Easy Graduation Cookies Fondant (Printable)

Soft sugar cookies adorned with fondant mortarboard hats for festive celebrations and gifting.

# What you need:

→ Sugar Cookies

01 - 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Fondant Mortarboard

08 - 8 ounces black fondant
09 - 1 ounce yellow fondant
10 - Cornstarch for dusting and rolling

→ Decorating

11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
13 - 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Beat in egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, stirring until just incorporated.
06 - Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 0.25-inch thickness. Cut into 2.5-inch round or square shapes.
07 - Place cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are light golden. Cool completely on wire rack.
08 - Roll black fondant to 0.125-inch thickness and cut 24 small squares approximately 1.25 inches each. Roll 24 small cylinders approximately 0.5 inches long for mortarboard bases. Roll yellow fondant into thin ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces for tassels.
09 - Mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth consistency is achieved.
10 - For each cooled cookie, use icing to attach fondant square in center. Place fondant cylinder beneath square as base. Attach yellow tassel to one corner with icing dab.
11 - Allow decorations to set for 20 to 30 minutes before serving or packaging.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • The dough comes together so easily that even if you're baking at the last minute, you'll have 24 cookies cooling within the hour.
  • Fondant work sounds intimidating until you realize you're literally just rolling squares and cylinders, which means anyone can make these look professionally decorated.
  • They're the kind of treat people photograph and share, which means your effort gets celebrated beyond just tasting delicious.
02 -
  • Underbaked cookies are your friend because they continue to cook slightly on the cooling rack and harden as they cool, giving you that perfect tender-crisp texture that makes people close their eyes when they bite in.
  • Fondant becomes unmanageable if it's too warm, so if yours gets sticky while you're working, pop it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes and it'll firm back up beautifully.
  • The icing needs to be thick enough to hold decorations but thin enough to spread, so add milk one teaspoon at a time until you hit that sweet spot.
03 -
  • If your fondant is tough to work with, microwave it for 5 seconds at a time until it becomes pliable, but watch it carefully because it goes from perfect to soup fast.
  • Cutting fondant squares is easier with a small sharp knife dipped in water between cuts, which prevents it from sticking and tearing.
  • Room temperature butter and eggs really do matter here, so pull them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start baking, which makes a noticeable difference in how smoothly everything creams together.
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