Do not be afraid of these cookies.
As someone who enjoys food and being creative, I occasionally combine the two in greater measure and do something that takes a bit more time and planning, like painting iced sugar cookies.
They look more difficult than they are; the main challenge is finding enough time to make the cookies and making sure the icing has enough time to dry.
My approach to cooking and baking is a bit like Chef Gusteau’s in Ratatouille, in that I believe anyone can cook or bake anything. The beauty of cooking and baking is that it is what you make it and it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Focus on step one and then just keep going — before you know it you’ve made a cake, or these painted sugar cookies.
The beauty of painting on a cookie is that it’s truly a blank canvas, and opens an infinite number of designs or artistic applications that will look beautiful no matter what direction you go in. Perhaps it’s early spring and you’re in dire need of a bit of color, so you paint some spring flowers and new ferns as I’ve done here.
You could also paint an underwater scene with fish and a sea monster or paint stars and a moon or keep it super simple and classy with stripes and polka dots. It would be really fun to paint a tic tac toe board and then use smaller cookie bits to play a game with your friends. Whoever wins gets to eat the cookie!