Mini foods are just more fun, aren’t they?

Am I the only one that seems to have rose-colored childhood food memories? I mean, I know that I’m repeating myself. Plus, I’m pretty sure that in most cases my memory is way over exaggerated, but it’s easy to forget this and get stuck craving an old favorite treat and wanting it to taste exactly like it used to.

I recently remembered this one food memory that stood out in particular, gem cookies. My mom had this friend who would bring her these delicious little bite-size cookies from a local bakery near her house and every time I saw that familiar white paper bag with the pink letters I would get so excited because I knew they were those cookies.

I wanted to do my best to recreate the specific flavor of these little sweets because they were so good! They weren’t your typical dry, crusty frosted shortbreads, they were melt-in-your mouth buttery and had the perfect ratio of frosting to cookie. Plus, the itty-bittyness of them made them perfect for popping into your mouth one right after another. So addictive.

Something else that was kind of unique to said cookies was the icing that was tall and buttery, yet it didn’t smash when you piled the cookies into a bag. I’ve never made a frosting with all of these characteristics but I was determined to find one. I knew that it would need to be thick and pipe-able like buttercream. My final result seemed pretty close to what I was going for so I’m pretty happy with it.

The fun thing about them is that you can make them any color you want so they are the perfect little treat to share with friends and family all year long. Just think how cute pastels would be for Easter or red white and blue for summer!

And of course, if you don’t feel like taking the time to make them so small, feel free to make them as big as you’d like. I don’t have a cookie cutter the size that I wanted so I used the back of a piping tip and it worked really well to get the tiny circles (except for the few the wanted to get stuck, but you just have to push them out with a toothpick). I can be a bit persistent when I set my mind on an idea #Obsessive Much.

However you want to do them is up to you. I just really hope you love them!

Itty Bitty Fairy Tea Party Cookies

Sometimes the best things come in the smallest packages and these little bites of sweet goodness certainly prove it! These are perfect for birthdays and tea parties all year long!

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 12 servings (about)

Ingredients

Cookies:
1/2 cup coconut oil or vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup full-fat coconut cream *see note
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Icing:
1/3 cup aquafaba liquid from a can of garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing
dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
A few drops of natural food coloring

Instructions

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or silpads. Combine oil, coconut cream, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamed. Add the almond, vanilla, and salt and beat until mixed. Add in the flour a cup at a time until evenly combined but don't overmix.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and use a 1-inch round cookie cutter or any tool you have for making tiny circles (about 3/4 inch). For example, I used the back of an extra large pastry tip.) Place them about 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart on tray and bake for 6 - 8 minutes, watching carefully until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding icing.
Icing:
Add the aquafaba to the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Turn speed to lowest setting and add vanilla, salt, and almond until incorporated, then slowly start adding the powdered sugar. Mix until evenly combined then add the coconut oil (or shorteninand turn speed back up to high and whip for at least 3 minutes until it's light and fluffy. Divide the frosting into as many bowls as the colors you want and mix in food coloring last.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip, or desired tip, with the icing and pipe little stars on each cookie. Allow them to sit out until the frosting hardens or you'll squish it. Once dry, store in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

If you have trouble finding coconut cream at your local grocery store it's completely fine to use full-fat coconut milk and scrape the cream off of the top. Just be sure that it's cold enough to separate.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Fruity Summer Splash Smoothie
2. Sprinkled White & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Crunchy Sweet Crumble Muffins
4. Colorful Veggie & Hummus Appetizer Board
5. Grill Time! Sweet Spicy Tofu Skewers