Basketball Shortbread Cookies

This is the 3rd time I've tried making cut-out cookies with royal icing. The first was for fun as a practice run for Eva's bridal shower cookies. The second was with Cess - and she can attest that it was not as fun as we thought it would be. The third, which is these cookies here, was actually not bad at all. :)

I made these for Ko Yohan's birthday gift. I usually like to bake birthday cakes for my friends' birthday as a birthday gift, but Ko Yohan had mentioned that he didn't want any cakes. So I thought of another baked goodies to make as a gift. :) You see, whenever Ko Yohan and Alvin met, they always talked about basketball. And Ci Lia also mentioned that he spent a lot of times watching NBA games. So I thought that these basketball cookies would be a good gift for him.

I used the shortbread cookies recipe from Joy of Baking and I really liked how it turned out. The cookies don't taste too sweet and it crumbles in your mouth when you bite into it. I would definitely stick to this recipe going forwards. :)

As for cookie decorating, I'm still new to it and definitely have a LOT of room for improvements. Next time, I'll be more patient when decorating - to make neater outlines and patterns. And I will also learn to use a smaller tip for piping patterns to make more intricate designs. :)