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Woodland Bird Cookies

Being surrounded by woodland birds here at home, I can't help but admire the seemingly endless variety that make this area their dwelling.  With a beautiful set of American made copper cookie cutters that I recently added to my collection (more on that later), I baked and decorated a medley of adorable cookies as surprises for a few individuals.  Some of the cookies are whimsical, while others look rather much like what I see outside my windows.  Sweet, delicious and colorful, these Woodland Bird Cookies are bound to attract a lot of attention.    

It's always a wise thing to keep a cookie or two after a cookie decorating project so that I can have a sweet nibble with my afternoon tea.  Bakers should always check to see if their product is up to snuff!

Ingredients for this baking project include
  • Chocolate Cookie Cutouts (baked & cooled)
  • Royal Icing (tinted in pastel colors)
  • Green nonpareils
  • Heart Candies
  • Disposable Pastry Bags or Squeeze Bottles
  • Piping Tips #1, #2 & #3

Bluebird and Dove shapes decorated with pastel colors are so much fun to make.  I think these are nice for any type of celebration, be it a birthday, baby shower or wedding.  Pick colors according to theme or preference and then ice away.  There is nothing difficult about decorating these little creatures.

Cardinals and Hummingbirds are naturals in any woodland setting.  Again, you can choose whatever colors you want, but if you want to make them a bit on the realistic side, tint royal icing dark reds and greens for these feathered individuals.

Cardinal Cookies
  • Outline and flood the body, minus the face and beak, in red royal icing. 
  • Outline and flood the cardinal's face in black royal icing.
  • Pipe a yellow beak, and add a white eye.  Let the cookie dry.
  • Outline the body and wing with red royal icing using a #1 piping tip.
  • If you wish, you can delineate the belly with more royal icing (outlined and flooded), then sprinkle with red nonpareils until it's covered;  let this dry and shake off excess nonpareils.

Pastel-Colored Bluebirds
  • Outline and flood the body of each bird in your choice of pastel-colored royal icing; let dry.
  • Outline and flood the leg area with white royal icing; let dry.
  • Pipe a bead of icing around the body of the bird with a #1 piping tip.
  • Using the colors of your choice, pipe small daisy flowers for wings, add a dot for an eye and pipe "lollipop legs"
  • Lollipop legs: a simple line of royal icing with dots for feet.
  • Voila! 

Dove Cookies
  • Outline and flood the base in white royal icing and apply a heart candy on the dove's chest. Let dry
  • Pipe scrolled feathers and add dots in a pastel-colored shade of royal icing with a #2 piping tip.  Add a dot for an eye.
  • Finish the cookie by tracing the outline of the head and chest of the dove in the same color of royal icing as the feathers.  Let the cookies dry

Hummingbird Cookie

  • A.  Outline and flood the head and back of the hummingbird in a light leaf-green royal icing.
  • B.  While the icing is wet, flock the body in green nonpareils.  Let dry and shake off excess nonpareils.
  • C.  Section the belly of the hummingbird in red and white royal icing.  Drag the icings into one another to create a variegated pattern.
  • D.  Outline and flood the beak and feathers of the hummingbird in a mint-green royal icing.  For the wave pattern, add leaf green stripes on the base of the wings while the icing is wet.  Working quickly, drag a toothpick through the stripes to create the pattern.  Let dry.
  • E.  Once the cookie is dry, add a dot for an eye and trace the outline of the wings in a mint green royal icing using a #1 piping tip.

Hummingbird II

This hummingbird isn't flocked with nonpareils (top left).  It is left plain, but is given an outline of royal icing on the back of its body and scrolls for tail feathers.  Dots may or may not be piped on the wings.

Woodland Bird Cookies, Green Tea and Fire King Jadeite.


Bake and decorate Woodland Bird Cookies for the nature enthusiast in your life.  They're a nice way to bring a bit of cheer to a bird-themed celebration.  I think they're also a good way to introduce a bit of ornithology to the young members of your household if you make them very true to form.  Whatever the reason for making these bird cookies, make sure you make them sweet, delicious and thoroughly fun for everyone.  Don't forget to save one or two for yourself!  

Happy Baking,

David
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Comments

  1. poggeauxMay 21, 2015 at 7:01 PM

    I can decide if your cookies are more art than food David...both probably.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Things by DavidMay 21, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    I like to think that it's edible art! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Co.Co.May 21, 2015 at 8:24 PM

    Love love love Them. My fav r the hummingbirds!
    To beautiful to eat tho!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Co.Co.May 21, 2015 at 8:25 PM

    Hmmm. Like the blue birds too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good Things by DavidMay 22, 2015 at 8:31 AM

    Thanks, Coco. I LOVE the hummingbirds too! It's such a lovely shape to work with. :)

    ReplyDelete

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