A good cookie needs good dough.  For snowflake cookies, the best choices are sugar or gingerbread dough.  You can use your own favorite recipes or get started with this one from Chef Paula Deen.

You'll need:

• 1 cup butter, softened  (note: some people prefer to use 4 ounces of butter and 4 ounces of shortening to create more crisp shapes and lines, especially for cookies with cut-outs).
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 ¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

To make:

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla and almond extracts.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  To this, gradually add the sugar mixture until smooth.
4. Wrap the dough in heavy-duty plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
5. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. After the dough as chilled, roll the dough out on a floured surface. Aim for a thickness of ¼ inch.
7. Cut with your snowflake cookie cutters and place on cookie sheet.
8. Chill them for another 15 minutes so they do not spread and become misshapen.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden.
10. Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack or plate to cool.

Now that you've taken care of business, you get to have fun.  The decorating is always the best part, and you can use your imagination to create customized cookies.  You can drizzle or ice your sugar or gingerbread cookies with royal icing and enjoy or you can try your hand at decorating.

Before you get started, here are some handy items to have:

• White, pale blue, and/or silver sprinkles.
• White, pale blue, and/or silver sanding sugar or metallic luster dust.
• White, pale blue, and/or silver edible pearls and other fun decorations.
• Piping bag and small tip.
• Squeeze bottle (like a condiment bottle, available at craft stores).

To decorate, you'll need royal icing.  You can find countless recipes online, so find one you like and whip up a batch.  You want the consistency to be stiff.  Place a large scoop of the icing in a decorating bag with a small tip and set aside.  This icing will be used to outline your cookie.

To the remaining icing, add water by the spoonful until the icing is the consistency of maple syrup.  This thinner icing will be used to flood, or fill, in the center of the cookies.

An easy one to start with is a standard 6-armed star.  Using your piping bag, carefully draw intersecting lines through each arm.  Now, create a snowflake look by adding V-shapes through the arms.  Add a sugar pearl or dot at the end of each and in the middle.  WhatsCookingAmerica.net has a great variety of snowflake decorated cookies for you to check out and draw inspiration from.  There is no wrong way to do it, and because no two snowflakes are the same, you can experiment with a lot of different techniques and toppings.

Both sugar and gingerbread cookies are great with cocoa, tea, or coffee; perfect for a cozy evening at home.  This is the best way to enjoy winter!

Related Articles:

• The Best Ovens for Cookie Baking
• Easy Christmas Cookies - 1 Dough Made 5 Ways!
• 5 Different Ways to Decorate Cut Out Cookies

Adults are allowed to facilitate but not sell the cookies. There must be a scout present at all times to do the selling. So plan on having several scouts to volunteer at different times of the day so girls won’t get tired.

Ask a local food store, strip mall owner, restaurant or other local store if your troop can set up a card table outside their business. The owner will usually be happy to agree unless zoning laws forbid selling outside their store. If that’s the case, the store owner will often allow you to set up inside the store. You can also plan to set up at local craft fairs or outdoor flea markets.

Bring a small card table. A square one is best. Don’t overdo it with a long table that takes up too much space. You are a guest, after all and most places will not charge you to be there. So be respectful of the space they have given you.

Bring enough inventory to last you several hours. You don’t want to have willing buyers and not enough cookies. Bring more than you think you need. Since all the money is going to your troop, there should be no problem getting enough boxes of gourmet cookies to sell.

Any girl who plans to man the cookie table should be given credit for the cookies sales she initiates. So you’ll want to help the girls keep a list of how much they have each sold. Girls receive prizes and badges for selling the cookies, so you want to ensure proper credit is given.

Bring enough change so that you don’t have to go rummaging around in your purse at the last minute. You’ll need lots of ones and quarters. Go to the bank the day before the sale or make change in the morning at the store where you’ll be setting up. Keep the change in a box with a lock. And put a slip of paper inside with how much money you started with in change so you can deduct it from the sales at the end.

Have each girl wear her uniform to do the selling. Since it will be February or March, you’ll want to ensure they are warm enough, too. You might have a canteen of hot cocoa ready for them and ask all moms to dress their girls with coats, gloves, and hats.

The cookies practically sell themselves once you are set up. People love Girl Scout cookies and the cuter the girls and the more willing they are to ask passing shoppers if they’d like to buy a box of cookies, the more you’ll all sell. Just be sure that an adult stays at the table to supervise and never let a Girl Scout approach strangers at their cars or follow them to their cars to deliver the cookies to them. Safety is of the utmost importance.

