Outdoor (Indoor) Winter Fun (January 2014)

Ok, this whole blogging thing...I've been using basically any free time I have had over the past 3 months or so to work on my posts...yes, all 33 of them, and today, with the 34th post, I have to say I am officially "caught up."  Like I had said originally, the whole "purpose" of this blog is just a means to remember the cookies after they've been eaten.  And, happily from now on, the cookies I post will be ones I will have just finished, in the appropriate season and for timely occasions...at least, if I keep to it!

These cookies were really just for fun.  I noticed our supply getting low in the cookie jar, and with Valentine's Day still a couple of weeks away, I knew I wanted to make something before then.  So, I started thinking about what the kids have been really excited about lately...what, a cookie with them in mind and it wasn't even their birthday?  Yes...it was time.

We have had no shortage of snow around here, and we keep talking and reading about sledding, building snowmen, and making snow angels.  But, unfortunately with our record-breaking low temps, we are unable to fully enjoy it (or at all!).  Their experiences so far have been limited to dressing up in a million layers, dad snow-blowing at all hours of the day, and mom grumbling about how the entryway has not had clean floor in weeks.  

So, how about bringing some of the outdoor winter fun indoor with sledding cookies?  I looked and looked for a cookie cutter that might work.  I had a mini sleigh cookie from my Christmas set, but it really wasn't right.  Then, I "saw" it...can you?

A duck!  One with its bill and one without.  

And, although drawing facial expressions is never my strength, I kept it simple and played around with non-pareils for texture.

I accessorized the platter with coordinating mini snowflakes (my new go-to), and some hats and mittens, again, using the non-pareils for texture and consistency.

I had made argyle onesies before, but I was intimidated a bit by my fair-isle pattern.  Actually though, when broken down into the different designs/lines, it really wasn't too tricky.

And, since I was making these with my kids in mind, I wanted to acknowledge their new favorite little guy, Olaf, from Disney's Frozen.  Over the winter break, my husband and I took our daughter to see Frozen, her first movie in the theater.  Ever since then, she/we have all been make-believing and singing non-stop.  Even my son at only 20 months can sing along...and didn't even see the movie!

I used a snowman cookie cutter, but trimmed his top hat to give him a more oval face.  Although I pretty much just designed him based on the little figurine my daughter plays with, I did get some additional inspiration from Lizy B's blog.  

It was awesome to see the kids' expressions when they saw this cookie all completed.  And now, when they get to choose which cookie they want for snack time, Olaf is the clear "winner."  So, due to the popularity of these cookies among my kids, I am pretty sure this will not the last time I'll be making these.  

Don't you just want to give him a warm hug?

Anyhow, that's it.  All caught up and welcoming our outdoor winter fun in an indoor way.  

Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy the real thing soon...stay warm!

Sweet Little Love Notes (January 2014)

My co-worker is due with a baby in February.  Their first, a little girl, and our department couldn't be happier for them.  I was also happy to have another excuse to make a platter of cookies.  Since I'm basically addicted to Pinterest, I searched for her and spied on some of her favorite pins for baby.

I knew they were decorating the baby's room a cool combination of teal and coral, and I know how much her husband is into music.  I saw that she had pinned a few baby onesies with cute music puns on them, and that was all the inspiration I needed...I was off to work!

How about those music puns?  "Here comes treble...Hold me?"  Awesome.  Since I really didn't think I could fit all the lettering on a onesie cookie, I chose to use a heart, with some additional flower details.

I happened to have the music note and treble clef cookie cutters already.  See...this only fuels my collection-buying habits, since, well, you never know which one(s) you'll need.  I traced the treble clef a few times with the gray icing in order to give it the perception of having strings, and the music notes, although the largest, were the most simple overall design...especially once I discovered Sweet Sugar Belle's simple roses...love these!

 Of course, I wanted to have a mini option, so I chose basic hearts in coordinating colors, since the rest of the cookies were so elaborate and busy.

 Also, to add some background interest to the platter, I made some additional circle cookies.  This time, I used a food marker pen to stencil on the gray and white chevron...still working on perfecting that pattern with icing.  The quatrefoil (the coral in the middle), I was able to free-hand after some practice on scratch paper, and the teal with white polka dots was completed with the wet-on-wet icing technique. 

