How to Make Santa Hat Cookies

These whimsical Santa Hats will add a special touch to your Christmas dessert table.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sugar Cookie Dough
• Icing
• Santa Hat Cookie Cutter
• Red Food Coloring
• White Nonpareils
• Pastry Bags
• Medium star piping tip

1. 

   Using Sugar Cookie Dough of your choice, roll out and cut shapes with Santa Hat Cookie Cutter.

2. 

   Place Santa Hat cut outs on baking sheet (I use a stoneware baking sheet, but any sheet will do). Bake according to recipe directions. Place on cooling rack. Cookies must be completely cool before icing.

3. 

   The icing for the white parts of the hat needs to be a little thicker, thick enough to hold a peak. Remove about one third of the icing for the red part. Thin that part with whatever liquid used in the recipe (I use milk) so that it will flow smoothly and color is a dark red with food coloring. Place the red icing in a pastry bag. Place the thicker white icing into another pastry bag fitted with the star tip.

4. 

   Using the white icing, pipe the brim of the hat with swirling strokes. Then pipe the white ball of the hat with one swirling motion.

5. 

   Sprinkle the white parts with the nonpareils.

6. 

   Use the red icing to fill in the rest of the hat, outlining it first and then filling.

7. 

   Allow the cookies to set, and enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your dough remains cold while rolling. If it gets too warm, it will become sticky and hard to work with. Also, don't be afraid to use a liberal amount of flour when rolling.
• You can find pastry bags, piping tips, and white nonpareils at craft stores such as A.C. Moore, or the craft section of Walmart. You can also buy them online from Wilton or Ateco.
• If you don't have a sugar cookie and icing recipe that you like, use mine "How To Make Delicious Sugar Cookies". Just make the icing a little thicker by adding less milk.
• Do not attempt to stack or package these cookies until the frosting is fully set (at least 24 hours). Even then, the frosting will remain soft.
• This cookie will be sweeter than my other designs due to the thick layer of icing in the white parts of the cookie.

[momoftwokids]

on 12/15/2008 I hope that my cookies come out just as nice!