Hedgehog Cookies

I had some leftover dough when I was making the Ninjago cookies this week so I decided to make some extra cookies and experiment with something new. I had gotten a Hedgehog cookie cutter as a Christmas gift that I hadn't used yet and I thought this would be a fun one to try. I liked the idea of making a cutesy hedgehog but also one that had the realistic texture of a hedgehog. Fortunately, royal icing is very versatile and can be used to create so many different effects. I used stiffer, outline consistency royal icing and a Wilton #2 tip to make the hedgehog's quills. To make the hedgehogs look more cutesy, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration where I found many hedgehogs cookies made with flowers and bows placed near their ears. I had also recently purchased some orchid pink luster dust that I hadn't yet had a chance to use. I used a slightly damp rounded paintbrush to dust this on their cheeks and give them their rosy complexion.

I also experimented with layering different shades of brown when I was making the quills. These cookies took a lot of individual quills. It was time consuming work, and, if I were to make these again, I think I would flood the upper portion of the hedgehog with dark brown royal icing first so that I wouldn't have to be as concerned about layering the quills and having the lighter cookie shade showing through. Chocolate roll-out cookies would work well for this design too.