Friendship Bracelet Cookies: A Sweet Gift Idea For Childhood Besties

Remember those days when you gifted your handmade friendship day bracelets to your closest friends in school? Those are some cherished memories when friends used to exchange their friendship bracelets as a token of appreciation and love, and also to show off the strong bond of your friendship to the whole class. This became a tradition all over the world and is still among the most nostalgic moments of friendship for many. Turning the idea of gifting your friends a friendship bracelet into an innovative idea where you can eat the bracelet, this recipe will tell you how you can make friendship bracelets with cookies.

Simple, easy, and delightful, these friendship bracelet cookies will be a perfect gift for your friends that is not just delightful, but also mind boggling. When the treats become ornaments, they get a new whimsical makeover that makes them unforgettable. It becomes a treat that you would want to cherish for a lifetime. Too good to consume, the friendship bracelet cookies are just the perfect gift to rekindle the nostalgic memories of childhood.

This recipe for friendship bracelet cookies uses one base of sugar cookie dough and transforms it into colorful beads to create the bracelet. The idea is the same as any normal cookie, but the difference is only in the presentation and the appeal which changes the way you enjoy cookies entirely. The sensory pleasure that comes with eating this delicious cookie ornament brings alive the child in you and bolster the friendship for years to come. Check out this easy recipe for friendship bracelet cookies and make it at home this Friendship Day.

Easy Step-By-Step Recipe For Friendship Bracelet Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Sugar Cookie Dough:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract

For the Royal Icing decoration:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1½ tbsp meringue powder (or use egg white powder)
• 3–4 tbsp water
• Food coloring (assorted pastel and bright colors)
• Edible markers, alphabet sprinkles, edible glitter, piping bags

Method:

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients

Take a bowl and in it combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well until mixed homogeneously. For a finer texture, sift the dry ingredients.

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

In a different bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until it turns light and fluffy. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Once creamed, break in the eggs and add vanilla extract. Beat it until well combined.

Step 3: Prepare the Dough

Now gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms. Divide this dough into 2 equal sized discs and wrap it in a plastic bag to refrigerate for at least an hour. Refrigeration is important to make the cookies hold shape well.

Step 4: Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheet

Set the oven to 175°C or 350°F for preheating. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to make sure the cookies don’t stick to the sheet.

Step 5: Shape Cookies

Flour the surface and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick sheet. Take a cookie cutter of heart shape, round shape, or bracelet like shape. You can also use a donut cutter to create the shape like a beaded friendship band or you can also create an ornament by rolling the dough into small balls and threading it with needle and thread after baking. Use small circle or straws to punch holes on the edges to make them resemble bracelet holes.

Step 6: Bake the Cookies

Bake the cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes until the edges start to appeal golden. Once baked, cool it off completely by placing it on wire racks.

Step 7: Make Royal Icing

Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing for the cookies by whisking together powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add a little water and whisk again until you achieve a thick and pipeable consistency. The icing shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. Divide this icing into separate bowls and color each bowl with a different food coloring. After this is done, transfer this icing into piping bags.

Step 8: Decorate the Bracelets

If you are making flat cookies, you can create a bracelet design on top of it. And if you are making beads for the bracelet, you can coat each bead in a different color to make a rainbow style whimsical edible bracelet. Spell out the friendship quotes and labels like BFF, LOVE, Bestie for Life onto each bracelet and decorate it with sprinkles, flitter, or edible pearls. Let the icing dry completely for about 2 to 4 hours before threading the beads and packaging.