Our golden owl's eyes, beak, and talons are made from store-bought chocolate wafer cookies, his pupils from chalky white Necco wafer candies -- wise, indeed.

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Place templates on 2 sheet cakes, and cut out with a paring knife. Halve eye, beak, and brow pieces horizontally. Reserve scraps.

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Arrange pieces into an owl shape, using scraps to build up chest.

Starting with 9 1/2 cups buttercream, reserve 2 1/2 cups and tint the rest yellow. Use yellow buttercream to attach pieces.

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Coat eyes with untinted buttercream and rest of cake with yellow, rounding over chest. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Add a second smooth coat of untinted buttercream to top surface of eyes. Add a second smooth coat of yellow to beak and edges of eyes. Layer yellow frosting on wings and head, creating grooves with a small offset spatula.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium petal tip (Ateco #103) with 1 cup untinted frosting and 1 cup yellow, the two side by side. Holding bag at a 45-degree angle, with the thinnest opening of the tip facing up, pipe ruffles in vertical lines to cover chest.

Pipe 2 lines of ruffles on each brow.

Place a chocolate wafer cookie on each eye, and top each with a Necco wafer, using a dab of frosting to adhere. Halve 6 cookies, and use as talons. Halve another cookie, break off the top of each half, and use as beak.