Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Cookies

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Cookies
These cookies are inspired...by a gift card at Starbucks. The Chinese New Year year gift card caught my eye at the register last week. It was covered with the cutest little rats. When is the last time you said something was covered with cute rats?

Well, they needed to be cookied.

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Cookies
I decided to use my black cocoa cut-out cookies as the base. I really wanted the red and gold to pop off of a dark color. (If you can't find black cocoa and don't have time to order some, just use only Dutch-process. They'll still be dark, just not quite as dark as these.)

For the cutter, I used the mini candy corn cutter from Sweet Sugarbelle. It's the perfect size for these babies - not too small, not too large. Just right.

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Cookies
You can really see the shiny gold here. It's so pretty and festive.



To decorate the Year of the Rat cookies, you'll need:
Use a #2 tip to outline the rat body with red icing.

Thin the icing with water, a bit at a time, until it thinned. A ribbon of icing dropped back into the bowl should disappear in a 2-3 second count. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit for several minutes. 

Uncover, stir gently to pop large air bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle. 


Fill the outline with the thinned icing using a toothpick to pop air bubbles and guide to edges. Let the icing dry for at least 30 minutes. 


Fit a bag of the gold icing with a #3 tip. Pipe a tail and ears. For the ears, start at the top with more pressure, let the pressure decrease as you pull back towards the body. 


Switch the tip to a #1 and add the nose and whiskers.


Use a #1 tip to pipe eyes with white icing.

Let the cookies dry uncovered for 6-8 hours or overnight. 



Once the icing is dry, mix 1/2 teaspoon luster dust with 1/2 teaspoon vodka or Everclear. Stir until smooth. Adjust consistency as needed. 


Brush this onto all of the gold icing: tail, ears, nose, and whiskers. 

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Cookies

Celebrate the Year of the Rat! What was the symbol the year you were born? Rooster for me! 

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