Christmas Family Tree Cookies {with printable toppers}

This week my family and I are enjoying a little vacation at the "Happiest place on earth," Disneyland!  My amazingly talented friend Callye (Sweet Sugar Belle) graciously agreed to fill in a bit while I'm away.  Callye is the queen of cookies and as with any cookie Callye creates, the special project she created just for Glorious Treats readers is fun, original and simply beautiful!  Now, I'll pass it over to Callye...

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Hi, I'm Callye, AKA SweetSugarBelle, and I'm hanging out here while Glory is on vacation with her family.

Glory and I have been long time friends so I was excited when she asked me to do a special Christmas cookie post in her absence.  When she told me what she had in mind, I instantly thought of some of my favorite childhood Christmas ornaments.

You'll have to excuse their condition.  My mom made these over 24 years ago and they are definitely showing their age.  I love the story they tell.  1988 was the year my brother was born, which meant a new ornament.  Each year at Christmas,  these were one of three or four ornaments I waited for as we unwrapped.  I love it that I was able to translate them into cookies.

In this case, I made them a little larger, so they could be wrapped and used as a "cookie card"...

Now let's decorate!

Begin a few days in advance by using thicker flood icing that I refer to as 20-second icing to make round royal icing transfers.  To do this, tape wax or parchment paper onto a cookie sheet, pipe out several flesh colored rounds, and let dry overnight or longer.  For more information on this technique click HERE.

If you need a little help with fleshtone, I also have a helpful article that can be viewed HERE.

To decorate these cookies you will need:

• green piping and flood icing
• brown piping and flood icing
• red 20-second icing
• stiff white piping icing
• flesh colored transfers
• black food color marker
• large red candy beads
• icing in the hair color of each family member

To make these cookies, follow the steps below...

1. Outline the cookie with green and brown icing (as shown).
2. Fill the green portion or the tree.
3. Carefully drop face transfers onto wet green icing.
4. Use tweezers to drop red candy beads {ornaments} onto the wet green icing.

Let the cookies dry overight.  The next day follow these steps...

1. Fill the trunk with brown flood icing.
2. Use a black food color marker to add faces to the transfers.
3. Add hair to each family member, leaving them bald on top to make room for Santa hats.  This ALWAYS gives me the giggles.
4. Use red 20-second icing to add hats to each family member.

Finally, let the hats dry then add fur to the hats and add a personal message.  For the cap I used a #13 tip and for the writing a PME #1.5.

Let the cookies dry completely then package them for family and friends.  Glory designed these pretty printables to make this quick and easy.

(click here) Printable Christmas Treat Bag Toppers

Just print the toppers and follow Glory's instructions HERE.

Thank you for allowing me to share one of my favorite memories with you today, Glory!  I hope everyone enjoys this cookie project.  If you would like to visit me, hop on over to my blog, The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle. I'm always up to my ears in cookies, and I'd be glad to see you.

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Thanks so much to Callye for filling my shoes while I'm enjoying some family time!  I love these personalized cookies so much and can't wait to give them a try myself!

Happy Baking!