I love getting a glimpse of other people's themes for their parties. This time, an UNO first birthday party! The request was for cookies that looked like UNO cards. I used my DIY rectangle cookie cutter - I know, it seems ridiculous, but I think it actually is faster!

The UNO card is simple enough, but it translates differently onto a cookie... I looked online to get some inspiration, and maybe some pointers, but I only found a small photo of one that I kinda liked, but I still had to figure out how the different steps. Remember when I said I have a love/hate relationship with Royal Icing? Well, it was the answer to the equation of how to make the card work as a cookie- different royal icing consistencies.

There were three consistencies and also carefully selected tips for the best results - and by carefully selected, I mean my best guess!

PREP: bake cookies and outline using a template (see picture below)
ICING the cookie---
   Step 1: White outline and oval
   Step 2: Black outline of the number 1
   Step 3: fill with color
   Step 4: small white number 1

So all in all, after getting those steps straightened out, it really wasn't that hard after all - it was repetitive... and time consuming... but not hard. And of course I made time-lapse videos - to be posted later, of course. ;) Enjoy the slideshow!

Update April 29, 2015:
Here it is, the timelapse video of the cookies... So in the video it says that 52 cookies took about 4.5 hours to ice. What you didn't see was the time mixing the colors, organizing the piping bags, making sure we have the RIGHT CONSISTENCIES! so it did take a much longer time to complete these cookies than just the time showing the timelapse :)

AND the music on the video is from me and 3 other altos from the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir that i've sung with since 2005! We covered the Jones Sisters' You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else for a Choir Showcase to raise money to go on our European tour this summer. I hope you enjoy!

I have a love/hate relationship with royal icing. It’s sticky as hell, it gets everywhere, it’s hard to get the consistency that I want - you can’t rush royal icing. Maybe that’s why they call it “royal” icing - you have to wait on it hand and foot. Give it time for the colors to develop, give it time to dry completely (8 hrs or overnight), give it time to smooth out, just drops of water at a time or you can ruin the consistency. It flows differently if I'm mixing a big batch or if I'm mixing a just a bit. 10 second icing, 20 second icing, fill consistency, outline consistency… o_O you get the idea?

But when I get it right, it makes everything look so frikin’ good. These cookies are deceptively simple. Heart shaped, with polkadots. I really should time how long it takes me to do a cookie, but I’m guessing each cookie took about 5 minutes to line, fill, and dot, and that’s after mixing in color and getting the correct consistencies for the look I wanted.

So absolutely adorbs! I love royal icing.