These sweet little squirrel cookies and painted log centerpieces are designed by Hani Bacova, and she was kind enough to share this tutorial with us! You can visit her blog to find recipes, tutorials and more. These little woodland treats offer an adorable accompaniment to dinner place settings or would make a sweet centerpiece on a plate of cookies!

Materials

Bakers’ twine
Cookie recipe
Food coloring
Royal icing recipe
Parchment paper
Plastic wrap
Paint brush
Spatula
Twine

1. Roll a piece of parchment paper into a “log” shape. Secure ends with a baker’s twine. Set the parchment onto the baking sheet. Depending on how big of a tree log you want, roll out and cut out cookie dough into rectangles.
2. Position the cookie rectangle shapes directly on top of the parchment log. Cookie dough should fit snugly over the parchment, just barely touching the baking sheet.

3. Bake, following the recipe you are using.

4. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes, then gently lift the cookies off of the parchment and transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

5. Bake squirrel cookie and mini acorn cookies.

6. Using stiff royal icing, spread icing onto cookie tree logs. Using a small angled spatula, create a wood like pattern, just by gently running the tip of the spatula over royal icing. Let dry completely.
7. Ice squirrel and acorn cookies with white icing, or as desired.

8. Paint the tree log cookies: use brown and moss green food coloring, a clean paintbrush , water and a paper towel. First paint cookies with an even shade of brown. Then add a few spots of dark brown and finish with few details in moss green. Let dry completely.

9. Paint the squirrels and acorn cookies as you like. Assemble the cookie centerpiece using thick royal icing. Glue squirrel and acorn to the tree log, support cookies with plastic wrap until “glue” icing dries and the cookies can stand on their own. Remove plastic wrap and enjoy the cookies.