Nautical Watercolor Sugar Cookies | Sailboats, Lobsters & Whales

The Nautical Copper Cookie Cutters have been staples of my store for the last four years.  This year when I pulled them out I was in the mood to do a little something different.  I've been following ElisabethandButter and love her watercolor technique.  I thought it would be the perfect artistic take on these favorite shapes.

Nautical Copper Cookie Cutters come packaged in a Cello Gift Bag with my Sugar Cookie Recipe Card  and are tied with a ribbon.  They make a wonderful gift.

It was much easier than expected - though I'm not sure mine are quite as perfect as hers, of course!  I used butter icing - because I can't not use butter icing, though I'm sure royal would create a better surface for painting.  

For the sailboat, I added a bit of blue and black gel food coloring on the plate, then wet my paintbrush and mixed them together, little by little.  I brushed on some light strokes to create dimension (maybe some wind!) on the sail.  For the lobster, I mixed red and orange gel colors, then added black details with a small brush.  It took no time at all - in fact it was much easier than mixing multiple icing colors.  I can't wait to try this method on other shapes and style.  

My Sugar Cookie Recipe

Butter Icing Recipe

Nautical Copper Cookie Cutters

I tried the watercolor technique on the Boat and the Lobster.

The handmade copper cutters are so wonderful by themselves - even if you don't plan to use them.  I have them sitting on the window sill over my baking counter.  The are just beautiful.

The new Navy Blue Wellies Gift Boxes are a great way to package them as a favor or a gift.  I think the lobster would look great in there, too.

This size of cookie fits nicely in a Large Cello Bag, tied with a ribbon.  The Whale fits perfectly in a Medium Sized Cello Bag.

Shop the entire Nantucket Summer Collection, here >

This is how I have decorated the cookies in the past - classic summer!  I still love them : )

Spooky Bat Sugar Cookies | Halloween Sugar Cookies + Decorating Tips Video

These cookies may look difficult to make, but they are really simple.  You just need to follow the steps - starting with the body, covering it with sprinkles, and then making the wings and eyes.  It is really as simple as outlining and filling in.  The sprinkles add great texture on the body - giving the cookies one more element to make them look special, but actually make them really easy to decorate.

You can buy the Bat Cookie Cutter here .  I have had them made in Copper, so they are something you can keep and use year after year as a tradition.

I've included a video tutorial that shows the decorating, step-by-step... complete with spooky sound effects that Emma help me pick out.



I used my favorite sugar cookie dough - here is the recipe for the cookies and the royal icing.  I recommend making them ahead of time, then refrigerating them before you bake - it helps them hold their shape.

I've added some fun and simple Halloween packaging to my store - you can see the photos at the bottom of this post.

 

Emma is really getting into making sugar cookies.  She loves picking out the cutters.

And singing.

And eating the dough.

Love those lashes.  She loves all jewelry, but mostly her "canny" necklace.

Sprinkling the "snow" - by the way, I have know idea how she remembers snow! 

Now the baking is done - time to decorate (aka, nap time). 

You'll need :
-Royal Icing
-Black Sprinkles
-Black Food Coloring
-2 Pastry Bags
-Scissors
-Parchment Paper Sheets (used for the baking)

Put a small amount of the white royal icing in a pastry bag.  Cut off a tiny bit of the tip - you'll use this for the eyes.

Use the remaining royal icing to make the dark grey.  Dark icing colors darken as they sit - so mix a little lighter than you'd like it to be.

Put it into a second pastry bag and cut a small part of the tip off.

Everything is ready to go!






Here is a video tutorial on how to decorate them.  If you can outline and fill in you're half way there.  How do you like those spooky sound effects?  Nerdy, I know, but that is what Halloween is all about - right?!

Step 1 is to do the body - then cover the still wet icing with black sprinkles. 

Step 2 : Make the wings with the same black/grey icing.

Step 3 : Do eyes with white icing, then black/grey dots.

 Done - really simple, but they look great.

I love anything that looks like it was a lot of work - but really wasn't.

I packaged them in medium cellophane bags (20 for $7) tied with natural cotton ribbon and a "Trick or Treat" tag (20 for $6).

Definitely a treat.

Stay tuned for more Spooky Halloween Cookie tutorials.

For more Halloween Cookie Cutters and Treat Packaging ideas, visit the Halloween section in my store.

Here is the pin strip :

Heirloom Pumpkin & Acorn Sugar Cookies | Packaging Boxes of Cookie

Emma and I have been very busy baking sugar cookies.  Last week I shared our Black Bats, and today I'm sharing our Heirloom Pumpkin, Acorn & Leaf cookies.  Of course you could add a Jack-o-Lantern face to these and make them spooky for Halloween, but these Fall themed cookies would be perfect for Thanksgiving, too.

This packaging idea was inspired by a box of cookies I received when I attended a baby shower hosted by Amy Shaw.  Amy, formerly at the Dolce Baking Co. here in KC, is now making amazing desserts and pastries at The South End Buttery in Boston.  She has a great flair for making (and packaging) scrumptious looking desserts.

I love that you can see the cookies through the scalloped window of the box, and that the kinkle helps cushion the cookies to keep them from breaking.  Wouldn't it make a great gift for teachers, neighbors or a party?

(The last day to order Halloween Products is this Wednesday.) 

Products for Packaging Cookies:

- Kraft Cookie Boxes (with Scalloped Window), $12 for 10
- Kraft Krinkle, $4
- Halloween Tags, $6

Products for Baking Cookies :

- Parchment Sheet Pan Liners
- Disposable Pastry Bags

As I've said before, great looking icing colors can make a huge difference on a cookie - even with a simple design and minimal decoration. 

My rule of thumb is to mute the colors I'm mixing slightly by adding a touch of the opposite color.  For instance, here I am mixing a pale orange to match the heirloom pumpkin.

1 drop red
1 drop yellow
1/2 drop green

The green helps to mute the orange so it is not as bright and a little more natural looking.

Recipes : My Favorite Sugar Cookie (made with powdered sugar) & Royal Icing.

I made a pale brown to match the stem color.

1/2 drop of red
1 drop of yellow
1/2 drop of blue
1/4 drop of black

Then I created a brighter orange to match the squash by adding more red.

Next, I made acorns and oak leafs.

The oak leaves are a great mustard yellow with dark brown stems.

The acorns are two different tones of brown.  I wish I'd had brown sprinkles for the tops!

When decorating the pumpkins, I tried to leave some vertical streaks as I piped in the icing to mimic the shape of a a real pumpkin.  You can see the colors look pretty close to the real thing.  Two years ago I did four different colors of heirloom pumpkins complete with icing tinting instructions - you can see it here.

Here are the cookies boxed up.  You can see how the krinkle helps hold them in place and protect them... too much work to have them break.

Sweet little hands helping tie (ok, untie) bows.

I'm offer three different tags for Halloween :

- Happy Halloween
- BOO! Happy Halloween
- Trick or Treat


Again, the last day to order Halloween products is this Wednesday to receive them by October 29th (at the latest).

Here are more of the Halloween Cookies we decorated and packaged in Cello Bags.



































These Ina's Orange candles would also be great for a spooky Halloween treat.  I'm planning to put these on top of cupcakes with black sprinkles for our Pumpkin Carving Party this weekend.

They come in 15" tall & 6" candles, $15/$7