How to Take Your Cookie Decorating Up a Notch

Use a fluted cookie cutter to cut out shapes from baked peanut butter cookies

Tip: save the scraps for cookie balls. Melt chocolate and place a dollop on top in the center of each smaller cookie. Gently press a peanut into the chocolate and allow the chocolate to harden before serving.

Dress up standard thin chocolate cookies with royal icing and dragees. Create a snowflake pattern by piping lines of royal icing that make an asterisk symbol dividing the cookie into six equal parts. Draw a V at the top of each line with the tips of the V pointing outward. Draw Vs between each of the lines close to the center with the point of the V pointing outward. Make a dot at the end of each long line and add a silver or white dragee to each. Allow icing to harden before stacking or serving.

Brighten up standard sugar cookies by adding some sparkle to the edges. Place corn syrup in a small, shallow bowl and thin it with just a bit of water. Roll just the edge of the cookies in the syrup and shake off any excess. Roll the damp edges in bright sugars and allow it to dry. For gift giving, package alternating red and white sugared edges in a cellophane bag.

Move over cake pops. These cookie pops are a breeze to make, pretty, and just the right amount of holiday treat. Crush soft cookies or scraps and add just enough frosting to hold them together when squeezed between your fingers. Use a cookie scoop to place scoops of cookie mixture in your palm. Squeeze and roll into a ball. Freeze the balls with treat sticks inserted. Then simply coat with melted chocolate and pearlized sugar or sprinkles.