Beaming Birthday Butterfly Cookie

Step 1

In advance: Make cookies. Prepare and roll out dough. For each treat cut 1 large butterfly, 1 round and 1 oval using largest cutters from sets plus 1 medium oval. Bake and cool. Set cookies on cooling grid over cookie sheet.

Step 2

Working with 1 color at a time, cover with thinned royal icing. Immediately pipe on lighter orange dots or darker violet stripes. Let dry overnight.

Step 3

Use full-strength icing to decorate and assemble cookies. Pipe tip 3 dot eye; flatten with finger dipped in cornstarch. Using tip 2, outline and pipe in eyelid; pipe dot pupils, nose and cheeks; outline mouth and add curved lashes. Let dry.

Step 4

Cut 1 1/2 in. lengths of licorice. Attach to back of head. Pipe tip 2 balls on tips. Let dry. Attach body and medium oval, centering oval above body to support head. Attach head.

* Combine Violet with Rose for violet shades shown.
* Combine Leaf Green with Lemon Yellow for green shown.