Up, Up, and Away! cookies [tutorial]

I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon. It just seems so magical! A few summer years ago, I was visiting my aunt and uncle in Napa and one morning, my aunt woke me up super early to come outside. As I blearily stumbled out of the house onto the street, I looked up and saw a dozen or so hot air balloons floating overheard. It was amazing to watch them, silently drifting through the sky.

So, until I get the chance to go in a hot air balloon, sugar cookies are as close as I can get.

To complete the set I added clouds and rainbows. Love it when the icing stays puffy! (Which I say “Please don’t crater! Please don’t crater!” a few times before placing in the dehydrator. Yes, it’s weird, but royal icing sometimes does strange things.)

If you’d like to make them yourself, here’s a basic tutorial. They are fun to make and you can even add a basket weave if you like. (I have that in one cookie, but if you’re new to cookie decorating, it is a bit tricky.)

1. Using a food safe marker, outline the lines for the basket and balloon colors.
2. Pipe and flood the center balloon color (navy blue) as well as the brown for the basket. Let dry at least 20 minutes in either a dehydrator or next to a fan.
3. Pipe and flood the yellow (gold) color of the balloon on the right and pink (blush) color on the left. Let dry 20 minutes.
4. Pipe the pendant that goes around the balloon.
5. Alternate flooding the pendant with gold and fog colors. Add the rope lines connecting the basket to the balloon. Pipe around the basket. Let dry overnight.
6. The next day, mix sterling silver (I love this silver color from The Sugar Art) and everclear and paint over the fog color. Let dry a full day before packaging.

Happy baking! xoxo