Elephant Baby Shower Cookies for Two Peas & Their Pod
Congratulations to Maria and Josh of Two Peas and Their Pod who are expecting their very own sweet pea very soon!
It’s a very exciting time for these two talented bloggers, and thoughtful Marla {Family Fresh Cooking} and Lisa {With Style and Grace} wanted to make it extra special with a surprise virtual baby shower! They organized a host of wonderful food bloggers (see list below), to come together and surpise Maria and Josh with on-line sweets, savouries and crafts, in honor of the soon-to-be-here baby boy.
Surprise!
Maria and Josh, hope you like these cookies I made for you and your soon-to-arrive bundle of joy. I’m so happy for you both and send you well wishes and hugs.
With this virtual shower may you and your new baby feel the warm welcome that is being expressed by all of us in celebration of his arrival.
Virtual Baby Shower for Two Peas & Their Pod
Drinks
Simple Bites – Lemon Balm infused Lemonade
Ingredients, Inc. – Healthy Fruit Punch
Food for My Family – Lemongrass Soda
Heather’s Dish – Mixed Fruit Punch
She Wears Many Hats – Mini Pistachio Smoothies
Appetizers/Savory Bites
With Style and Grace – Truffle Popcorn
Family Fresh Cooking – Baby Peas & Cheese Frittata
Barbara Bakes – Creamy Orange Fruit Dip and Fruit
Aggie’s Kitchen – Pasta Salad with Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette
Reluctant Entertainer – Nutella Berry Bruschetta
Dessert
Dorie Greenspan – French Lemon Cream Tart
TidyMom – Blue and Chocolate Cake Balls
i am baker – Baby Pea Baby Shower Cake
Brown Eyed Baker – Pavlova
Picky Palate – Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Sandwich
What’s Gaby Cooking – Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
Cookin’ Canuck – Nutella & Cream Cheese Swirled Blondies
Kevin and Amanda – Baby Blue Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Cups
Sweetopia – Decorated Sugar Cookies
Mountain Mama Cooks – Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Sweetapolita – Little Pea Sugar Cookie Pops
Bake at 350 – Petit Fours with fondant pea pods
RecipeGirl – Baby Button Cookies
RecipeBoy – Mud Cups with Gummy Worms
Add a Pinch – Blackberry Tartlets
Dine and Dish – Oven Baked Cinnamon Apples
Crafts
Wenderly – Handmade Sweet Pea Cards
Our Best Bites – How To: Make a Diaper Cake Centerpiece
If you’d like to make the decorated elephant cookies, here’s how to make them:
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Welcome Baby Printables
Designed by the lovely Kim at The TomKat Studio, these ones are available for free. You can find them here. A big thanks to Kim for making them; they’re so adorable and I can’t wait to see the collection she creates around them!
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Sugar Cookie Dough
You can find the recipe for the dough here. The cookie cutter can be found here.
One tip for cutting out the elephant shapes; dip the cutter in flour first so that the dough slides out better, especially with a slim shape like the elephant trunk. I use a silicon pastry brush to dust off the excess flour.
Royal Icing
You can find my favorite royal icing recipe here. The consistency of icing is key for easy decorating. Click here to see a YouTube video on finding the right icing thickness.
Decorating Steps
What you’ll need:
- Piping Tip #2
- Piping Bag
- Couplers
- Small fondant rolling pin
- Fondant and heart punch cutter (*Optional – Heart can be piped with icing)
- Gel paste colors
Step One:
Outline the elephant shape with royal icing. For detailed decorating tips, this tutorial may be helpful for you.
Step Two:
With the same icing, flood, or fill in your shape.
Step Three:
Let the base dry for at least 6-12 hours.
Step Four:
Add the ear by outlining and filling in right away.
Step Five:
Add a small black dot of icing for the eye. Let the ear and eye dry for a minimum of 6-12 hours.
Step Six:
Roll out your white fondant to about 2mm thick, and punch out a heart shape.
