Cookie Puzzle How-To

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Assembly & Decorating Time: 60 minutes | Total Time: 2+ hours

An edible puzzle is a fun gift or activity for the child (or child-like person) in your life. Who says you can't play with your food? Cookie puzzles are a cinch to make. Choose any shapes or colors you like to celebrate a birthday, commemorate a holiday, or just sweeten up a long afternoon.

Click here for printable PDF.

Materials:

• Stiff cookie dough that holds its shape while baking. We prefer our No Fail Sugar Cookie Recipe or our Gingerbread Recipe
• Royal Icing
• Alphabet Cookie Cutters
• Accordian Cookie Cutter
• Button Cookie Cutter
• Pair of Cats Cookie Cutter
• Or any cutters of your choice
• Knife

Instructions:

1. Prepare one batch of your favorite cookie dough. Between two layers of parchment paper, roll dough into a rectangle that will fit your cookie puzzle shapes. We made ours with alphabet and object cookie cutters.
2. Cut out puzzle shapes and wiggle the cookie cutter around to make sure you have a good clean cut, but do not remove the cutout shapes. Slide a baking sheet under the parchment paper and dough. Chill for 5-10 minutes.
3. Bake large rectangle puzzle on the parchment lined baking sheet at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
4. Immediately after removing your cookie sheet from the oven, recut shapes with the same cookie cutters to form neat edges. (If cookies cool too quickly, return to oven until softened.) Cool on wire rack.
5. Prepare your royal icing and tint with food coloring as desired.
6. Ice puzzle and shapes as desired. We removed our shapes to ice them and once they were dry, we put them back in the puzzle.