Skeleton Cookies

I'm not going to lie, even with the aid of a design that can be pressed into the cookie and traced, these Skeleton Cookies are not something I'd want to make a lot of - each cookie took nearly 20 minutes to decorate.

Still, they turned out great and there is no denying these creepy skeletons are cool and sure to please.

The secret to making them is royal icing that is the consistency of yogurt. The icing needs to be thin enough to spread yet thick enough to hold an edge and not run.

Practice piping on a plate to make sure you have the correct consistency before you begin.

 Here's how to make them:

A friend gave my daughter this cool "Gingerdead Men" cutter as a gift. Thank you Una for letting me borrow it.

It's a cookie cutter and a "skeleton press" all in one.

After cutting the cookies, place the skeleton design on top and gently and evenly press.

One down, a few more to go.

Now the tedious part - put on some music and try to stay positive. Outline and fill the dead space around the skeleton deign with black royal icing. Use a #1 pastry tip because there are some pretty small areas to tackle. And, use a skewer to help move the icing and fill in any gaps.

Keep working.

Once the black royal icing is in, the next part is much easier. Fill in the indented skeleton design with white royal icing. I also used a #1 pastry tip for this and a skewer to help move the icing. Let the cookie dry completely before packaging.