HAGS! Or #HAGS. This was written in my 5th grade son’s yearbook, next to his friends’ signatures. What the heck is that? Hags?! All I could picture was a white-haired old lady with bumps on her nose. I figured I would have to inquire once I unloaded the backpacks full of papers, art supplies, and stray locker items.

That being said, summer vacation has arrived! We celebrate the start of our break with cookies. What else, when your mom is a baker? In keeping with my cookie Tic-Tac-Toe thing {I’ve made Halloween, Fall, Holiday, and Valentine’s Day versions), I joyously created this Summer Tic-Tac-Toe to kick it off!

I do get a lot of questions about how I’ve made my cookie tic-tac-toe sets in the past, so thought I would briefly break down a few of the details.

First, the board. I measure and hand cut the dough with a pastry cutter, 6 inches by 6 inches square. Yes, I use a ruler. My recipe does spread a bit after it’s baked, but I don’t mind. If you are very particular, you can use a microplane grater to make the sides nice and straight. Outline and flood the monster cookie and let it dry overnight. The next day it will be ready for the details.

For this set I wanted the background to resemble a picnic blanket, so decided to paint the pattern on with food coloring (Americolor Super Red) slightly watered down and applied with a food only paint brush.

To make the sections of the board into nine equal spaces, I use my ruler and mark off the top, bottom and sides of the board at the 2 inch and 4 inch spots. Use a scribe tool or a food writer to do so. This will give you a guide when you line up your ruler again, point to point, to create the straight-ish, grid lines. (This photo was taken at the time of my Valentine board…sorry for the discrepancy in pictures!)

In the past, I would have piped the dividing lines, but for this particular set the ants were marching with a slight squiggle. Most ants do. With this in mind, it seemed more appropriate to get out the FooDoodlers and draw them on. Best invention ever, those FooDoodlers.

I did pipe the ants on with royal icing, because I wanted more of a 3D effect with the little guys, but you could just as easily draw them. Board complete!

Let’s move on to the game pieces…

I had so many options with my ever growing collection of mini cookie cutters, but I settled on 5: an ice cream cone, popsicle, strawberry, watermelon, and sun. They seemed the most like the start of summer fun to me! I typically make six cookies of each design so there are enough to play the game with. Some details are done with the FooDoodlers and some with royal icing. It never hurts to make extra minis if you plan to snack as you participate.

The only shape I had to frankencookie (i.e. squishing two pieces of dough shapes together to get one desired shape) was the popsicle. I used a mini tombstone cookie cutter and the bottom of a mini Christmas bulb cutter. It was a bit tedious, but I only made 12 total. I could deal.

Once the desired cookie game pieces are made and the board ready, it’s time to play! And then eat. A great way to commemorate the start of our summer break!

We are looking forward to no early morning schedules, al fresco dinners, and the prospects of road trips near and far. HAGS! Or as us old people say….Have A Great Summer! 😉