Cowboy Cookies! And how to take them on a plane.

I cant believe I forgot to show you all the cowboy cookies! I had so much fun making these western themed sugar cookies!

So last July I flew out to North Dakota for a family reunion. These happen every three years and each year they are somewhat themed. This year, for the western theme, each division of the family was color coded by bandanna  :) 

Well hey, I have to hop on three flights and then drive almost two hours to get to this thing, why not make that trip easier and add 5 dozen sugar cookies detailed in royal icing for really no particular reason? 

Should no one have said, ever. Except I did. 

I'll be honest. I got the decorating ideas off of Pinterest. (There was no website linked to the pin, so I dont know who to give the credit to.) It was a lot of piping, but totally worth it.

The crazy part was, I live in Texas, and could not find a boot or hat cookie cutter. I had to buy some extra random metal ones and bend my own. The Texas shape one I already had. Not that it was relevant  I took these to North Dakota...

As usual I set up shop in the living room so I could watch a movie. :)

How does one take 5 dozen cookies on a plane? 

In a medium flat rate USPS box of course!

Step one: Wrap cardboard squares that fit in large ziplock bags, with wax paper or plastic wrap. You don't want the moisture to be sucked out of the cookies and into the cardboard.

Step two: slide cardboard into plastic bags, then carefully place cookies on cardboard. 

Step three: stack in box. I used egg carton pieces to keep the 'trays' of cookies from moving around. Then added packing paper to the top to keep it all snug. 

Note: Instead of taping the box closed, I tied it with ribbon. I did this for two reasons. One, this made it easier to carry when I only had one hand, and two, I could open the box easily to check on the cookies or if security needed to check out the box.

Lesson of the day: If you walk away from a piping bag, and it falls over, this is what happens. 

Its a good thing we have tile in the living room....