Teacher Appreciation Cookies

Teacher Appreciation week is May 7th - May 11th. I made some cookies to show my appreciation to all the teachers out there. When I was in college Education was my major for a short time. I decided to change majors when it became too real that I was going to be in charge of molding children's futures. At the time I was not ready for that type of responsibility. I have the up most respect for anyone that teaches. Their job is not done just in the classroom. Work comes home with them. I think that far too many teachers are under paid and under appreciated. So I'm giving a nod to teachers everywhere in the form of cookies. My way of saying thank you for all the hard work you do.

I do not have children yet so I did not know that Teacher Appreciation was coming up. I became aware of it through a couple of my cookie friends that have children. We were planning on doing a collaborative project but due to busy schedules it was not feasible for all of us to post at the same time. I decided to host a link party on this post so that my friends could share their cookies when they are ready and also so that everyone can share their cookies too. I would love to see cookies you have made for Teacher Appreciation. You will find the link at the bottom of this post.

Ever since I saw these 3-D cookies from SweetSugarBelle I have had 3-D cookies on my list of things to try. Teacher Appreciation became the perfect opportunity for me to give it a try. The apple is widely used to represent teachers because of the symbolization of growth. I knew I wanted make an apple tree but I didn't want it to be just any old apple tree. I wanted it 3-D. What can I say? I love to give myself headaches sometimes. I will also be sharing other designs I made. This is going to be a lengthy post so let's get started.

To make 3-D apple trees you will need:

• brown piping and flood icing
• red piping and flood icing
• green stiff consistency icing

If you need a tree cutter you can find one here. I do not own a tree cutter and since I own so many cutters I decided to put my brain to work & try to create my own cutter. This is what I came up with. I own a palm tree cutter so I cut out the palm trees and then I used a large flower cutter to cut off the palm portion of the tree so that all that was left was the trunk.

Next, I cut out the flowers and attached them to the trunk. I did not picture this, but for added security I used my finger to smooth the seam. I wanted to make sure that they baked together and stayed together.

After the cookies baked I let them cool completely on the pans and then stored them in an airtight container. I waited until the next day to begin decorating them. I think day old cookies are sturdier than if you decorate the same day you bake them.

To decorate them use a #2 tip and brown piping icing to pipe the trunk, branches and stems for the apples.

After the trunk, branches and stems dry use a #2 tip and red piping icing to pipe apples where each stem is. Then, once the apples dry use a #66 Wilton tip and stiff green icing to pipe the leaves on the tree. When I say stiff icing for me this is not the icing straight from mixing. I did add some water to it but only enough so that I was not struggling to get the icing out of the bag. The icing still holds a shape. In hindsight the branches and stems were probably not necessary since they got covered up but they acted as a guide for where to place the apples.

Let the leaves dry & then flood the trunk with brown flood icing. Allow the trunk to dry completely and then add the finishing details.

I did not picture this step but I decorated mini apples with red piping and flood icing, brown piping icing for the stem, green stiff icing for the leaves and white piping icing for the accent and wording. The apples were completely dry before assembly. I also did not picture the base of the cookie but I used a #233 Wilton tip to pipe grass on the circle and while the grass was still wet I placed the tree and apples on it. I used a shelf-stacker to hold the cookie up while drying and I added more green grass all around the base of the tree for extra support. I'm sorry I did not photo the whole process but this was my first time making a cookie like this and I was too concerned about it standing up. Here is a picture of it drying.

I did manage to make a video of myself piping the apples and the leaves so that you could see that part in action.

 

I realize a cookie like this is probably not ideal for transport so you can skip the 3-D process and just make trees and apples.

I told you this post was going to be long. I'm not done yet. Next up I made some chalkboard cookies.

To make chalkboard cookies you will need:

• brown piping and flood icing
• green flood icing {I had a tough time making the green I wanted. It ended up being a mixture of leaf green, ivory, sky blue and a touch of black}
• white piping icing
• white Americolor food color
• #2 round paintbrush
• mini decorated apples {optional}

First, outline and flood the cookie with brown icing. Allow it to dry for several hours but you can let it dry completely if you have trouble with bleeding.

Next, flood the center with green flood icing and allow it to dry completely. Then, use a #2 round paintbrush and some white Americolor food color and paint the words on the chalkboard.

Finally, use a # 1.5 tip and brown piping icing to outline the green to make a frame. Make a thicker bottom part of the frame for the chalk holder. You can use the same piping consistency icing to flood it in or you can use a thicker tip like a # 3 tip to pipe a thicker line. Then, using white piping icing make a piece of chalk.

This last step is optional but I think it adds a nice touch. On the back of a mini apple, that is already decorated, put a small blob of brown piping icing and attach the cookie to the chalkboard.

Finally, I don't have a tutorial on these cookies because they are just simple apples but this is my final thank you to all the wonderful teachers out there. Thank you for all that you do! You are appreciated.

Now it's your turn.