Christmas Cookie Decorating Party

Last year, my cousins got together and had a Christmas cookie decorating party.   I saw the pictures and knew I wanted to learn how she made such pretty cookies.  So this year, I asked her if I could come and even just watch but she told me to make some dough and we would all decorate them together.

My cousin is a cake decorator and she has worked at a professional bakery so she did 1500 Christmas cookies a day in the height of the season so she knows how to do these quick and make them look good.  Speaking of cake decorating, when I got there she had made me a little cake to congratulate me about our new little one.

Onto the cookie making:

First we started out by rolling out the dough.  Her secret - roll it between two dowel rods so the thickness is even!

Then we baked up the cookies and let them cool.

 
Next she showed us how to dip the cookies in the icing.   She dipped the cookies then wiped off the excess and then left them on wax paper to dry.

Then we started to decorate them with the harder icing that my cousin made.  We just kind of did what we wanted and designed them all the differently.  I was definitely the worst designer, well, except for my cousin's husband Jack.  He  was only allowed to do one cookie.

Then we finally had them all decorated.  

My other cousin decided to have us do a picture with icing on our faces like football players.  She's also creative.  I look really tired.  I am really tired.

And then we bagged all of our cookies up.  I found some neat bag and bag toppers at Staples.  I could design my own topper and print it.

We had a lot of fun and I hope to do it next year.  There was only one bad part to the night.  I missed my exit for her house and went approximately an hour out of my way by the time I realized where I was, put in the correct address to my GPS and got back on the right way.   It was so frustrating!  Even when I have a GPS I am directionally challenged.  It is really pathetic. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the look into our cookie decorating.  Do you do sugar cookies?