Pumpkin, Butterfly, and Floral Cookie Set...from ONE cookie cutter!

Does it seem odd to mix pumpkins with butterflies? Not around here in the Houston area. We do get our butterflies in spring, but in fall, when Monarchs are heading to Mexico for the winter, they make a little stop here. 

It seems silly, but I've had this idea in my head for a while but hesitated to make them. I LOVE butterflies but have never been thrilled with how my butterfly cookies have turned out. So, I psyched myself out and never made them again. 

Making three cookies from just one cookie cutter. 

What's cool about this cookie set is that all three cookies are made with the same pumpkin cookie cutter. You can use any one you have...or even different sizes! When I make this set again, and I will, I'll probably make the floral one with a smaller pumpkin cutter. (Yes, I have about 5 pumpkin cookie cutters. Doesn't everyone?) 

I am pretty much in love with the profile butterfly cookie. THIS is probably how I'll make my butterflies from now on. The pumpkin shape is perfect for the wings and to add the antennae. 

Next week, I'll walk you through the simple pumpkin cookies in this set, but today, let's make the butterfly cookies! 

You'll need:

• cut-out cookies (recommended perfect vanilla-almond or spiced pumpkin)
• royal icing, divided and tinted with gel paste food coloring: avocado green, super black, orange (deep and light), and bright white
• piping bags
• coupler and #2, #1.5, #1 tips
• squeeze bottles with removable tips
• toothpicks

Cut the cookie dough into pumpkin shapes and bake as directed.

Use a #2 tip to outline the pumpkins in green. Thin the icing with water, a bit at a time, until the icing is the consistency of glue. A ribbon of icing dropped back onto itself should disappear in a three-second count. If it is too thin, stir in more piping consistency icing or powdered sugar. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes. (The icing is a bit more green in real life...a light avocado.)

Stir gently to pop any air bubbles and pour into a squeeze bottle. Fill in the outline. Use a toothpick to guide to edges and pop any large air bubbles. Let the icing dry at least one hour. 

Use black icing and #2 tip to pipe the outline of the butterfly on the green icing. Outline the body, wing sections, and antenna. 

Thin the two tones of orange icing and the remaining black icing as directed above. Pour the icing into squeeze bottles. If possible, use a bottle with a removable tip for the black icing and use a #1 or #1.5 tip. Working about 6 cookies at a time, flood the top center section of the wings with dark orange and the bottom section with light orange.

Start with the first filled cookie. On top of the wet orange icing, pipe lines with the thinned black icing. Let this icing set for an hour or so before filling in the black areas.

Thin the white icing as above. Pour into a squeeze bottle fitted with a #1 or #1.5 tip. Fill in the black sections of the wings and the body. Drop dots of white onto the wet black icing. 

Let the cookies dry 6-8 hours or overnight. 

The butterflies are perfectly lovely on their own or pair them with pumpkins and flower cookies! 

I am a certified crazy butterfly lady. 

Thanks to the influence of one very cool aunt, my garden has milkweed for Monarch caterpillars in the front and back yard. We have all sorts of flowers that they love, and I'm working on adding more host plants for other types of butterflies. The Swallowwails seems to love our little wafer ash tree! 

Here's my Instagram video of a Monarch emerging from its chrysalis in our backyard. I still get, um...butterflies (?) every time I watch it! 

Cheers to butterflies, pumpkins, flowers, AND cookies!