Just Keep Swimming .... Dory Cookies (Royal Icing)

My co-worker asked me to make Dory cookies for her son's birthday party. Mind you I live in WA and work for a company in MA. I'm so happy to report another successful shipping to another state for cookies! I didn't have a Dory Cookie Cutter and didn't have time to order a cutter so I found an idea on Google using a fish cutter and then outlining the Dory by hand. I must say I was pretty darn please with myself on how they turned out!

If you're in need or cookies for a party or just to eat, shoot me a msg at SweetPea Cookie Therapy. Thank you!

What you Need:
Fish Cookie Cutter
Royal Icing - Blue, and Yellow (see recipe below)
Americolor Food Gel (is what I find the best)
Pipping Bag
Wilton Candy Eye
Black Edible Food Pen

For dory I took a fish cookie cutter. Once baked I used the shape to be my background. I took royal icing to the outline the tail in yellow a triangle. When that dried I free handed the body. BEFORE the cookies dry add the candy eyeballs so they stick. AFTER all the colors were dry I took a black edible pen to draw on the details. I just eyeballed these to make it look as close to her as I could. Have fun with it!

 Here are both cookie shapes made:

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INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.