COOKIE BOUQUET IDEAS RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the milk, egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out with a floured 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Place skewers on top of each cookie with one end of each skewer about 1 in. from top of each heart. Gently press into the dough. Place a little extra dough over each skewer; press into cookie to secure. , Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until firm. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool., Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out with a floured 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Cut out centers with a 1-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. , Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until firm. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool., In a small bowl, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar and enough cherry juice to achieve spreading consistency. Gently spread frosting over cookies with skewers; top with cookies with cutout centers.

Steps:

• Cut celery hearts down to about 2 inches from their bases, breaking off outer stalks until cross-sections resemble roses. Let sit 24 hr. to “soften.” Heat oven to 350°F. Roll sugar cookie dough between 2 sheets of parchment into rough 8- by 10-in. rectangle. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes, then bake until light golden at edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Loosen royal icing to thick glue consistency. Transfer to piping bag and snip off tip. Pipe a rectangle around cookie, leaving 1/4- to 1/2-inch border all the way around. Let set. Snip a little more off end of bag and pipe icing to fill in rectangle, spreading with skewer as necessary. Let set until firm, at least 12 hours. If using natural food colors, hydrate with just enough water to make a thick paste. Paint a thin, even coat onto the celery; stamp onto iced cookie. Repeat to fill cookie with roses, then use a thin paintbrush to paint rose stems and leaves.