poisson d'avril! il trompe l'œil! [my cherry amore!]

my favorite little guy Rowan was almost born on Grandma Bobbi's birthday. i was to be induced the 31st, Monday morning. we were nodding off by daybreak on Tuesday. he just wasn't budging... but finally my little April fool was born. now he's three and knows all the words to "happy birthday" and sings it to Grandma ("have a bird day") then the next day everyone calls him to sing it, then on Sunday we go to lunch and sing it all together... the kiddo just sings and eats cake all weekend. he's in heaven.
Bobbi will say her grandkids are sweet enough, but as a diabetic, she's missing out on that guilty pleasure (that we should indulge in responsibly!) of having a mouthful of frosting. but despite not partaking, she always admires and encourages my cookie aspirations, so i've been on the lookout for a sugarfree recipe i can live with, but then i'm left with the dilemma of decorating them. they don't make sugar-free powdered sugar. splenda will dissolve into the egg whites, not build up peaks.
i had to resign myself to a reduced sugar project for now. i did this with my regular recipes, i just used a little frosting for the borders and branches, and added fondant cut-outs that can be removed before eating.
i'd guess it's at least a third less carbs per cookie, though i doubt that's significant enough, but she loved the look nonetheless. the cherry blossoms were cut with a tiny fondant cutter, then rolled a bit with one of my clay-modeling tools, then dotted with a pearl dragee and dusted with pearl dust.


then i pondered how to commemorate the kiddo's half of the weekend, and what went with cherry blossoms, and i realized i had acquired a cherry cookie cutter that had yet to be used. cherries it was.
happy birthday, favorite mother-in-law Bobbi and favorite little man Rowan! coming soon, Wayne planes and Brittany bling...