Reindeer Cookies Featured on Creative Ways Link Party & DIY Crush Crafty Party #13

My favorite cookies I've done so far with royal icing where featured on Creative Ways Link Party #86. I was so excited to see my Reindeer Cookies. I'm so excited to be featured, I'm just starting to get this royal icing thing down and I'm thrilled to be noticed.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Reindeer Cookies (Upside Down Gingerbread Men)

Next on the classroom gifts is Reindeer Cookies that I made for Caden and then Cole asked if I would make for his advisory class (In my day we called it home room). I found several ideas to do this but I'll give credit to the one I printed and used as my template on Simplee Thrifty. 

What you need:

Baked Cookies (I used Sugar since Ginger sometimes is a required taste)

Light Brown Royal Icing (I use Food Gel to color)

Dark Brown Royal Icing (I use Food Gel to color)

Black Royal Icing (I use Food Gel to color)

Red Hots (Red Candy or Red Royal Icing) 

Pipping Bags

Bake your gingerbread shaped men, I used a sugar cookie since when I did gingerbread this last time I noticed a lot of the kids didn't like the taste. I used my favorite Sugar Cookie recipe that I've been using for a few years now.

After my gingerbread man have cooled. I started on the Royal Icing. I've been using Julia M. Usher's Recipe for royal icing, she has the best video's also to help you! I've included the recipe at the bottom of this post also. I color mine with Gel Food Coloring. I used a dark brown but only used a few drops to make the light brown. Usually I would have 2 gels I use but I forgot to run to the store so I made do. I broke my icing into 3 balls, one large for the light brown (face), one medium for dark bark (antlers) and one small for the black (eyes and mouth). 

I started with the face. Turn your gingerbread upside down (head on the bottom). Out line with royal icing what will be the ears, head and mouth. Flood with icing to fill in, almost like a triangle with rounded edges. Before this dries add your red hot for the nose, I put mine a little low.  Let dry and come back with the dark Brown draw on your antlers (on gingerbread man's legs). Also add a little dark brown for the inside of the ears. Then take your black to make eyes and a mouth (this is were I found my nose was a little low). Let them sit overnight and your read to pass them out. 

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

For Royal Icing:

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.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Oreo Cookies

So I've seen these all over Pintrest and the web so I don't have ONE person to give the credit for.  If you were the brilliant person who came up with this idea, let me know and I'll make sure to give you credit, ok blogger police who leave comments on not giving credit.

Next on my list was some Rudolph Reindeer's for Cole's classroom friends!

What you Need:

Oreo Cookies

Light Brown Wilton Melts

Red Hots

Wilton Candy Eyes

Chocolate Covered Pretzels (Flips are easy)

Wilton Slotted Spoons

Microwave Wilton Melts, mine takes 2 minutes be careful NOT to burn them.  Place an oreo in the melted chocolate.  I LOVE my Wilton Candy Spoon with the slots makes gets all the extra chocolate off the cookies.  I found placing the chocolate covered pretzels on first.  I then added 2 candy eyes and added a red hot for the nose.

Place in the fridge to harden up.  I picked up a some bags at the dollar tree and off they went to school.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Last Minute Christmas Goodies

I'm putting my Friday Christmas movie post on Saturday this week so I can show some treats I made for the boys class and one of the teachers.   Here a few fun things to make that didn't take me until midnight to make ... hehe.

First I needed cupcakes that I signed up for Cole's class.  I of course can't just go pick up a batch at the store because I'm nutty like that.  I found these Ruldoph Cupcakes  (I found a picture only on Cupcakes take the cake, that I took and ran with) and just had to make them.  Now since there wasn't a recipe I had to kind of figure it out myself which really wasn't hard.  

To make these cute guys I first I needed a cupcake to make vanilla cupcake.  I found a recipe on Heidi's Recipe that was simple it used a vanilla cake box base and added vanilla pudding.  I thought it was perfect!

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 dozen cupcake liners

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place 2 dozen paper liners in cupcake pan.
3. Place cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  
4. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are slightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean.
6. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack in pan for 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and sit on wire rack until completely cooled.  Frost.

Then to decorate the cupcake this is where I let my imagine go and just made it.  

Need:

Cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting (homemade or store bought)

Wilton Eyes (or you can use white and black gel)

Red Candy 

Vanilla Wafer

Pretzels

I was in a rush so I used store bought chocolate frosting (plus it stays up better since the cupcakes will sit out for a few hours before lunch). Then I added a little frosting to the back of a vanilla wafer.  Attach the wafer to the cupcake.  Break pretzels to look like antlers add on the opposite side of the wafer.  Add the eyes (you can buy at Walmart) or use white gel and add a dot of black (I rather pay a few dollars and they are cute). Then add a little frosting to the red candy and attach to the middle of the wafer for your nose.  Done, I told you easy!

Then on to the cookies for Caden's class, I saw these Reindeer Cookies on pintrest that of course was just a picture so I can't give credit (please forgive me).  

Need:

Nutter Butters

Bag of Chocolate

Pretzels

Wilton Eyes

Red Candy

Melt a bag of chocolate chips (or Wilton Melts), I put in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Be careful so don't burn like I did last year!  Dip the nutter butter in the melted chocolate, once fully coated add to a pan that has wax paper laid on it.  Add the eyes and then the nose.  I broke the pretzels to make the antlers.  Make sure to do this all while the chocolate is wet so everything sticks to it.

Then for the kids I wanted to make treat bags that were fun but also cheap :).  I found these Reindeer Noses on Read Write Sing Blog.  It was just a picture but easy enough to figure out what I needed.

Need:

Malt Balls (Whoppers)

Red Candy (M&M)

Plastic Bag

Red Ribbon

Card

Hole Punch

Add ONE red candy to the bag.  Then add a handful or two of the whoppers.  I put in about 15 whoppers for each bag.  I went on my computer and made a cute little design and then printed on card stock.  Cut them and then added a hole with a hole punch.  I had some red ribbon that I then attached the card and tied the bag with.  Done!  Oh yes simple and I'm sure it will be a hit!

And last on my list is something for Caden's teacher.  I'm giving caramel corn to Cole's teacher but Caden's teacher is on a Gluten Free Diet and I didn't want to give something she won't eat so I found this idea for Scent-sational Teacher Gift.  Another one that didn't come with a link just a picture on Pinterest.  Sorry to whoever had this idea I can't give you credit.

Need:

Candle

Gift Bag

Ribbon

Card / Printer

Put the candle in the gift bag (I used a snowflake one but you can use a clear one).  I printed out the card on card stock and attached with a ribbon.  You can make it smaller which I wish I did but I already cut and didn't want to waste another piece of card stock :).

There you go some fun things you can make up before Christmas next week if you needed an idea :).  The Christmas Movie post will post early tomorrow morning if you need some movie ideas!  Have a VERY Merry Christmas!