Here's a Valentines Day card, activity and treat all rolled into one --
Valentine Tic-Tac-Toe with sugar cookie Xs and Os!
My inspiration? The adorable Bingo-style Valentine Set* and Wood Stamp Set* from Martha Stewart Crafts. The pack includes 18 cards, envelopes, and sheets of stickers (25/sheet) -- everything you need for a no-fuss, beautifully coordinated valentine. You don't have to be crafty. Just place a card and sheet of stickers in the envelope. Embellish the envelope with your favorite Martha Stewart stickers (I love the cupcake collection) and rubber stamps! Easy!
I couldn't think of a better way to compliment the game-style valentine cards from Martha Stewart Crafts than to come up with my own little classic game-inspired sweet treat to go with it! Using Martha's classic sugar cookie and royal icing recipes, I whipped up a batch of buttery little cookie game pieces.
The iced cookies got a final touch of whimsy with an edible food pen. It was hard to keep my family from eating the little bite-sized cookies, but fortunately the recipe makes a multitude. I designed a cute and simple card that can be printed on watercolor paper and used again and again (or until the players have devoured all of their cookies).
The best part, of course, was when my girls got enjoy an unseasonably sunny afternoon out back playing their new game.
Here's how to make Edible Valentines Day Tic-Tac-Toe for the ones you love!
EDIBLE VALENTINES DAY TIC-TAC-TOE TUTORIAL
For the game boards:
Free printable Tic-tac-toe board (HERE)
8.5" x 11" paper (one sheet will yield two cards)
I used watercolor paper because of its lovely texture and structure. You may also use heavy card stock
For the game piece cookies:
1 batch Martha Stewart Sugar Cookies (recipe HERE) yields approx. 240 cookies (enough for 24 sets of tic-tac-toe)
1/2 batch Martha Stewart Royal Icing (recipe HERE)
A 1" circular cookie cutter
1 pastry bag with small open tip
Wilton Fine Tip Food Writer pens, Neon Collection
Step 1: Prepare a batch of sugar cookie dough according to Martha's recipe. Roll out dough to 1/4". Cut into 1" circles and arrange on a baking sheet with at least 1/2" in between each cookie. Freeze for 15 minutes before baking at 325. Bake on rack in upper 1/3 of oven for 7 minutes, then move pan to a rack in the lower 1/3 of oven for an additional 7 minutes, or until cookies have browned lightly around the edges. I repeated the process 3 times for a total of around 240 cookies.
Step 2: Once cookies have cooled, prepare the 1/2 batch of royal icing. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small open tip. Draw the outline of a circle around the edge of a cookie, then fill. Repeat with remaining cookies. Allow to dry overnight.
Step 3: The next day, royal icing should be hard to the touch which means that they are ready to be written on. I used the pink and green FoodWriter pens to create dashed and dotted borders and to add Xs and Os.
Step 4: Download the free printable tic tac toe boards , print on heavy stock (I prefer watercolor paper, purchased in large books from the craft store, and cut down to 8.5" x 11") and trim.
Step 5: Package the cookies in cellophane and tie off with ribbon.
Enjoy!
Feeling inspired? You can save 20% at MarthaStewartCrafts.com now through Valentine's Day. Just add the code BLOG20 at checkout.
No matter how your spread the love for Valentine’s Day, be sure to enter the Martha Stewart Crafts “Craft Your Heart Out” Sweepstakes for your chance to WIN a DIAMOND HEART NECKLACE! Visit http://bit.ly/CYHOSweeps for more details and to enter.
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* I received one set of valentines and wood stamps, along with two packages of stickers from EK Success for the purpose of review. All opinions are genuine and are my own.