DLD Recipe: My Voodoo Valentine

We have a special treat to share with you all today. We teamed up with our good friend Kariann of Cake Dame to bring you this one of a kind Voodoo Valentines!Not everyone enjoys the day of love as much as us. Perhaps it's because they may not have a significant other to share the day with, or maybe just because it has become an overpriced marketing ploy from the flower and candy companies. Either way, Valentines Day is a dread for many. Since we have many adorable readers who may not share in our love for the holiday, we thought we would share an anti-valentines day craft. Some might call it black magic :O)

1. Start by baking your gingerbread. Head on over to Cake Dame's blog to for the recipe. While your men are cooling, take a straw and carefully punch four holes at the top of the head with a plastic straw. Let cool for an additional 20 minutes.
2. Once cookies are completely cooled, evenly thread licorice laces through each hole at the top of the cooled cookies. Gather the laces or “hair” together and gently tie with another piece of licorice lace.
3. Next step is to draw on your stitches. Using your food safe ink, draw a large “X”  to represent the right eye on the head of the gingerbread man. Paint a 1-inch horizontal line under the doll’s eye for the mouth and make several vertical lines and a single "X" to represent stitches. Continue by drawing a long vertical line from the middle of the doll’s chest to the bottom of the cookie where the legs meet.
4. Repeat this process on each of the hands and feet of the man.
5. Use a a small piece of white fondant to shape the left eye by rolling into a small ball and gently pressing down. Using your ink pen, draw a large "X" onto the fondant button.
6. Adhere the button to the cookie with a small amount of corn syrup.
7. With a small paint brush dipped in corn syrup, draw a small heart on the left side of cookie.
8. Sprinkle with red sanding sugar and gently push sugar into place. You may need to shape the heart by taking a toothpick and removing excess sugar.
9. It's now time to assemble the "pins". Press each hot tamale onto the dull end of a tooth pick. Make sure that these are as centered as possible to avoid poking the toothpick through the side of the candy.
10. Now comes the fun part! Say your curses and poke the "pins" into your dolls eye, heart and any additional limbs you feel necessary.