Keep track of how many cookies your troop sells each day. You may want to do both days of a weekend at one location, or do one location on a Saturday and move to another location for a Sunday sale.

Ask moms and scouts to sign up ahead of time for when they can man the table. One person usually heads up the process and calls or emails moms the night before to remind them of the times they signed up for.

Selling Girl Scout cookies can help build a young lady’s self-esteem and show her how the marketing process works. It’s great real world learning and she’ll use the skills and confidence she gains all her life.

Related Articles:

• Girl Scout Cookie Fun Facts
• Varieties of Girl Scout Cookies

It’s labor intensive, but fun to make a cookie stencil. Think of the stencils you used as a kid or stencils you see in art stores. You can, in fact, use any stencil that you find. You just need a clean stencil and a clean X-Acto knife to cut the cookie out.

Start with a sugar cookie dough. It’s best not to use a dough that is store bought. Those doughs are designed for slice and bake recipes. They tend to flatten out and burn in the oven if you try to do anything else with them.

Make your cookie dough batter from your favorite recipe. Then let it chill while you create your stencil.

You’re going to need sheets of acetate or vellum which you can find in office supply or discount stores. The acetate sheets are the ones that teachers use for overhead projectors. Vellum is just a clear sheet that artists use. It’s thicker than tissue paper so you can cut it, but you can see what’s underneath much like a tracing paper.

Find a design you like. It can be from a book or from online. Use a design that is not so intricate that you will be cutting until all hours of the night. You want to start with a simple stencil. Maybe a leaf or a bird.

Once you have found your design, print it out. Lay it down on your work surface. If it’s not the right size, you’ll want to reduce or enlarge it now on a copier. Place the acetate or vellum over the image. Trace it with marker. Remove the image and cut it out. Intricate parts of it will need to be cut with the tip of an X-Acto knife, so work on a rubber mat or a cutting board, never your table.

Once the design is cut out, you’ll be placing it on the cookie dough. Round up a ball of cookie dough and then press it flat. Or roll out a big piece so you have a whole sheet to stencil on. Place the stencil on top of the cookie area you want to cut out. Cut out the areas that make the design on stencil. Then cut around in a square or circular shape for the size of the cookie you want. Lift with a spatula carefully and transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake as per your recipe’s instructions.

If you want a less labor intensive way to use a cookie stencil, use food coloring powder and a stencil brush. You can tamp your brush into the powdery food coloring and stamp it onto the cookie directly. Cut the shape of the cookie out with a cookie cutter in a circle or other shape that fits your stencil’s design. Food coloring powders can be found at large craft stores or in cake supply stores.

It’s fun to make stenciled cookies. They’ll look like you spend a long time making them, but actually, once you cut the stamp they are very easy to do. Try cutting out flower shaped cookies and create a beautiful flower cookie arrangement. Have a stencil making party where you and friends get together and make a bunch of stencils. Then you can all trade stencils so everyone gets a chance to go home with a luscious batch of delicious and adorable cookies.

Another version you can do with a stencil is to make ornaments with it. Do the same thing you would with the cookie dough, but use home made salt dough or a baking clay. Of course, you can’t eat them, but they’ll look pretty on your tree or as package ties.

If you don’t want to buy your cookie stamp, try your hand at making your own. It’s not that hard, but it may take a little practice.

If you’re a natural artist, you’ll have no trouble drawing your design. But if, like most of us, you’ll need a little inspiration in the design department, go online or look through books and find a decorative motif that you like. Make sure it’s not so intricate that you will have trouble getting it into cookie form.

The material for making a cookie stamp? The humble potato! Yes, with a simple potato you can carve out a stamp that will work for your cookies. Cut a clean potato in half. If you’re going to cut freehand, carefully start carving your design on the end of the potato. Be sure to remember that any raised surfaces will be indented in the cookie, so carve in reverse. What you want to stick out of the cookie should be carved into the stamp.

If you’re going to use the help of a printed design, go ahead and tape the design to the top of the potato. It will be a bit moist and slimy, so you will want to leave some paper overlap around your design and then use masking tape which will stick better than clear tape.

Once your design is taped down, begin carving away any white that is not part of the design. Your design should remain after you are finished carving. You should only see the black of the design. Remove the paper and you’re ready to stamp cookies. Choose a heart stamp for a perfect valentine cookie.

