Cookie Garden Recipes

COOKIE GARDEN

Steps:

• 1. According to the directions on the cookie dough package, roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness.
• 2. Using your favorite holiday cookie cutters, press out cookies from each shape.
• 3. Press the lollipop sticks into the bottom half of the cookie cutout.
• 4. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated 350-degree F oven.
• 5. Cool the cookies.
• 6. Color the frosting with a variety of food coloring. Frost the cookies and press on assorted STARBURST® Jellybeans, M&M'S® Brand Milk Chocolate and M&M'S® Speckled Chocolate Eggs.
• 7. If desired, press the styrofoam into a basket and cover with Easter grass. Arrange the cookie pops by pressing the sticks into the styrofoam. Decorate the grass with a sprinkling of STARBURST® Jellybeans, M&M'S® Speckled Chocolate Eggs and DOVE® Chocolate Eggs.

CUPCAKE GARDEN

Steps:

• Press a cupcake into a flowerpot. Insert the flower cookie stick in the center and decorate the cupcake with 2 green M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies.
• What to Do For Cookie Flowers:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
• 2. Knead the flour into the dough, and roll it out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using the printable template, cut out 12 cookies, re-rolling the scraps. Transfer cookies to cookie sheet and slip lollipop stick underneath each one.
• 3. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.
• 4. Beat the confectioner's sugar, egg white powder and water until fluffy. Spoon 1/2 cup of the frosting in a resealable plastic bag with a small corner snipped. Set aside. Divide the remaining frosting into 3 cups and tint one yellow, one orange and one red. Spread cookies with frosting.
• 5. Pipe a small circle of white frosting in the center of each cookie and decorate with M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies using the photograph as guide. Set aside.
• What to Do For Cupcakes:
• 6. Meanwhile, line the cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners. Set pans aside. Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake pans. Bake for approximately 19-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Spread the top of the cupcake with the chocolate frosting.
• 7. Press a nugget of floral clay into the bottom of each flower pot. Press a cupcake into a flowerpot. Insert the flower cookie stick in the center. anchoring it in the clay for support. Decorate the cupcake with 2 green M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies.
• TIP: You can also make jumbo cupcakes as well as miniature cupcakes for a varitey of "plant" sizes.

FLOWER GARDEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, lemon extract, salt and egg. Tint dough with food color as desired.
• Place dough in cookie press. For multicolored cookies, place 1- inch balls of different colors of dough alternately in cookie press. Form desired flower shapes on ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with candies to look like flowers.
• Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

GARDEN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to the bowl and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until well incorporated, 60 to 90 seconds.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Add the milk and mix just a bit more until everything is incorporated. Add the rosemary and mix again to combine.
• Scoop the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shape it into a disc and wrap it up. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch or slightly thinner. Cut out the shortbreads with desired cookie cutters, around 3 inches in size. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies generously with the egg whites. Press dried or fresh flowers or fresh thyme sprigs onto the top of each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with a thin layer of granulated sugar.
• Bake the cookies until golden on the sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool fully on a cooling rack.