 

I loved making a baby shower platter that didn't include my traditional baby cookie cutters (i.e. onesies, bottles, carriages).  It was fun to make this personalized platter for such a fun and sweet couple.  

Best wishes with their new addition!

Friendly Winter Creatures (December 2013)

Sending my daughter to preschool, although a huge transition, was made easier by the fact that I..love... her...preschool.  I love the teachers, the classrooms, and the nostalgia, since many years ago, I also attended the same preschool.  It is unassuming, in the basement of a church, and for those who have experienced its charm, understand why it's so special.  One of their traditions is to hold two programs during the year, one in the winter and one in the spring.  The kids sing and dance to the songs they've learned from the music teacher in front of an audience of parents and continuous camera flashes.

Although we didn't really know what to expect performance-wise from our daughter, we were so proud.  She followed all their directions and sang along to every song (at a much more reasonable volume than we're used to at home).  I even remembered a few of their classic songs.

Afterwards, the students and parents were invited to a little party back in the classroom.  Parents could choose to sign up to bring either paper goods or cookies...the choice for me was simple. :)

I wanted to stay away from any specific holiday themes and keep the cookies gender-neutral, since I wanted everyone to be included, so, after some thinking, I thought I'd make some friendly winter creatures.  Specifically, I planned on penguins, polar bears, owls, and foxes along with some snowflakes as a "mini" option. 

I already had penguin and polar bear cookie cutters, and I was pretty sure of their design.  But, after seeing this idea on Pinterest (my new addiction), I decided to add some cute scarves for the bears.  It definitely added more color to the platter.

I used my Eskimo cookie cutter again to make the owls (very similar to the cookies I made at the start of the preschool year, but in different colors to coordinate with this platter).  And, the foxes were inspired from another very talented blogger, The Bearfoot Baker, who had used this design per the request of Sweet Sugar Belle's blog for other cookie-bakers and bloggers to submit their most creative use of a star cookie cutter...so fun!

I thought they were an unexpected cookie platter for the holidays, and one that the preschoolers would appreciate.

And, we have a new little saying in our house that has become a bit of a routine (probably because of the reaction she receives).  My daughter always points out her future elementary school when we drive by it in the car.  She says, "Hey Mom, that's where I'm going to go for Kindergarten, right?"  I say yes, and then she says, "Well...let's just enjoy preschool for now."
I couldn't agree more!

Oh What a Snow It Would Be...(December 2013)

Onto Christmas-time cookies.  Being from an interfaith household, I'm very sensitive to cultural differences, so when I distribute cookies around this time of year, I try to be somewhat generic.  These snowflakes were a very colorful addition to the little favor bags I usually give to neighbors, friends, and teachers this time of year.  (Although I had something special in mind for the teachers this year...see next post!)

Ah, and what about this little tin platter?  I loved the color, the faux lace background, and the price...$2.00 at Jo-Ann.  (Love their seasonal markdowns!)  I re-used it all season, and then I ended up leaving it at a family member's home with no worries.  No extra dish to wash and return...an extra gift from me to you. :)

Anyhow...the cookies.

 

I didn't want to do only white and blue (after all, I already sort of just did that with the Hanukkah cookies).  I wanted some color, and I got some great inspiration from Oh Sugar Events.

 I had two different, but basic, large snowflake cookie cutters, and then I used circles for the "mini" option.  

 

I tried to be careful about the order in which I frosted these guys (that is, in order to save the most time and dish washing).  But, I basically ended up having almost all colors handy at all times in order to make the details I wanted on each color. 

 All together, I liked trying new colors for these classic snowflake designs, and they definitely gave my lemon refrigerator cookies and chewy chocolate drop cookies the pop of color they needed to make a really festive little gift bag.

If You're Going to San Francisco...(December 2013)

So, the busy holiday season was here...Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas all coming together in one hectic jumble (as always), but a co-worker of mine announced that she was moving to San Francisco because of her husband's job.  She had less than two weeks to wrap up things at work, pack, and move across the country.  As always, our department tries to coordinate a nice get together to wish the departing co-worker well, but I wanted to make it personal with cookies.

