Butterflies!

So...I have been sort of obsessed with making sugar cookies recently as I think my last several blogs have been sugar cookies, but in my defense...they are so fun to make! Not to mention, so good to eat! I made these little guys for my wonderful parents for an early Easter treat. So instead of just showing you what I did with these little butterflies, I figured I would make it a bit more educational and tell you a little about butterflies and why they are so amazing.

Butterflies belong to a group of insects called Lepidoptera which in Latin means scaled wings, clever name being that butterflies' wings are covered in colored scales which gives them their beautiful appearance. Unfortunately moths fall into this same category of insects, and as I type the word moth, let me tell you I am getting the chills. I absolutely cannot handle moths (or any ugly insects for that matter) my skin just crawls! I remember when I was younger we used to find these HUGE moths in the barns in the morning, I mean ENORMOUS, they were different shades of brown to blend in with the wood and they grossed me out sooooooo much, EEEW! So funny I was so scared of them given that moths are basically ugly butterflies!

Other things about butterflies: they have 4 wings and six legs and a little thing called a proboscis which they use to eat. Butterflies are believed to be free spirits whom play a major roll in pollination, helping our world to stay beautiful! One more little tidbit about these pretty little things is where do they come from??? Well they start out as an egg that the mother butterfly lays on a leaf, this egg hatches to the larva stage which is a caterpillar (which also make my skin crawl). This is the growth phase of the butterfly and the caterpillar can shed its skin numerous times as it grows. The caterpillar then turns into a chrysalis aka cacoon which is referred to the pupa phase, at this time the caterpillar tissues are broken down and the adult insect structure is created. When this phase is complete, the adult form emerges as a beautiful butterfly (or ugly moth). Cool right! Well now you know a little more than you knew 5 minutes ago about butterflies. Lets get back to the cookies!

I started by outlining the wings and body in brown. 

When you are outlining in a darker color than you fill

color, you must allow it to dry, otherwise the two will

bleed together making it not look as pretty as it should.

After drying, flood with white

 

Pipe your design while the flood frosting is still wet.

Drag a toothpick through to swirl your design,

incorporating all of your colors.

And there you have, quick easy directions for making these beautiful springtime butterflies!

Well everyone, have a beautiful day and try to enjoy the little things in life. Stay tuned for a couple of Easter posts coming up in the next couple of days! There is something magical about store-bought Easter chocolate, it always brings back childhood memories of Easter, I love it! Bring on the Cadbury Eggs! For now...happy baking, happier eating!