Use a favorite cookie dough recipe. You can find them online or in any baking cook book. Using rolled cookie dough from a store may present some challenges as those cookies are not meant to be anything but slice and bake. They tend to flatten out in the oven and will not hold a design very well. But try them if you want. You may just want to add some more flour to them by rolling them on a floury surface.

All sugar cookie doughs will need to be refrigerated so the butter can set up. Don’t skip this step or your cookies will not turn out the way you want them to. Roll balls of cookie dough out on your work surface. Dust your stamp in flour before each stamping. Then stamp into the cookie with moderate pressure. It should flatten out the ball and create a stamped design. It should not be so flat that the cookie is nearly see-through. Thin cookies like that will burn.

Once ready, line your cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake them for the time that is listed in the recipe. Create a flower stamp for a beautiful cookie flower arrangement.  But check them often to see that they are not burning. Every oven is different and stamps can provide an uneven surface that may bake differently from a flat cookie. Enjoy your efforts with a glass of milk!

To make cookie lollipops, start by baking up your favorite recipe for cookies. You will want a cookie like a sugar cookie so that you can cut shapes out. Stars, hearts, circles and other simple shapes work best. Try to avoid using heavy cookie batters like chocolate chip, oatmeal, or anything with big chunks in them. You can use those types of cookies, but the heavier the batter, the more likely the cookie will fall off the stick.

You will need to purchase lollipop sticks from a craft store. They are very inexpensive and are found in the candy-making aisle. You will see them next to the candy molds. Grab a few packs so you have extras for next time you want to make them.

The whole key to the lollipop cookie is to insert the stick into raw dough only about halfway through the cookie. If you don’t insert the stick when the batter is raw, you’ll never get it in without breaking the cookie. And if you don’t insert it at least halfway in, you’ll risk the cookie falling off the stick. Make sure it’s sturdy and that the stick is not poking out of the batter anywhere. If your cookies are too thin, you may have a problem with cracking and breakage when you try to lift them.

Bake your cookies as your recipe dictates. You don’t have to do anything different. But you will want the cookie sheet to be greased so you won’t have to pry the cookies off the pan and risk breaking them. After the cookies have baked, resist the urge to pick them up by the stick while they are cooling. You will need to let them cool completely so they harden enough to form around the stick.

Once cookies are cool, you can decorate them by dipping them in melted chocolate and sprinkles or frosting them and dusting them with sanding sugar. If you want to add any candy elements to the frosting, you can do it after the cookies are cooled.

Have fun trying out different recipes and different shapes. You could create a cookie bouquet for any holiday such as New Years, birthday parties, or make heart-shaped lollipops for Valentine's Day cookies. Just be sure that you don’t roll your cookies too thin or you will have a hard time getting the lollipop sticks to stay in the cut-outs before and after baking.

When the pops are all cooled and decorated, get some florist foam or a Styrofoam block and stick the cookies into it. Then you can cover the Styrofoam with a cloth or bandana and insert them into a clean flowerpot and give a cookie flower bouquet. Once they are anchored in the foam they won’t move. You can even wrap the basket in clear cellophane so that they can be transported without getting damaged. Tie a bright ribbon and a tag on and you’ve got yourself a lovely homemade cookie lollipop bouquet. It doesn’t take much time and is much cheaper to do than buying a cookie bouquet.

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake comes to us from Cooks.com. Judging from the reviews, we’re surprised the cake ever makes it out of the kitchen for guests. You’ll need:

• ½ cup butter

• ¼ brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 cup flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• Chocolate chips

• ½ chopped nuts (optional)

Prepare by preheating your oven to 375° and greasing an 8 or 9 inch round pizza pan or cookie sheet.

To make, cream the butter, brown and white sugars, vanilla, and egg together with a spoon. When this is creamy, add your dry ingredients. Blend this thoroughly to mix in the dry ingredients, and then add the chocolate chips and nuts, if you choose.

Spread the cookie dough onto your greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. Take it out, let it cool, and be prepared to receive compliments.

For an extra touch, place mini Hershey’s Kisses on top of the cookie cake (or chocolate chunks) and drizzle with chocolate or shape it like a heart for a Valentine's day cookie gift. At a bakery, this would cost over $40. You can make it at home for the same price as a batch of cookies.

