Had a request to make cookies for a young lady heading to the University of Florida. How can you say no to a GATOR? Because I needed a very quick turn around on making these cookies, I opted for some logos using simple edible pens and stencils to compliment the traditional royal icing decorating.
Oh succulent. Adjective v. noun. Dessert v. desert…. A prickly topic to be sure. Hopefully you think it is a win-win!
These cookies started out with a basic white coating, including some dimension. The shapes were hand drawn on to card stock and then cut out of dough by tracing those shapes with a knife.
To get the sandy effect, I used a microplane/zester to gently trim up the sides (or spare cookie scraps); these trimmings were later sprinkled over the still wet icing of the base cookie. Thank you Rebecca Weld aka TheCookieArchitect for this “fitting” tip. I ‘zested’ each cactus until perfectly flat on the bottom, so they could stand without the aid of icing/support on the base cookie.
After the cacti were painted and dried, I used stiff royal icing (colored with ivory and a dash of egg yellow) and a butter knife to coat the long base cookie. The cactus were quickly set in place and sprinkled with the “sand.”
I did place toothpicks behind the cactus for support (but they stood on their own without). I had to transport them upright and I didn’t know if I needed that assurance…
The Cactus flower is also edible. I painted some edible wafer paper yellow, let that dry, & then cut a continuous inward circle (tons of how-tos on the web). Little dabs of water made the edges stick together as I wound it into a flower.
I have had the pleasure of meeting a LOT of bright and clever people over the years. This young graduate is no exception. Lauren has interned in a hospital already…and that’s before she heads off to a pre-med program at university! Although her biology and chemistry acumen takes a major role of her life, I threw in a few other interests that keep her busy (swimming, being from Buffalo, and graduating) as well. Luckily, Lauren has a kind disposition and is forgiving of my love for word play….
Go 4th and celebrate! Here’s to a folksy Independence Day (and by that , I mean I hope you celebrate with some folks that you really enjoy)!
I know quite a few Dads who are utterly amazing. This is my quirky nod to that generalized word, no matter which way- a.MAZE.ing or a.MAIZE.ing- your find your guy to be.
‘EARS to you Dad!
Although my own chemical balance may be in question, my cookies are “elementally” correct. I found the original idea of using actual properties of the elements to describe the written topic at Newton and the Apple’s Etsy shop. Gemma has clever, meticulously researched greeting cards and more. Be sure to check it out!
I really liked the shape of these cookies. A cross between folk art and primitive design, I wanted their shape and texture to stand out. I drew the bunny outlines on card stock and then hand cut them out of dough by tracing the shape with a sharp knife. The color was a mix of Americolor warm brown and black. I flooded the whole cookie with 15-20 second royal icing, waited a minute, and then stippled the whole surface with scrunched saran wrap to achieve the texture look. While the base icing was still wet, I stuck in the whiskers (shredded wafer paper). Once that had dried completely, a black dot for the eyes was added and I shaded with watered down dark brown and a paint brush. The last addition was the painted pink blush for the ears and “cheeks.”
I had a few spare blank cookies left from another order so I added a different perspective rabbit and a carrot for this last pic.
Who said you can’t play with your food? Apparently, even religious holidays are not “sacred”??? And so it goes for Easter 2015. First an EGGStreme play on that Easter staple: the simple egg. Next I am YOLK-ing around with those wondrous little marshmallow fluffs they call Peeps. Sometimes our ‘peeps just steal the show!?
Peep Show (a 5×5″ double layer cookie!):
Happy Pi day my fellow geeks! Twice today, the calendar/time will read 3.14.15 9:26 (am or pm)! A perfect Pi day!! As always, my take on this “epic” Pi day is from a slightly different angle; hope these goes down as easy as pi(e). Oh, and have a relatively happy birthday Albert Einstein.
I confess, I have not read the books nor seen the movie. But the word play from just the TRAILERS alone was enough to CORRAL me into this cookie set. Just HORSIN’ around. Hope I haven’t offended anyone who loves the topic- Shades of Grey or equine…
I sat staring at the shamrock cookie cutter in my hand, hoping for a different IRSIHistible design to magically pop into my head. Gratefully, I flashed back to Patti Paige’s/Baked Ideas‘ many clever and sensational out.of.the.box cookies (MUST buy her book “Can’t Judge a Cookie by its Cutter!”). Okay, look, some flashbacks are a positive thing. At least I hope YOU think so…. Here is my simple and funky wee leprechaun (and a little ‘how to’):
Mama Mayer Bakery 