Giggleberry Creations!: Sugar Cookie Bunting

This morning I was in a baking mood - I wanted to get out my Mix Master and create something for no reason at all. The easiest thing and best one for the kids to help me with are good old sugar cookie dough that can then be rolled out & our stash of cookie cutters could be used on.

We made up the following cookie mixture (simple & this recipe has never failed me)
1 cup of butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
3 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Cream butter until pale yellow. Add sugar & beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda & salt. Beat into butter mixture. Chill dough for 2 hours. Roll out 1/8" thick on well floured board. Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated moderate oven for 5-8 mins or until edges are golden brown.

When we got to the shape cutting part I divided the mixture in half and gave half to the kids to use the cookie cutters on, then decided to have a play with the other half myself. I rolled it out into a long rectangular shape and with a knife straightened all the edges. I then (using no measurements or template as you can tell) cut out 'flags'.

With a drinking straw I made holes in the two top corners of each flag.

I carefully placed them on a baking tray, trying not to warp the shapes too much and baked them until they were ready for cooling.

Once they had completely cooled down I made up some royal icing. Using three different food colours I tinted the icing and began to decorate my 'flags' - NOTE: In no way am I a professional baker or cookie decorator so please excuse these rather messy looking cookies :P

I then let the cookies sit so the icing could set (I probably should have left them a little longer than I did). Once the icing is set take a long length of ribbon and feed it through the holes at the top of the flags.
TIP: I had to use a skewer to make the holes a little bigger as they shrunk in the cooking process.. Once all you flags are on your ribbon you are ready to hang your bunting!!