Step Seven:
Adhere fondant heart to ear with a dab of icing.
Done!
Sweet thanks to Niner of We Choose Organic for editing and re-sizing my photos; she did an awesome job with them, as the lighting was pretty bad (an on-going struggle for me with food photography… still learning!).
And if you haven’t had the pleasure of viewing the delicious food and recipes the ‘Two Peas’ make, head on over and enjoy. You’ll be there for quite a while!
Have fun!
xo,
Marian
Faizura says
These cookies are absolutely adorable.
Ana says
Hi! I tried the cookie dough recipe but the dough didnt come up as firm as the one in the picture, instead it was kind of soft and hard the use. I put more flour but then the figures came up cracked. What can I do? Thanks!
marian says
Hi @ Ana: Chill it in the fridge and this post should be helpful for you:
https://sweetopia.net/2011/04/top-8-tips-on-preventing-cookies-from-spreading/
Ashley says
Hi! I have a question: could you make the cookies in advance and freeze them? Also, how long will they keep once you wrap them up? I want to use them for my daughter’s first birthday as take-home favors.
marian says
@ Ashley: You can freeze them. I do it with undecorated ones all the time, and other people have shared that freezing decorated ones can work too… check out the comment section here:
https://sweetopia.net/2011/03/freezing-decorated-cookies/
and for how long they last wrapped up:
https://sweetopia.net/2012/02/how-long-do-decorated-cookies-stay-fresh-what-is-the-shelf-life-of-decorated-cookies/
Jeanne says
What a neat site but I’m still trying to find the Elephant Cookie recipe! It’s probably right in front of my nose and I just haven’t seen it! 🙂
Rachel says
How do these get stored after baking? And in between icing them? For example: when you first ice the outline and need to wait 6-12 hours… How do they get stored? Air tight container or just on the counter uncovered, or in the fridge covered/uncovered? Help!
paleo meal says
I like this site because so much useful material on here”
marian says
Hi @ Jeanne: Click on the pink words (a link), in the post, where it says, “You can find the recipe for the dough here”. It’s under the title, Sugar Cookie Recipe.
Hi @ Rachel: This post should be helpful for you. Have fun decorating!
Thanks @ paleo meal!
Traci Tritsaris says
thanks Marian, currently have an order in Australia for these cookies through your blog, didn’t even think of seeing if you said who is the cutter supplier, my 2 elephants were different. Hey presto order done just now with Copper Gifts for this gorgeous cutter! I hope I do you proud. CQK xx
Pj says
So, where is the cookie recipe…I would really love to have it.
Katherine says
Hey Marian,
I was wondering what size is the cookie cutter? 3? 3.5?
Thanks 🙂
Lisa says
Did you use the same (consistency) icing for the outline and for flooding? Or did you make 2 different ones? Thank you!
Marian (Sweetopia) says
@ Traci Tritsaris: I’m sure you did an amazing job! 🙂 xo
Hi @ Pj: There’s a link to the recipe under the title Sugar Cookie Dough. All of my recipes can also be found at the top of the site, where it says Recipes.
@ Katherine: There’s a link to the exact cutter and measurements in the post, where it says, “find the cutter here”.
@ Lisa: I used the same consistency. I have some examples of how I outline and flood on my YouTube page, if you’d like to check it out.
Lisa says
@ Marian (Sweetopia): Thank you, Marian! You are so sweet for answering all your comments/questions that you receive. I watched your video and it was very helpful. I love the idea of only having one icing bag for each color! You make it all look so easy 🙂 I guess I just need to practice some more. Thanks again!
marian says
My pleasure, @ Lisa, thanks for your kind comment. 🙂
Pheasantry says
Wow, those elephants are so cute! Perfect for a baby shower. I stink at baking, but I’m great at cooking, especially pheasant recipes!
Jennifer says
Thank you!!!! This was my first year making sugar cookies and I had so many compliments! This is a great recipe!
