Button Cookie Wreath Recipe

You will need:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbs. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Food coloring of choice
• Button Cookie Cutter
• Tree Cookie Cutter
• 12" round cake board or cardboard
• Royal Icing or Clear Writing Gel to "glue" wreath together
• Cookie Box - Large with window (optional)
• Makes 12 to 50 cookies depending on their size

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time, until thoroughly mixed.

2. Divide the dough into three portions and use a toothpick to add food coloring to each one (we left one natural). Knead until the color is evenly distributed. For a flavor surprise, omit the vanilla extract and add 1 tsp. of peppermint extract to the dough.

3. Pat the dough into three disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. If it is too firm, soften at room temperature for 5 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll one disk of dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4" thick. Remove the top sheet and cut out the button and tree shapes with your cookie cutters.

5. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely before frosting or decorating. You will find that the Button Cookie Cutter is so detailed that no decorating is necessary.

6. Use a 12"-14" round cake board or other cardboard material to create a platform for your wreath. We measured in about 2.5" from the edge and removed the center circle from the cake board. Use a bowl or plate to help mark out the center circle to be cut away. Note: We used these measurements so the wreath would fit well in our "Cookie Box - Large with Window" that measures 14" x 14" x 1.5". We allowed for some tissue paper to cradle the sides of the cookie wreath in the box.

7. Use clear writing gel or royal icing to "glue" and stack your cookies into a wreath design atop your cake board wreath base.

8. Package this special cookie creation as a gift in a large cookie box and await the applause for your creativity!