bite-size holiday cookies in a jar

I'm keeping things simple this year and going with my standard for Christmas gifts: bite-size decorated cookies in mason jars. Mason jars are just so perfect for packaging. I made all of mine in advance and put them in the freezer. You can dress them up with tags, felt, ribbon, whatever, and even attach gift cards, as I'm doing with the teacher gifts. I added tags from a free printable found HERE at Sass & Peril (thanks, Sass & Peril!), that I spotted on How About Orange (thanks, How About Orange!).

I just made my go-to sugar cookie recipe and royal icing. All the cookies are cut out on 1 1/2-inch circles except for the mini candy canes. I tinted the icing my colors with Americolor Soft Gel Pastes. I prepared decorating bags with couplers and size "2," "3," or "4" tips. Find bags, couplers and tips at the craft store, or click HERE for info on finding supplies. For a quick tutorial in cookie decorating, click HERE. After decorating the cookies, let them dry well overnight.

For Santa, I piped the white on the hat and outlined the mustache and beard with white icing using a size "2" tip. Let it set a bit, then piped to fill the white, red and peach with a "3" tip. I piped dots with a black "2" tip.

For the candy cane, I used a mini candy cane cutter that came with a set and piped red and white dots with a "3" tip.

For snowballs, I just piped and filled white circles with a size "3" or "4" tip and immediately coated with white sprinkles. For the snowflakes, I piped a turquoise background with a "4" tip, let it set a bit, then piped a white snowflake with a "2" tip. For tips on drawing snowflakes, click HERE.

And for the snowman, I piped and filled white circles with a "4" tip, let set a bit, then used a black "2" tip for the smiley face and an orange "3" tip for the carrot nose.