mitten cookies

Every year, I donate two dozen custom cookies to the Soiree fundraiser at the girls’ elementary school. This year, the winner contacted me in late October about a December 19th delivery date. I hesitated at the date at first, but she was giving me so much advanced notice that I figured I could just plan for it in my overall holiday bonanza. Of course, none of those early preparation plans came to fruition, so it’s been a little nutsville around here this week.

Sleep deprivation aside, it’s been a pretty fun week in the kitchen. I love how these mittens turned out – no two are alike. I think these are going on the top of some holiday baskets for special donors – I was asked to personalize each one with the first names of the recipients. There are also a few extra blank ones in the mix.

I used a rolled fondant for the base coat, adding scoring and texture with a wheel. Then I piped on the details with royal icing, and added some tiny sugar accents – holly leaves, snowflakes, gingerbread men and candy canes. On some of them I added a fluffy border with icing dipped in tiny white balls.

The girls are a little sad that these are leaving the house this morning. I had just enough dough in the two batches I made to roll out forty oversized mittens (and one extra for luck). I think these will be a repeat though. Maybe next December, during the busiest week of the year!