Rilee says
Do you have any tips for rolling out cookie dough?
marian says
Hi @ Rilee: I like to roll mine between parchment paper, and used to use perfection strips (can be found on amazon), to make sure my dough was perfectly even. I just wing it now (even though my dough isn’t always a perfect thickness all the way through). Hope that helps!
Tina says
I like to put o-rings on my rolling pin to roll my cookies, perfect size every time, hope this helps
Kerri says
Hello got here from Pinterest!
How do you manage to keep your cookie shape? I followed your link to the cookie dough recipe but hers were round. I find that once you use a cookie cutter, the sharp shape you started with turns flat after baking- turning what the cookie shape is into a guessing game.
Marian (Sweetopia) says
Hi @ Kerri: Besides taking the baking soda out, here is the post which explains tricks to help cookies keep their shape; https://sweetopia.net/2011/04/top-8-tips-on-preventing-cookies-from-spreading/
elizabeth says
I am wanting to create cookies for a party. Considering the drying time for icing how far in advance could/should I make the cookies and then ice them before the event. I want to allow enough time for icing to dry but am worried that the cookies will dry out. Do you refrigerate yours? Thanks for any help. Please email me if you do reply thanks so much! Elizabeth
Heidi says
I have tried various cookie recipes and am still trying to find a recipe that is flavorful and moist. Do you have any suggestions for keeping cookies soft, yet sturdy enough to decorate? I have tried adding extra egg yolks and even corn starch. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I love your site!
Marian (Sweetopia) says
Hi @ elizabeth: Here is a cookie decorating schedule I use;
https://sweetopia.net/2011/11/cookie-making-schedule-free-printables-ballet-tutu-cookies/
and a post I wrote about how long cookies last;
https://sweetopia.net/2012/02/how-long-do-decorated-cookies-stay-fresh-what-is-the-shelf-life-of-decorated-cookies/
Hope that helps!
Marian (Sweetopia) says
Hi @ Heidi: My sugar cookie recipe is sturdier than my shortbread recipe. Perhaps try it but take out 1/2 a cup of butter. Also, if you bake them a little longer, they’ll be a little crispier on the outside.
Hope that helps!
Vicky says
Hello how can I find the elephant cookie cutter?? I can’t find this in Greece.Please help me I need them for my baby’s christening in May.
P.s. great job great instructions!!
Thank you
Patti Ransom says
Hi Marian,
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful information. I followed your link to order the elephant cutter and saw the is was reversed. Did you use it upside down?
Thank you ~ Patti
Marian (Sweetopia) says
HI @ Vicky: The link is in the post above for you. xo
You got it, @ Patti Ransom! Have fun decorating!
Alisha says
Your icing looks absolutely perfect, do you have the recipe on your site ? I can’t wait to try this recipe for my moms birthday!
marian says
HI @ Alisha: Absolutely, if you click on the recipe section at the top of the site you’ll find the royal icing recipe there.
Alisha says
yes I saw that after i re read it 🙂 thx for getting back to me so quick!!
Rocio pichardo says
I just wanted to know, where to get the bags to put the cookies in?
marian says
HI @ Rocio pichardo: There’s a link to the bags in this post here: https://sweetopia.net/2009/06/baby-shower-cookies/
Carla Granda says
I would like to have these cookies.. Where can i purchase them?
Carla Granda says
I would like to purchase these cookies…. ??
marian says
@ Carla Granda: I’m sorry, I don’t do orders, but there is a directory of people who do cookie orders here:
https://sweetopia.net/cookie-decorator-directory/
Danielle says
Is there a time frame that the cookies can chill in between making the dough/cutting the dough/baking the dough? Will it be detrimental to the final product if I chill overnight?
marian says
Chilling them overnight is fine, Danielle. Just keep them covered in parchment or saran wrap.
Corinne says
I just love these elephants!! Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial.
My son loves Elephants so I might make him these cookies for his birthday!
Rocio pichardo says
Hi, what color would you sa
y are the elephant cookies? Thank