Llama Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

FOR THE SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until combined.

Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, 1/3rd at a time.

Mix on med-hi until combined.

You’ll know your cookie mix is ready when it pulls away from the mixing bowl.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface (about 1/2 inch thick)

Cut into shapes with the unicorn pumpkin cookie cutter, removing the horn from the cut dough with a pairing knife.

Bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 4-6 minutes. (Pull from oven before brown)

Remove from heat and cool.

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add extract and water and beat on high for about 5 minutes.

For piping:

The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few splashes at a time until the frosting is the consistency of toothpaste. This is for piping. Spoon out 1/4 of the toothpaste-like white icing to a tipless piping bag fitted with Wilton tip 18. Seal closed.

Transfer an additional few tablespoons of the stiff royal icing into a separate bowl and color with brown food coloring. (For the pumpkin stems). Transfer the brown icing to a tipless piping bag fitted with a star tip (18) and seal closed.

For flooding:

Thin the remainder of the stiff icing by adding a few drops of warm water. Stir and add a few more drops of water, or spray down with a spray bottle until the consistency of the icing is slightly runny when picked up with a spoon. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5-6 seconds to disappear. That’s when you know the icing is ready! Transfer flood icing to tipless piping bag and seal closed.

DECORATING:

Slowly outline the the edge of each cookie with the stiff piping icing.

Using stiff royal icing pipe each pumpkin into quadrants: Pipe a half moon shape on either sides of the cookie and two angled lines down the center. (see video for more detail)

Flood the first and thirds sections of each pumpkin cookie with the white flood icing, using a toothpick or scribe to spread it evenly around the cookie. 

Quickly poke away any air bubbles you find using toothpicks, before the icing dries.

Allow 10 minutes to set and then flood the second and fourth section of each pumpkin cookie until all sections of the cookies are filled.

The set time in-between the sections gives the pumpkins a more realistic look.

Repeat steps so all llama pumpkin cookies are fully covered in icing.

Allow the icing to set on the cookies and pipe a one inch round circle into the center of each pumpkin cookie.

Flood the round center shape of each cookie with thin royal icing and set aside to dry. (At least 1 hour (or longer) Important!)

Once all the flood icing has FULLY dried, use the edible black pen to create the nose and mouth of each llama pumpkin.

Use the stiff RI fitted with star tip 18 to pipe the fur around the llama pumpkin’s face. Repeat steps for all llama pumpkins.

Draw the lashes and outline the ears on each llama pumpkin, using the edible black food pen.

Finish each llama pumpkin with a dab of pink edible paint blush on either side of the face.

Pipe the stems for each pumpkin using brown royal icing.

Allow two hours for all cookies to dry.

Enjoy!