Hi Bakers! I was asked to make soldier cookies for my son's class. I have a hot air balloon cookie cutter that I've been dying to use. I was thinking of modifying it by cutting the basket part off so it would look more like a parachute. I am trying to figure a way to then add string coming down and then attaching a little army man (small gingerbread cookie cutter).

Do you think I could either:
1- bake w/ that string on it so it sets in the parachute and cut holes out of the person to attach the string

2- use royal icing to attach the string to the cookie back?

3-use red licorice strings and attach w/ royal icing (not sure if it will be too heavy to attach mini army person)

Thanks for the help!

I would have the parachute cookie taper down so that there is space enough to attach the decorated soldier cookie at the bottom. The cookie between the bottom of the parachute and the soldier would remain "naked" with just icing strings piped to connect the parachute to the soldier. Does that make any sense? Trying to attach them with string to look like an actual parachute and soldier sounds like more headache than I'd care to deal with!

I think baking string into a kid's cookie is asking for trouble...someone is surely going to end up eating, or god forbid choking on, that string.

Thanks GeminiRJ & FlourPots ! I am going to do as suggested and make it one long cookie w/ the strings drawn on. Good advice! Don't want any kiddos choking on the strings!

Thanks again!

You can make holes in your cookies by using a round decorating tip right when they come out of the oven.

For string, you could use licorice. Keeping the strings tied will require more thought.

You could use an ice cream cone cookie cutter .... the ice cream part would be the canopy and the cone part you would do icing "strings." You could even cut off part of the bottom of the cone cutter and bake it with the soldier cookie right on top of it.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I made them and they came out really cute. I used royal icing to attach shoestring licorice. I modified my hot air balloon cut out to be a parachute. I uploaded the pictures to my picture section. Thanks again!

They look so good, excellent job!!!...I love the licorice and your camo is phenomenal!!

Wow! They look fantastic! I love them!