Take your next cup of hot cocoa on a high-flying adventure with this Up-inspired cookie garnish—perfect for explorers of all ages! DisneyFamily has created this Up Hot Cocoa! Are you up for a challenge?

 

Up Hot Cocoa

SERVES 1

Ingredients:

• ROYAL ICING:
• – 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• – 5 tbsp meringue powder
• – 1/2 cup water
• – Pink (or red), orange, yellow, green, blue, brown, and black food coloring
• MATERIALS:
• – 8 pastry (or zip-top) bags and small, round tips
• – Cardstock
• – Template
• – Scissors
• – Craft or paring knife
• – 2’’ round pastry cutter
• COOKIE GARNISH:
• – 7 stroopwafels (I used cookies 3 1/2″ in diameter)
• – Pretzel stick
• – Candy coated chocolate pieces

Helpful Tip: All cutting should be done by an adult.

 

Directions:

1. Make the royal icing: Put confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and water into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed for 10 minutes.

2. Separate icing into 7 bowls and color pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, brown, and black. Leave some white. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small, round tip.

3. Download and print template. Then cut out house patterns. Use to cut out pieces from the stroopwafel using a craft or sharp paring knife. (Note: The numbers on the template refer to the order in which the pieces will be assembled.) I used 5 stroopwafles for the house. 

4. Decorate the front of the house (#1) on the top triangle part with yellow icing. Use green icing to decorate the rectangle directly below the triangle. Use orange icing to decorate the rectangle on the left. Color the left side of the house piece (#2) with yellow icing and the right side (#3) with pink icing. Color the window piece (#10) with yellow icing. 

5. Once the icing on the front side of the house has dried add in black windows. Add one window on the yellow triangle part and 3 windows on the bottom green part. Add a brown door with brown icing on the left side on top of the orange color. Add a black window on the top window piece as well.

6. Once pieces are dry, use a whole stroopwafel for the base that will hold the house. Take the front piece of the house (#1) and pipe brown icing along the bottom as glue and place on your base. Hold for 1-2 minutes until secure.

7. Take the left side piece (#2) and pipe brow icing along the sides and bottom. Attach this piece behind the front piece and on the left side. Then repeat step for right side of the house (with #3 piece). 

8. Take the back of the house (#4) and pipe brown icing along the bottom and front sides. Attach it to pieces #2 and #3. Next, use pieces #5 and #6 to create the roof on the right hand side of the house. Pipe brown icing along the edges. Place piece #6 as the roof on the right hand side. Place piece #5 as the roof on the left hand side. 

9. Pieces #7 and #8 will create the roof on the left hand side. Pipe brown icing along the edges. Place piece #7 as the front part of the roof and piece #8 behind it. Then pipe brown icing on the bottom of piece #9. Then place piece between the roof pieces on the left hand side. 

10. Piece #10 will go on the front of piece #7 (roof on the left side). Pipe brown icing on it and place on the front roof.

11. Adding in some details, pipe a blue border along the edge of the yellow triangle on the front piece as well as on the left hand side between the front roof and the orange colored piece. On the sides of the house, you can fill in the color along the edges for a more complete look. 

12. To create the “balloons,” use a 2” round pastry cutter and cut out a circle. Pipe white frosting on circle and stick chocolate coated candies to it. Then insert pretzel into balloon piece. Pipe a line down the pretzel. Once the front side is dry you can add some extra icing to the back to make sure it is extra secure. Place pretzel and balloons behind the house. (I used extra pieces of stroopwafel to really secure the pretzel piece.) 

13. Place the mug topper on top of your favorite hot cocoa or warm drink. (Note: Mug topper should not be left on hot beverage for more than 10-15 minutes as it may collapse.) 

Source: DisneyFamily