Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to decorate these cookies with dark brown royal icing but I didn't want to add a whole bunch of food coloring. So, I decided to try a chocolate royal icing instead, which is something I've never made before.

To make the icing, I replaced 4 oz of powdered sugar with 4 oz of cocoa powder. The icing took longer to dry and it has a dull finish, but the gold accents make up for it.

chocolate royal icing recipe:
12 oz powdered sugar
4 oz cocoa powder
5 TBS meringue powder
1/2 cup water plus more for thinning later
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine ingredients together and mix on medium speed for about 7 minutes.

Keep about 1/4 of the icing a stiff consistency and thin down the rest with water. Use a tablespoon of water at a time until the icing is thin enough to smooth itself out, but not so thin that it will drip off of the cookie. Outline the cookies with the stiff icing using a tip #3 and fill them in with the thinned icing. Let the icing dry overnight before applying the gold.

Combine gold luster dust with a little lemon extract or vodka and use a small brush to paint the designs.