I had been brainstorming with people at work, but I finally thought of something that was fun, a little abstract, but that I could definitely whip up in a weekend...flowers.  As in the song, "If you're going to San Francisco...Be sure to wear flowers in your hair."
Ok, a bit before my time, but still fun.

For the hippy chicks, I struggled with what cookie cutter to use until I settled upon an elongated pumpkin shape (hence, the somewhat unattractive double-chin...at least from some angles).  But, that shape let me add the hair and vine strands where I wanted...

you know, giving out that ethereal vibe.

 

The mini pink flowers were my favorite flower creation so far.  I alternated petals (three at a time) with 20-second icing, making an interesting texture without all the outlining and filling-in.  They were quick, easy, and cute.  I will be using them again.

The mini "bouquet" cookies were inspired by Sweet Sugar Belle's flower cookies, although mine tended to look more like stars than flowers.  In the end, the effect worked and were fairly simple to do.

And, I couldn't resist attempting one cookie of the Golden Gate Bridge.  (That was definitely the vote/challenge from my co-workers.)  Although I was happy with how it turned out in the end, those birds were placed there only after 3 separate attempts at printing a "good luck" message in the sky.  I guess you gotta know when seagulls are enough.

Definitely one of those batches I made just for fun, but it let me really stretch my imagination...and for a great cause.  

Wishing good luck on the relocation and many happy returns to Chicago!

Happy Hanukkah 2013

I have always loved that Christmas tends to equal "cookies," at least in my family and friends' homes.  For years, I've made little bags of cookies and dropped them off with neighbors, served them at parties, and given them to teachers as gifts.  They've usually been the traditional drop cookie or refrigerator cookie.  I've experimented a little with different varieties (peppermint, lemon, oatmeal, chocolate chip, etc), but with this new discovery of cookie decorating, I feel the potential is endless...but, my time isn't.

So, because I tend to over-bake for Christmas, it was a joy that Hanukkah was so early this year (actually, a bit too early...on Thanksgiving!).  

But, that's ok.  I finally got a chance to give Hanukkah the time it deserves, cookie-wise.

I have a great set of Hanukkah cookie cutters, and that's where I found my menorah, dreidel, and star.  The present was from a Wilton Christmas collection, I think.  I got some inspiration from Lizy B Bakes's blog, but also from Williams-Sonoma of all places.

I used gold and silver metallic food color spray to give a little extra shine to the stars, menorahs, and gelt.  Notice how I keep finding ways to add my minis?  They are always the first to go...so, less guilt, more gelt. :)

And, I followed Ali Bee's tutorial for how to create bows.  I prefer the ones without the ribbon down the sides, but it was fun to create the different gift wrap, all staying within the same color scheme and trying to maintain that 3-D perspective.

Could it be that one day Hanukkah could be just as well-known for its traditional cookies?  Maybe in my house...

Turkey Platter (November 2013)

Since Thanksgiving and Hanukkah were the on same day this year (so crazy), I had been cookie-ing overtime lately.  Here is what I decided to bring to Thanksgiving this year: a Simple Thanksgiving Turkey Platter, ala Sweet Sugar Belle. 

I used a snowman cookie cutter for the body and a leaf cookie cutter for the feathers.

Seriously, very easy.  But...not so impressive without the platter.

With the rest of the dough, I made a few turkeys using a flower cookie cutter (inspired by Palm Beach Pastry on Etsy) and mini leaves to give to classroom teachers...you know, to say, "Thanks."

The leaves were a mini version of my autumn leaves from last year, giving me another excuse to play with food color spray mist.

This year, with the craziness the holidays always bring, I was "thankful" for any shortcut I could find, and this cookie platter was just the thing.

Little Blue Truck (November 2013)

Another couple birthdays coming up, so I decided to make a dozen or so cookies to accompany the gifts.  These were designed to go along with the story, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, one of my son's favorites.  I designed him using my wedding cake cookie cutter, since it already had a nice, boxy shape.

 Although these cookies only required 4 different colors, they needed to be applied at specific times for drying and texture.  I really like the front bumper that looks like a mustache and the tread on the tires.

