Pucker Up, Buttercup (New Year's Eve Cookies)

Mr. E & I didn't meet on New Year's Eve, but I like to say that's when we fell in love. 

His roommate had been dating one of my best friends for a while.  So, we knew each other, but never given one another much thought.  At a New Year's Eve party, while my girlfriend Laura was running around finding her cousin to introduce to Mr. E and some guy to introduce to me....we ended up talking.  We never did meet that cousin or that guy we were supposed to have been set up with.

At midnight, Mr. E kissed me on the cheek.  I was smitten.  A little over 3 years {and one breakup} later, we were married. ♥

So, New Year's Eve has a special place in my heart....even though we won't be going out, we'll be sipping champagne at home (well, he'll be sipping a beer), watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV.

I'm running out of time to get these posted, so no tutorial, but you can see from these pictures how the cookies came together:

{I used my candy corn cookie cutter. These were decorated with royal icing, with a touch of luster dust on the hats and food coloring pens for the girls' cheeks.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Aren't these adorable?: Cookie Exchange!

I came across these cookies today courtesy of The Incredible Shrinking Whimsigal (by the way, check her blog for a great idea for an egg, english muffin, cream cheese breakfast). Aren't they adorable? I'll be filing these away for New Year 2009. Thank you, Whimsigal, for letting me post them. :)

Hello, 2008!

A little cookie for the new year...the dots remind me of champagne bubbles or confetti. I was going for a bright fuchsia here and I have to say that they look prettier in person, but I like the cookies from 2007 much better. Oh well...you never know until you try.

To make them:

1. Outline the cookie in white using a #3 tip.
2. Thin fuchsia, yellow and blue icing to syrupy consistency and cover with a damp dishtowel. Let sit, stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop air bubbles. (Fuchsia: Spectrum Fuchsia with AmeriColor Electric Pink; Yellow: AmeriColor Egg Yellow; Blue: Spectrum Sky Blue)
3. Pour thinned icing into squeeze bottles.
4. Fill 6-8 cookies at a time in fuchsia. Spread into corners with a toothpick.
5. Drop blue and yellow dots on top of wet icing.
6. Let dry at least 1 hour.
7. Using a #2 tip, pipe "2008."
   

New Year's Eve Tiara cookies

Don't you just love wearing those "Happy New Year" tiaras? I always have. Here's a cookie to match!

1. Using a #3 tip and white icing (light gray would work, too), outline a tiara headband and pipe "HAPPY NEW YEAR" on cookies.
2. Thin white icing and flood headband shape.
3. Let dry completely...several hours or overnight.
4. Mix silver Lustre Dust with vodka (it will evaporate leaving only the silver) and paint on design with a small paintbrush. *see note
5. Using warmed corn syrup or meringue powder mixed with water, paint over design again and sprinkle on clear sparkling/sanding sugar. (Click here for more info on applying sparkling sugar. )

* Lustre or Luster Dust is a dry powder that can be applied to add a metallic sheen to icing. The product is interesting...my bakery supply store sells lustre dust that is labeled "non-toxic" and edible, some is labeled "for decorative purposes only." Remember those silver dragees (balls) that you ate as a kid on cookies and cupcakes? Those are labeled "decorative" now, too. In my opinion, a little won't kill me. From what I understand, Europe considers all lustre dust "edible"; the US doesn't. Weird! Anyway...check your bakery supply for the "non-toxic" version.