Make Leaf Garland Cookies for Thanksgiving Dessert!

Make Leaf Garland Cookies for Thanksgiving Dessert!

Celebrate the season of gratitude with a sweet touch of creativity. Delight your family and friends with Confection Couture’s Leaf Garland Stencil Edger Cookies, beautifully crafted using Julia Usher’s Thanksgiving Place Cards Dynamic Duos Message Set. These festive cookies are the perfect way to make your holiday table even more special—because nothing says "thank you" like a handcrafted treat shared among loved ones.

What you'll need:

Stencil Genie

First, cut and bake the desired number of cookies. Add white royal icing to each cookie and allow to cool completely.

Next, take the first cookie and your Stencil Genie and separate the top and bottom portions. Place the bottom (thicker) down and position the Julia Usher Thanksgiving Place Cards Dynamic Duos Message Set stencil on top with the "THANKFUL" text centered within the square.

Quadrant Masking Tool and Screen Genie

Now, use two Quadrant Masking Tools to mask off the areas to the left and right of the text. This will protect the edges of the cookie from unwanted overspray. 

Place the Screen Genie over the stencil and masks and lock into place using the top portion of the Stencil Genie.

Airbrushing

Place the entire assembly over the cookie and, if necessary, use two stacks (4 each) of Cookie Magnets to help press the stencil flush against the cookie surface. 

Carefully shake your bottle of DecoPac Midnight Black airbrush food coloring and add 4-5 drops to the reservoir of the AirGenie Airbrush Tool. Always test the airflow on a stack of paper towels prior to airbrushing each cookie. Adjust the airflow as needed using the knob on top of the unit.

Airbrush the color through the stencil using small, circular motions. Take care not to spray too heavily as this will cause the coloring to pool on top of the stencil and possibly leak underneath causing "bleeding" on the cookie.

When finished, carefully lift the stencil assembly to reveal the completed text element.

Completing the Text Elements

Repeat the same process to stencil the text "HAPPY THANKS GIVING" on the next cookie. This time, use the 90° cutout on the quadrant masking too to isolate the design.

Do the same for the third cookie and the text "Thankful Blessed Grateful".

Cleaning the Stencils

To clean the stencils and masking tool, simply dip them in a bowl of clean water.
Next, remove the stencils from the bowl and pat dry.

Cleaning the Screen Genie


When colorant begins to collect into droplets on the Screen Genie, it's time to clean it as well. This can be accomplished by turning it upside down and spraying water through the screen using a new, chemical-free spray bottle. Dry thoroughly on both sides using paper towels. Be sure no water remains, or this could damage the cookies during the rest of the stenciling process.

Mixing the Color for Shading




For the shading opposite the leaf design, I mixed some Harvest Brown and Gold Shimmer in equal parts in a plastic bottle with dropper top. Shake well and place aside.

Cleaning the Airbrush Tool


Prior to switching colors, clean the airbrush tool. First, rinse out the reservoir 3-4 times using clean water. Next, reattach the hose, fill the reservoir, and run clean water through the tool on its highest setting. Repeat once more with water and finally a third time using an inexpensive 100-proof vodka. Once all the vodka is gone, continue to run air through the tool for a few seconds to ensure that no liquid remains.

Adding the Shading



Add shading to the edges of the cookies that will not have leaves. Add more color at the outer edge and less as you approach the stenciled text. Practice on a plain piece of white paper, if necessary, prior to airbrushing any cookies.

***Periodically wipe and dry your work surface to avoid staining the underside of the cookies with colorant.

Stenciling the Leaf Garland Design



For the Leaf Garland Edger, place the stencil over the bottom half of the Stencil Genie. Position one side of the design towards one side of the square. Mask off the other half using the quadrant masking tool. Place the Screen Genie over top and lock into place using the top of the Stencil Genie.

Next, load some Super Red into the airbrush tool.

Super Red


Airbrush some red on the bottom of the design, fading the color as you move towards the center of the cookie. You should stop about a third of the way up the design.

Next, flip the cookie over and repeat the exact same process for the opposite corner.

After each cookie, wipe any excess colorant from all of the tools including the Stencil Genie, Screen Genie (especially the screen itself - topside and underside), and the stencil. This will prevent accidental bleeding on the next cookie.

Repeat the above stenciling process to add red leaves to the next cookie.

Repeat the above process for the next cookie, this time turning it sideways, cleaning the tools in between.

Firestone


Next, load some Firestone in the airbrush reservoir. Apply the orange color to the next section of leaves, overlapping the red where it starts to fade.

Flip the cookie and airbrush the opposite side.


Continue with the next cookie.

Airbrush the orange onto the third cookie.

Honey


Next up is the Honey colorant. Use it to airbrush the next section of leaves, overlapping slightly with the Firestone.

Turn the next cookie sideways and repeat the process.

Finish the last cookie using the Honey colorant.

Lime Green


Lastly, switch to Lime Green and finish the leaf design on both sides of each cookie.

Looking good!

Now you're finished with the three different styles. Get an assembly line going and make as many cookies as you like!

For more tips and ideas, visit ConfectionCoutureStencils.com today.

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