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.)
- Using a food safe marker, outline the lines for the basket and balloon colors.
- 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.
- Pipe and flood the yellow (gold) color of the balloon on the right and pink (blush) color on the left. Let dry 20 minutes.
- Pipe the pendant that goes around the balloon.
- 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.
- 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
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