I am the Walrus

Coo coo ca choo.

{PS: I've just come to find out that it's actually "goo goo g'joob."  I'm sticking with "coo coo..."}
{PPS: If you are under 35, you may need to do some googling here.}

Yes, these cookies are weird.  No, there is no rhyme or reason behind them.  One day while looking through the mini Boden catalog (best kids' catalog ever), I came across a shirt with a walrus on it.  The shirt was screaming, "I want to be a COOKIE!"  So, it is.

Where could you use these cookies?  A Sea World theme birthday party?  Beatles tribute?
I have no idea. 

What I do know is that I went through a HUGE Beatles/Monkees phase in high school.  Even though neither band was still intact and playing, my bedroom was covered in pictures of Paul McCartney & Davy Jones scotch-taped to the wall. (Sorry, Dad.)

"I am the Walrus" was probably one of my least favorite Beatles songs, but you have to admit...you never forget it.

To make the walrus cookies, you'll need:

• candy corn-shaped sugar cookies
• royal icing, tinted with AmeriColor Super Black (for both the grey & black), Ivory & Bright White
• squeeze bottles
• disposable icing bags
• couplers and tips: #2, 7, 3, 1
• toothpicks

Use a #2 tip to outline the entire shape in grey icing.

Thin the remaining grey icing with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup.  You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin.  Count of 2-3 is good.  Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed.  Pour into squeeze bottle.  

Fill in the outline with the thinned flood icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.

Let the cookies dry for at least one hour.

Use a #2 tip to pipe an outline the whisker area in ivory.

With a #7 round tip, add the eyes in white. (You could stop here and these would be really fun for Halloween.)

Thin the remaining ivory icing as described above.  Fill in the outlined area.

Let the cookies dry at least one hour.

Pipe the tusks in white icing using a #3 tip.

Use a #1 tip to pipe the nose, mouth, and whiskers with black icing.

Switch to a #3 tip and add pupils to the eyes.

Let dry completely, uncovered, 6-8 hours or overnight.

Coo coo ca choo, my friends.