How to Make Christmas Cookie Bouquets

Christmas cookie bouquets are a creative alternative to the traditional cookies in a tin. A cookie bouquet consists of a bunch of cookies that are baked onto a stick, like a lollipop. They are then assembled together and arranged in a container. They are often made to resemble flowers in a pot and can be decorated as holly or mistletoe, though some people just like the idea of making an assortment of Christmas cookies on a stick. Christmas cookie bouquets are a fun way to present cookies as a holiday gift, at the office, for school holiday parties and for Christmas cookie exchanges.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lollipop sticks
• Large cookie/candy cellophane bags
• Decorative twist ties or colorful ribbon
• Green potting foam
• Cookie cutters
• Containers (mugs, baskets, vases, terra cotta pots).
• Cookie dough
• Icing, gel, candies for decorating
• Cookie Sheet
• Parchment paper
• Tissue paper

Baking

1. Prepare the cookie dough according to your recipe. Many great cookie recipes can be found at Wilton.com. Roll the dough out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes before cutting into shapes. This will prevent the cookie from spreading out too thin and falling off the stick. Preheat oven to recommended setting.

2. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease the sheet, which will cause the cookie to spread and fall off the stick. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut shapes. If making round cookies without using cutters, roll dough into a ball and flatten into a large circle shape.

3. Insert the lollipop stick slowly onto the dough while carefully twisting it into the cookie. Make sure the stick is entirely covered with cookie dough. Pat more dough onto any exposed areas. The stick should cover 2/3 of the length of the cookie from the bottom up. Be sure to use sticks that are long enough to fit both in the cookie and in the container.
   
   
   
   
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4. Place cookies in oven and bake according to recipe. Remove when edges are slightly browned. Immediately flatten each cookie with a spatula. This will provide a flat surface for decorating. Pay attention to baking time. Large cookies may cook faster on the bottom. If this happens, lower the temperature and cook until even.

5. Remove cookie sheet from oven and place on cooling rack for 2 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet with a spatula and place on cooling rack. Do not touch sticks until cookies are completely cooled.

6. Begin to decorate when completely cooled. Use different colored icing, cookie glaze, colored sugars and sprinkles. You can anchor small holiday candies such as peppermints, red and green chocolates and gumdrops into the frosting. Allow dark colored icing to dry before applying light colored icing to prevent running. Allow cookies to dry completely, preferably overnight.

7. Wrap cookies in cellophane bags. Tie them closed with ribbons or twist ties. Line container with green foam. Insert cookies into foam gently. Arrange cookies to resemble a floral bouquet. Push cookies on the outer edge down further than the center cookies to make the center cookies taller, making all cookies visible. Crumble tissue paper and stuff into container around cookies to cover green foam.

References

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