Since discovering my love for decorating sugar cookies, the idea of a tree with cookie ornaments has been lying in wait in the back of my mind. It seemed like such a great idea…but then I thought about it, and over thought it and started to worry that it would never work. What if the cookies were to fragile and broke? What if I couldn’t find the right apparatus to hold them? Finally I decided enough worrying, just do it already! So, I went for it and you know what? It was really easy.
Want to make your own cookie tree? Here’s how I did it:
- First, find the tree – wire like this one, or a more standard miniature decorative tree. It doesn’t have to be a tree, of course. I think some random sticks/branches gathered in a vase would make for a beautiful, rustic version.
- Make sugar cookies of your desired shape. It’s best to use a symmetrical shape so that the cookies hang evenly. Use a plastic drinking straw to cut a small hole out of each cookie before baking. (The dough will back up in the straw. Squeeze it out periodically to keep it cutting nicely.)
- After the cookies are baked and cooled, decorate with royal icing as desired. You can get as complicated as you like but even very simple designs such as this one can be eye-catching when displayed with creativity. (If desired, you could decorate both sides of the cookies, but this will make them heavier. I think one side looks just fine.)
- I brushed mine with a thin layer of pearl dust to add a hint of shimmer to the cookies.
- Once the royal icing is dried, tie loops of twine or ribbon through the holes in the cookies, and hang them on the tree.
- This is meant to be a display centerpiece and as such, it should stand out as the focal point. Placing the tree on an elevated stand or platter helps feature your work.
*I used a set of scalloped round cutters for the cookies and strung them up with gray baker’s twine.
This general concept could be adapted to fit so many different holidays, themes and events. I can’t wait to play around with it more!