By moving around the location of his pupils, it really changed his expression.  He really is a friendly truck, and with the mustache, I worried that sometimes, he looked a little intimidating.

All in all, they ended up being a cute addition to the birthday gifts and another good excuse for me to play around in the kitchen.

Snuggly Gender-Neutral Baby Shower (November 2013)

A co-worker was having a baby, and so, I jumped at the opportunity to create some cookies for the shower celebration.  She wasn't finding out if the baby was a boy/girl, and she was keeping a fairly neutral color palate of white/gray.  (Great idea to then add blue/pink, both of which look so good with gray.)  Something along the lines of this Pottery Barn Kids collection.

So, I decided to make gray and white quilted cookies with the 20-second icing trick, and I used the wet-on-wet technique to create little chevron cookies, as inspired by Peapods Cookies.  Minis had to be incorporated somehow, so that's how I added a little more color.

The babies were actually made from a balloon cookie cutter.  I made all their hats gray, but the little pouf on top was then either white/pink or white/blue.  I added lashes to the "girl" babies too for fun.  Although a pretty easy design, I started to worry when the babies in stocking caps started to look more like knights in armor.  Can you see it too, or was it just  my tired eyes?

Anyways, in the end, it was a cute little platter, and much to our surprise, she ended up having a sweet baby boy.  (I had even made a few extra pink cookies, since I was so sure she was having a girl...what do I know?)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow (October 2013)

So, this was the most ambitious project of mine so far, and with all the other Halloween mini cookies I was making, these were probably unnecessary...but oh so fun to create.

 

  

My daughter has been into the Wizard of Oz for a little while, and it was recently re-released on DVD or something, so there has been a lot of buzz about this favorite movie lately.  All that helped make choosing her Halloween costume pretty easy...some character from the Wizard of Oz.  She was changing her mind each day, though.  "Maybe I could be Glinda!, or Dorothy!, or even the Wicked Witch!"  It wasn't until my sister-in-laws bought her sparkly red shoes that she was sold on Dorothy...and then, she really got excited.

Since my son is only 18 months, he didn't really have a say in the matter.  And, since I figure I only have a few years where they can coordinate, we made him into the Scarecrow.  Their costumes were really cute, but their excitement was even cuter.  This was the first year my daughter was really getting the idea of trick-or-treating (nevermind it rained cats and dogs on the actual Halloween night), but it was a fun holiday for us. 

 

 

That said, I thought cookies must be created to help celebrate this fun occasion...or at least, it was a good excuse.

 

 

Well, I knew I would have to make a "Dorothy."  I used Sweet Sugar Belle's Alice in Wonderland cookies as a starting point.  I liked how the hands came together in the front and how the face was sort of left alone.  Her legs/knees ended up with some less-attractive craters, but her sparkly shoes made up for it I think.  I sprinkled some edible glitter right on the wet, red frosting, and my daughter even helped (they are what makes Dorothy, "Dorothy," after all).

And then, how could I have Dorothy without the Scarecrow?  I didn't have anything close to a Scarecrow cookie cutter, so I used a cupcake cutter.  Sweet Sugar Belle had made a scarecrow cookie in the past that I also used as a starting point.   The yellow brick roads were my own invention, and I used 20-second icing to create textures on the bricks.  Oh, and those little roses are my new obsession.

Not stopping there with only 3 cookie designs, I wanted to incorporate the black-and-white and color parts of the movie, so I created a sort of tornado and rainbow.  The tornado started as a leaf cookie cutter, and I used Sweet Sugar Belle's trick for making confetti.  And, the rainbow started as a moon cookie cutter, and was a pretty intuitive design.

The broomsticks were originally champagne glasses and were definitely an easy addition to the platter.  I like the subtle green "W" on the handle.

This project was definitely the most time-consuming of all my previous projects.  This is when I really started drawing out all my designs 

(colored pencil style) prior to baking/frosting. 

In the end, I found them very rewarding, especially when all laid out on a platter.

I love that my daughter loves this movie.  There is nothing cuter than hearing her belt out all the words to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  

And, it's just as cute with a mouthful of cookies.