When you are at a loss at what to prepare for a dinner party or gathering, you must ask yourself, “What would Martha do?” Martha would whip up a five layer cookie cake for 16 people, is what she would do. In fact, she has, and this recipe comes from Martha Stewart herself. It is a little more involved than the previous recipe, but it will not fail to impress.

You will need:

• 4 cups flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• 6 tablespoons of butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, and 2 egg yolks

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 3 cups chocolate chips (Martha says semi-sweet)

• 5 – yes 5 – packages of cream cheese, room temperature

• ½ confectioner’s sugar

Prepare by preheating your oven to 350°. Next, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, or a mixer, mix butter and brown and granulated sugars. When this is pale and “fluffy,” mix in the vanilla, eggs, and yolks. Continue mixing. Add half the flour, and then half the cream. Mix, and then add the other half of the flour and the other half of the cream. Stir in the chocolate chips.

You are making 5 layers for the cake. You want one level cup of dough for each layer. Drop it onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Put the other dough in the refrigerator while you’re working to keep it cool. Spread the dough into an 8 inch circle on the baking sheet (Martha actually traces an 8 inch circle onto the paper; you don’t have to, but you do want your layers to be as close to even as possible).

Bake this until the edges are pale golden, which takes about 12 minutes. Take it out and reshape your circle with a spatula. Put it back in the oven for another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat this for the other layers. If you have oven space and cookie sheets, you can do more than one of these cookie layers at a time.

As they’re cooling, mix the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar until fluffy. Spread this mixture onto four of the cookies. Stack them, with the unfrosted cookie on top. Put the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets. This takes at least 20 minutes.

It is more work, but the results are fantastic.

Whether you use a recipe that is simple or one that is more elaborate, you cannot go wrong with cookie cake made from your own cookie dough.

To created the wonderfully colored "nests", color your flake coconut by adding about 4 drops of liquid food coloring to 1 cups of coconut in a plastic ziplock bag. Shake until all flakes are covered.  (You may need to add 1 teaspoon of water to help disperse the color evenly.)

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 oz) ready to bake sugar cookies
• 1 container (12 oz) fluffy white frosting
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• Food coloring
• Jelly Beans

Directions:

• Bake cookies as directed on package. Cool completely.
• Frost cookies, top with about 1 tsp. of colored coconut and a few jelly beans.
• Sit back and enjoy!

Continue on to visit more fun Easter recipes, starting with Easter Cupcake Creations.

Standard royal icing recipes call for powdered sugar, meringue powder and water. Basically, the water is added until you achieve the desired consistency.  You can find meringue powder in upscale grocery stores and craft stores such as Michael's (in the cake decorating section).

Here is a great Royal Icing Recipe to get you started on your delicious creations!
---------------------------------------
Standard Royal Icing Recipe
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar - sifted
3 Tbsp. meringue powder
6 to 8 Tbsp. water (depending on consistency desired)

In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Then add water a little bit at a time (until the desired consistency) beating with an electric mixer on medium speed. NOTE - a thicker consistency (6 Tbsp water) is used for outlining the cookie while a thinner 'flow' consistency is used to flood the cookies inside the outline. If you'd like almond flavored icing, consider substituting 2 Tbsp. almond extract for the first 2 Tbsp. of water.

After the icing is fully mixed and the desired consistency, just divide it up and add color.  Keep the icing containers covered until you are ready to use the icing as it will turn hard quickly.

Get more helpful tips on decorating cookies!

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/3 cup crushed clear red hard candy (Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour. Cut out centers with a 1-1/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter; set aside to re-roll. Place cookies 1 in. apart on lightly greased foil-lined baking sheets. Fill centers with crushed candy.

Bake at 375  for 7-9 minutes or until candy is melted and edges of cookies begin to brown. Cool completely on baking sheets. Carefully peel cookies off foil.

Want more Valentine's Day recipes? Try these Valentine Food Gift Ideas.

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 3 cups flour

• 2/3 cup cocoa

• 1 tsp. soda

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 bag of miniature marshmallows

Cream together sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl. Then add the eggs and vanilla stirring well. Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Add to the mixture. Fold about a 1” ball of dough around a single mini-marshmallow (so there is a marshmallow in the middle of each cookie). Roll the tops of the cookies in sugar. Bake cookies at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until they crack. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

If you liked this dessert, you'll love this recipe for Fudgemallow Delight.