Flower Cookies

Sometimes all I want to do is bake something pretty.  I have a million and one things that I'd like to bake- but for one reason or another never get around to.  If I knew for sure, that the future of my confections would not lay in either a.) my belly or b.) the trash , I'd bake more often.    But the other day, I threw all caution the to wind (caution meaning my resistance against eating)  and baked cookies.  Sugar cookies to be exact.

Whenever I attempt sugar cookies I always start off with high hopes.  The possibilities are endless and I am so incredibly excited.  But, as is the case nearly 90% of the time, the finished product never ends up looking like my original vision.  There's something about royal icing that I can't seem to get right (it's so easy too!).  Maybe it's just the fact that I really, really don't like the taste?  That's my new theory :  royal icing has a 6th sense and refuses to cooperate with me because it knows I don't like it.

Anyways, after a few failed attempts with the royal icing, I used something a little bit more reliable - buttercream icing.  I had some left over in the fridge and played around with a few designs.  And as always, I added a hint of gold to them.   They are by no means incredible- but they're a million and one times better than what I would have done with royal icing.

Plus, they're kinda pretty sitting on the counter like that.