Stamped Cookie/Card Combo

To make the cookies:

Materials:

sugar cookie dough (see below)
baking parchment paper
fondant
clear corn syrup
food coloring
stamp pad saturated with black food coloring
unmounted food-safe stamp (never been used with ink)*
sharp paring knife
flour
cocktail fork
vegetable shortening
weighted rolling pin
marble rolling surface
cornstarch

*You'll need two of this stamp--one for the card and one for the cookie. You must use a separate, identical rubber stamp for each.

1. Prepare cookie dough following recipe below. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees (325 F for a convection oven).

2. Cut parchment paper to fit baking pan. Lay parchment paper on counter and dust with flour.

3. Roll cookie dough on floured parchment paper to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.

4. Lay rubber stamp face up on rolled cookie dough and, using a sharp knife, cut around shape and remove excess dough.

5. Using cocktail fork, miter and push edges into stamp (figure A) and remove.

6. Place parchment paper with cookies onto pan and into preheated oven. Bake until edges are golden brown. Let cool completely.

7. Use vegetable shortening to lubricate your hands, and knead fondant until soft and pliable.

8. Dust a marble rolling board with cornstarch. Roll fondant on pre-dusted marble surface to approximately 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness.

9. Stamp rubber image into black food coloring pad and stamp onto rolled fondant. Before removing stamp, cut around image (figure B) and miter in edges as done on the cookie dough (figure C).

10. Color in image with food colors (figure D). Let dry and store in an airtight container or food safe bags.

Materials:

various colors of card stock
watercolor paper
black embossing powder
black pigment ink pad
watercolor pencils
blender pen (glycerine filled)
decorative buttons
rubber stamp design used on cookie*
fixative spray to seal watercolors
cloud template
corner punch
round hole punch
ribbon
acrylic black
double-sided tape

*You'll need two of this stamp--one for the card and one for the cookie. You must use a separate, identical rubber stamp for each.

1. Cut card stock in half and fold nice crease with a boning tool.

2. Cut contrasting card stock and mount on top of folded card stock.

3. Emboss stamp onto watercolor paper.

4. Using watercolor pencils or markers, color image using blender pen to shade and fill in stamped image (figure E).

5. Glue on decorative buttons (figure F).

6. Punch two holes at side of card with folded edge and add ribbon (figure G).

Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 med. or large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg OR 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour

Cream the butter and sugar together until they are fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the milk or cream. Add the vanilla at this point, if you are using it. Mix the salt and the nutmeg into the flour. Mix the flour into the dough. Knead and chill for about 20 minutes.