Flocking Snowflake Cookies

I found these excellent and beautiful cookie cutters at a cute store in Park City, Utah. I must tell you what an absolute pain in the tukus they were to use!! Especially the one I am holding in my hand below. I would consider myself to be an above average baker, but, even I found this blue cutter an extreme challenge to master. First the dough had to be literally frozen flat before I could even attempt to remove the cut cookie dough from the counter to the cookie sheet. I failed several times, but this cookie cutter shape demanded an absolute perfect alignment from point to point or it would look really stupid. So I had to experiment to get just the right system to make them perfection. It was quite frustrating, but I did prevail. Roll them between wax paper. Freeze the dough before cutting, cut the dough and gently press each delicate cookie out of the cutter, while trying not to let it crack. Then, I won't even depress you by going over the process of getting them off the cookie sheet.

• The next steps were time consuming. The cookie had to be meticulous styled. It was hard to get the hang of the icing, but after several failed attempts we turned out some real lovelies.
• I used Royal Icing and then immediately doused them in Superfine sugar.
• I had to wait over night to attempt brushing off the excess sugar to reveal the finished product.
• I lost several cookies in the attempt too.
• I had to treat them extraordinarily gentle or the tips would break off.
• Sh*%t!!!!
• I baked several dozen, but lost about 12 in the process. It was like taking a bullet to the heart.

I took some to my immediate neighbors. Oh, my gosh this was a labor of love. When Christ talks about loving your neighbors, I can honestly say, it was difficult to give these up to them. Did I really love them enough to let these dearly created darlings go into their possession? Would the guy who lives behind me really appreciate that each cookie took about 10 hours to make? Or would he let them break before they even came out of the ornately wrapped gift bag I put them in? Yes, I needed to do this for them. I have really good neighbors who look out for me when I need them most. They edge my lawn, rake my leaves, shovel my walks, wave at me and make my day, gossip over the fence and best of all, allow me to culinarily experiment on them. It feels better to give than to receive. I'll remember that when I get a $2.00 box of cherry cordials in return..... (I'm going to hell)

1. I used Pam Anderson's excellent Butter Cookie recipe from her first book,"The Perfect Recipe". It really is a perfect cookie.
   
2. I followed Nancy Baggett's flocking advice from the "All-American Cookie Book", the be all and end all cookie making standard as far as I am concerned
3. I also used Martha Stewart's "Cookie Book", for creative ideas.

Don't ask me to copy any recipes down here, I am too wiped out from this project to even think about those kinds of details.

Now...next, I'll be making my Biscochito's for my father when he passes though on his way to see my sister in New Mexico......(I guess I can find energy for those, my Grandma would turn over in her grave if I didn't make them for Christmas:) I wouldn't want that to happen.