2 DAYS IN ADVANCE

Make cookies. Prepare and roll out cookie dough following recipe directions. Use knife and patterns to cut arm, leg and two ear cookies (reverse ear pattern for opposite side). Use third largest (3 1/4 in.) cutter from 4-pc. circles nesting metal cutter set to cut apple cookie. Bake and cool cookies.

Prepare Color Flow icing following recipe directions. Tint a portion Christmas red/red-red combination (for red) and small amounts brown/red-red (for brown) and leaf green. Reserve some white. Use full-strength white icing to attach lollipop stick to back of each ear cookie, leaving 2 3/4 in. extended at bottom. Let dry 24 hours.

Outline and flow in apple cookie. Use thinned red Color Flow icing in cut disposable bag to cover cookie . Let dry 24 hours. Reserve full-strength tinted icings.

1 DAY IN ADVANCE

Bake and cool lady bug cake.Cake is one layer, 2 in. high. For this design, cake will be positioned with feet on top. Place cake on foil-wrapped board, cut to fit.

Mark patterns. Prepare buttercream icing following recipe directions. Tint portions black, light and dark gray (use a little black) and red-red/Christmas red combination (for red). Reserve remaining white. Use spatula and white icing to lightly ice top half of cake around head and cake sides smooth. Position tummy/body pattern so that curved area marked ?head? meets head on cake. Use toothpick and pattern to mark tummy and body. Position tail pattern with tail bump and tip of tail covering feet area at bottom of cake. Use toothpick and patterns to mark tail and top and bottom mask.

Decorate cake. Use tip 3 and black icing to outline bottom mask. Use tip 3 and dark gray icing to outline muzzle, top mask, neck, tummy and inside of tail. Use tip 5 and white icing to outline and pipe in eyes. Pat smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch. Use tip 3 and icing to pipe black dot pupil and white dot highlight. Pat smooth. Use tip 5 and black icing to outline and pipe in nose. Pat smooth. Use tip 3 and black icing to outline and pipe in mouth. Pat smooth. Use tip 3 and red icing to outline and pipe in tongue. Pat smooth.

Use tip 16 and icing to cover areas with stars: white muzzle, black bottom mask, light gray top mask and tummy. Insert ear cookies in side of cake. Use tip 16 and dark gray icing to cover ears with stars and fill in remaining head and body areas with stars. Use tip 16 and icing to pipe pull-out stars on tail, alternating rows of dark gray and black.

Assemble cake. Position apple cookie on cake. Position arm and leg cookies to overlap apple cookie. Use tip 16 and dark gray icing to cover arm and leg cookies with stars, adding additional stars for claws. Use tip 3 and reserved full-strength red Color Flow icing to pipe outlines on top of apple. Use tip 5 and full-strength brown Color Flow icing to pipe outline apple stem. Use tip 352 and full-strength green Color Flow icing to pipe leaf.