Valentine Cookie Decorating

One of the first events I ever did was Cookie Decorating for Christmas. It went over really well, and I've always wanted to do it again, but Christmas is so hectic that I wanted to do it for a different holiday. Enter, Valentine's Day.

My mom has an extensive cookie cutter collection, so I was already stocked with different hearts, lips, cupids, and the word "Love." I made 8 dozen cookies. I learned last time that the store-bought dough doesn't hold its shape very well (though I've been told this is easily fixed by adding more flour) so I made this trusty recipe from Fancy Flours, which does really well (and makes a lot!).

Here they are, all ready to be decorated at the event. I set the tables with two or three cookies in a paper plate at each seat, with icing, sprinkles, and paint brushes for decorating.

I made the icing as well, and set out white, pink, and red at each table. I also purchased the gel icing in tubes for outlines and things in red, pink, black and white. I also bought some of the edible markers to try out. And, of course, lots and lots of sprinkles.

We had about 45 people come, with kids ranging in age from toddler to about 12. The mess, surprisingly, wasn't too bad.