Nativity Cookies

You know what's kind of my thing right now? Black beans. I love them. I put them in dishes where they clearly don't belong. (I'm a vegetarian. I can justify it.) (Actually, I'm just super good at justifying pretty much whatever I want.) I also toss them in a blender with some cream cheese and eat it with carrots. SO delicious. But also kind of weird because it looks like a chocolate sauce and everyone thinks I'm basically out of my mind.

You know what's NOT my thing right now? Shopping for Christmas presents. I'm just plain awful at it. I procrastinate like it's an Olympic Sport. And then on the day when "I'm really going to do it this time" it snows. Like, a lot. Like more than 10 inches. And I live on a hill. And have children. And I'm afraid for their lives, so I procrastinate some more. I have looked online to make sure a store had an item, gotten to the store and found out they don't actually have that item. I've also been online looking for something and accidentally ordered it to be shipped to my house. When I discovered my error, I tried to cancel the order and ended up getting something else instead. I have, more than once *this month,* purchased a gift for a niece/nephew and then gone to visit that niece/nephew and discovered that they were already wearing/playing with/using the very item I had just purchased and wrapped. I bought a gift for my son and then without thinking, asked him to help me bring it inside. I'm pretty much ready to give everyone else on my list cookie cutters and frozen butter. I'd give cookies, but let's be honest, I probably wouldn't make them until mid-January sometime. I already have a list of cookies that *have* to be made before Christmas. And these ones topped the list. So...basically I'm saying people may not get gifts... but at least I've made these cookies.

I used this snowman cutter for all the people. I got it from the bins of cutters in the Wilton display at a local Walmart. Cut out the snowman, flip the cutter upside down and use the bottom to round off the head. I didn't even take the hat out of they middle. (Lazy, party of one, your table is ready.)

1.We'll start with the Mary cookies because it has the least steps. And I like simple. Using 20 second white icing and a #3 tip, pipe a vaguely hat shaped shape on the top of the cookie. Let it dry for at least an hour.
2. Fill in the dress with 20-second blue icing. You know what, let's just assume that for the rest of the post, all of the colors are 20-second thick unless otherwise stated. Thanks for trusting me. Also, with a #2 tip and brown icing, fill in half of the hair. You *could* do it all at once, but I like the dimension of splitting it up. Let it dry for 20 minutes.
3. Add some arms and the other half of the hair. Allow to dry again for at least 30 -60 minutes. You don't want the blue to bleed into the face or hands.
4. Use flesh colored icing to add a face and hands. With the hands, wait 5 minutes between piping the first dot and the second dot so they remain separate.

5. Use thick white icing and a #1.5 tip to outline the headpiece. I used pink icing to make the mouth. But I think it's kind of weirdy, so if you have a better idea, you should probably go with it. The eyes, nose, cheeks, and eyebrows were all painted on. It was late. I was tired. It seemed like a good option. You could always pipe some icing on instead though. It's your cookie.

1. This might be the easiest step in the history of ever. Pipe a green line across the head area and let dry for 15 minutes.
2. Add some yellow icing on top and a big ol' face circle with skin colored icing. Let that dry for another 15 minutes.
3. Pipe strange wing shapes on the sides of the body portion of the cookie using green icing. Again, let it dry for 15-20 minutes.
4. Fill in all the empty spaces with yellow icing. Let it dry again.

5. Using a #1.5 tip and brown icing, add some hair. Pipe on some arms with the green icing.
6. Pipe some dots for hands and add a brown belt. Outline the headpiece and the headband with a #1.5 tip.
7. Add a face however you see fit.

1. Ooh, another tricky first step. With a #3 tip and yellow icing... pipe a headband.
2. When it's crusted over, add some hair on top and a face underneath.
3. Let it dry and then add half of a lady bug to the bottom of the cookie.
4. Add the other half of the ladybug and some hair around the face. I totally should have made his hair curly. Wouldn't that have been adorable?

5. Fill in the space between his cloak with yellow icing.
6. You don't even have to let that dry. You can just move right along to adding on arms. But you should probably let this step dry for 15 minutes at least.
7. Use a #3 tip to add a brown crook across the body.
8. Give it another 20 minutes and then add some hands. And a face. Preferably with freckles. Because he's a cutie pie shepherd boy.