Leo the Lion (cookies)

 
So, my sister, Molly, recently had her third baby. Her third boy, I might add.  Her third boy, all of whom are ages 4 and under.

{I'm not a psychic, but I see lots of Legos and Hot Wheels in her future.}

Meet Leo...

{I know, right?  Not only is he beautiful, he's the sweetest baby ever.}

These cookies were really heavily influenced my i am baker's lion cookies.  (Amanda uses a glaze icing on her cookies and they have *the prettiest* shine, don't they?}

Want to make them?  You'll need:

• circle cookies
• royal icing in AmeriColor Egg Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Deep Pink and Super Black
• decorating tips in #1 and #2
• disposable icing bags
• toothpicks
• squeeze bottles
• AmeriColor Gourmet Writer, black
• a baby named Leo ♥

 
Sketch it out first, if you want.  I usually do.  And I make a note of whether I need colors to outline (O) or fill (F).

 
OK, let's get decorating.  Pipe a circle in the darker color with a #2 tip.


Add ears.


With a toothpick, scrape away the separation between the ears and the face.


Outline the mane.

Thin the two yellows with water until they are the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a rubber spatula and pour into squeeze bottles.


Fill in the mane with darker yellow.


Fill in the face with lighter yellow.


Drop on darker dots for the ears on the wet icing.

Let the cookies sit at least one hour.


Using a #1 tip, add the whiskers, eyes and mouth in black icing.  Add the nose in pink.

Let the cookies dry overnight.


The next day, add little dots on the face with a black food coloring pen.


{PS....whenever I think of lions, I think of Mr. TidyMom.  He let me bottle feed a LION, y'all.  And the lion's name?  Leo.}

Welcome to the world, sweet Leo!  We love you!