How to Make a Gnome & Mushroom Cookie Platter

Are you still loving or are you over the gnome trend? In my case, I can't get enough of them!

Gnomes are still super popular. Even after a few years since its debut, our Valentine gnome design remains a hot seller every time Valentine season comes around. Since then, I had a few requests to make a similar gnome platter option.

This new gnome and mushroom cookie platter set utilizes easy details that are quick to decorate. For added interest, I thought including a "cookie moss" effect would be a nice textured complement to this woodland theme.

Here's how I put this platter all together.

Gnome & Mushroom Platter Cookie Cutters

This gnome and mushroom cookie platter set includes a gnome face cutter, a mushroom with a heart cutter, and a center circle cutter. You can purchase cookie cutters together as a set, or as a pair of cutters without the center circle.

(This is the same circle cutter used in all my platter sets, like this Snowflake set, Spiral Platter, and Floral Wreath, etc.)

There are two sizes available. When arranged as a platter, as shown in the example picture, the platter measures:

LARGE- 12 inches in diameter.

SMALL- 9 inches in diameter.

For this tutorial, I'll be decorating the LARGE size.

To make things a little more interesting, I decided to use the wood heart cookie cutter from last year as the centerpiece. This was also the LARGE size option I'll be showing below.

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Templates for the Valentine Gnome Cookie Platter

To help with the decorating process, I made a PDF template available for all the new Valentine's Day cookie cutter designs, including this gnome and mushroom set.

You can download these cookie templates HERE.

If you have a Kopykake or Pico projector, just print it out (or pull it up on your mobile device) and you are good to go. For those without a projector, follow the suggested steps below by tracing the design onto the cookie with an edible food marker.

The Decorating Process

For the colors used for these gnome and mushroom cookies, you will need the following suggested colors:

• Flesh Color royal icing (I mixed a Americolor Copper and Americolor Ivory.)
• Brown icing (I mixed Americolor Taupe with a touch of Americolor Warm Brown.)
• Dark Pink icing (I mixed Wilton Rose with a small sampling of the brown icing above to dull down the intensity.)
• Green icing (I used Americolor Mint.)
• White icing (I used Americolor Bright White.)
• Light Blue icing (I mixed Americolor Wedgewood with a little of the dark pink icing to mute it down.)

Step 1

For the gnome cookie, begin filling in the face section with tan icing. Let that icing set, then fill in the top cap section with light blue icing.

Next, fill in the remaining beard section with white icing.

Step 2

Once the base layer of icing had time to set, add the nose detail to the middle.

Then outline the cap and add a little pink heart accent for color.

Step 3

For the mushroom cookie, begin by filling in the mushroom sections separately. Fill in either the top or bottom first, then the other.

Step 4

For the mossy heart detail, fill in the heart section with green icing. Then pour the "cookie moss" over the icing while it is wet. Shake off the excess crumbs.

Step 5

Complete the cookie by outlining the top of the mushroom and added white accent hearts.

Step 6

For the center wood heart cookie, begin by filling in the tan sections like the wood center and the mushroom stem.

Then add the brown bark edge detail.

Step 7

Next, fill in the pink mushroom top. Once the tan icing is completely dry you can draw on it. I used this brown marker from Sweet Sugarbelle to draw wood grain.

Lastly, add the white heart detail to the mushroom and the message to the center. (I also use a projector to help guide me with lettering.)

Step 8

At the last minute, I decided the wood heart might look great with more of the "cookie moss" added to it.

Video Tutorial

The steps above are summarized in this time-lapsed video I put together.

Here's the final Valentine cookie platter all assembled. To create this entire platter requires 12 cookies-- 5 gnomes, 5 mushrooms, 1 center circle cookie (hidden underneath), and 1 wood heart.

This is the large, 12" version. For the tray it's on, I like to use the 12" pizza pans from Dollar Tree. They are cheap and sturdy for transporting around.

If you would like a simpler option for the center, this "Happy Valentine's Day" stencil is an easy option you can use for the center circle. Below, I swiped white icing over the stencil to quickly add the design phrase.