Yee-Haw...It's Branding Time

Good friends of ours return every spring to Western Nebraska for her family's branding.  And what doesn't say fun like sugar cookies at branding?

They may have had a gift certificate for two dozen cookies that they wanted to use up too - but we'll go with the first part about how sugar cookies and branding go hand in hand.

The only request they had was to incorporate her family's brand into the cookies.  And let me tell you it was fun to make some western cookies.  I chose to do a cowboy hat, cowboy boot, plaque cookie and the letter H (the family last name starts with H).

I mainly wanted to try out painting on a wood grain to some of the cookies.  So I flooded a base layer of cream on the plaque and letter H cookies.  After letting those dry overnight they were ready for my attempt at wood grain.

I had meant to take a picture of the the paintbrush I used, but as you see I didn't.  I just took a new paintbrush with wide bristles and did a little cutting and ripping out of some of the bristles to make it look ratty.

Then with a little food coloring and some water mixed in a bowl I was ready to paint...and say a few prayers.

Blank cookie ready to go...

I dipped my paintbrush into the paint, then dabbed off most of the paint onto a paper towel and then started dragging it across the cookie.

I decided to start in the middle of the cookie - and I have no reason why.  I just did.

Then I just kept dragging over and over.

And voila! The cookies had a wood grain effect.

Same thing with the letter H cookies too.  After I got going it was pretty fun.

The end products were pretty nifty.  Letter H's were decorated with barbed wire.

Some simple cowboy hats.

The crowning glory of brand cookies.  Yes, it's a cattle brand.  Really.

A few cowboy boots.

Not too shabby.  And I'm thinking the cookies went over well at branding.  I mean everyone is hungry and who can resist dessert?

 Happy Branding Herian Family!  Hope it went great!