowl, prepare the powdered egg whites as the package directs. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and beat the mixture until it's smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide the icing among 3 small bowls.

4. Add the yellow food coloring, a few drops at a time, to 1 bowl until the desired color is reached. Spoon the yellow icing into a reasealable plastic bag and snip off one corner. Set aside. Add the blue food coloring to another bowl of icing. Add the pink food coloring to the remaining icing. Spread the pink and blue icings evenly over the cookies. Let the icing set for about 10 minutes. Pipe the yellow icing onto the cookies in desired patterns and let set, about 30 minutes. Thread the ribbons through the holes in the cookies and tie the ends of the ribbons in bows.

5. To wrap the basket, unfold the recieving blanket and put the basket in the center. Pull the blanket up over the sides and tie the corners together at the front in a bow. Fill the basket with gifts, making certain to keep the bigger items in the back and the smaller items filling the middle. Place the babysitting voucher up high so that it's easily found.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget those Moms that aren't having their first child! Often we forget to have baby showers for the Moms that are having their second or higher children because we think that they already know how to deal with their babies. What we seem to forget is that this is a time for celebration and for being there for the Mom, no matter how many babies she has had in the past. Always remember to welcome children into the world with love and laughter.