Flamingo Cookies

It's only twice a year that I make multiples of a cookie design (for each of my children's parties), and every time I do, I'm grateful that its only about 25 of them. I don't know how bakers/ decorators make dozens and dozens of a particular cookie and still maintain their creative passion (and not develop a serious case of the cookie-crazies!)

So when I do make multiples, I try to come up with ways to make it as easy as possible.
Like keeping the design and colour palette simple, using royal icing transfers, or a using a template like I did with this design.

 It looks like multiple steps (and it is!) but the guess work and fiddle-factor is taken out of it by having an outline to follow. The background icing (green and airbrushed gold dots) were done on one day, and the flamingos the next.  No cookie-craziness required!

 ... Well, no more than usual!


Happy decorating!

xxM

Christmas Cookies 2016

Last year there were some grumbles, (no names mentioned, ahem....Tara...!) about the lack of red in the Christmas cookie palette. I'd used a deep coral pink instead, but apparently that wasn't good enough ;o)

So this year there is red!
But no green.

About 4 years ago I did so many Christmas cookie classes that I couldn't bear to look at the combination of red, white and green afterwards.  I'll get over it eventually, I'm sure. (I do want to travel to Italy sometime, after all!).

Reindeer plaque inspired by Dolce Custom Cookies 

But for 2016, the colours are the same as I used for Christmas cupcakes 2 years ago. (That's how I'm measuring time, now ... in terms of class themes!)

 It feels a little odd making all these snowy creations in southern hemisphere's mid-summer, but it's a colour palette I love working with!

Snowman's scarf cookie inspired by SemiSweet Cookies 

Do you want to see a couple of work-in-progress shots? Heres the snow globe taking shape...

Flooding the background, but leaving a gap for the snowman and filling him in later, gives the cookie an interesting dimension, I think.  Just right for a snow globe... 

You'll find a post on reds here ... (and it just happens to be the last Christmas cookies I made with thattraditional trio of colours!) 

Happy Christmas decorating!

xxM

Kokeshi Cookies

I've really loved the cookie classes we've done over the past few months. So many of them have been themes that I've been meaning to do for a while, and I finally scheduled them ... all of them, it seems!

Now I have to go back to the drawing board and think of what to do next year. Maybe it's time to go back and re-visit some of the early themes.
Re-visit, re-do, and re-move those old photos from the archives... pretend they never happened!

 I cringe when I go back and look at some of the cookies things  I decorated that I was so proud of 4 years ago! And I starting teaching classes while I was still learning myself! (I'm thinking of this kind of cookie... No, no - don't go and look!) Shudder!

 In my defense, there was no-one else around in this area doing it - so I was still offering an interesting experience! Anyway - we learn and grow.Thankfully!

This is the latest set:  Japanese Inspired Cookies. 

Sweetsugarbelle has a great post on how to decorate Kokeshi Dolls here; and for some inspiration on wet-on-wet cherry blossoms (as on the blue fan), watch Haniela's video here.  

Happy decorating!

xxM 

Easter Cookies 2016

 I had great intentions to bake and decorate a cake for Easter this year, but we've just come home from a couple of days in the 'Berg and the humidity back here in Durban has made the thought of any baking and decorating, well... unthinkable!
So, this is all I have to offer:  this year's decorated Easter cookies.

Last year's Easter colours were bright and bold, with teal and brown dominating (teal was definitely my go-to colour for 2015). This year it was time to revert back to pretty pastels.

Actually, back in January when I'd scheduled the classes,  I'd had a very clear idea of using a particular combination of purples and greens for these cookies, but by the time March arrived that clarity had disappeared and pastels were the fall-back option. But now looking at these pinks and greens together, I'm quite pleased I forgot about the purples.
What do you think?

Here's how I did the "Hoppy Easter" plaque:

Sketch bunny on cookie (I use a non-toxic graphite pencil)

Outline plaque and fill in a couple of white areas 

Once the white icing has dried, outline the pink head and body and flood the body 

Once the body has dried, fill in the surrounding green with flood consistency royal icing, 

                                                   and add wet-on-wet white dots.

Once the background has dried, flood the bunny's head with pink.        Doing it in this order makes the bunny's head stand slightly proud of the background cookie.

Once the icing of the face and body has dried, use SweetAmbs's teddy tutorial to create the fur texture on the bunny. 

And... of course I forgot to take pictures of  how to pipe on the rest of the bunny's face. Yes, really - again! Sorry... 

So baaaa-d! 

But I think you can figure it out - if you can't,  leave me a comment after this post. 

That grassy look is created using this cookie moss technique. Which you'll find is a very comprehensive tutorial ... with photo's of every step....! 

Happy Easter! 

xxM 

Love Bee Cookies

So a few days ago I posted the question "how many heart shapes could one possibly transform into bees?" It was rhetorical... I knew the answer - every heart!
Bees buzzing everywhere!
It happens like that if you're a little OTT about themes the way I am....

Let's talk about the evolution of these canoodling bees from a double heart cutter ...

ca·noo·dle

kəˈno͞odl/

verb

informal

gerund or present participle: canoodling

1. kiss and cuddle amorously.

   "she was caught canoodling with her boyfriend"

   
   

   
   

Sketch on paper:

 Sketch on cookie:

Outline wings with piping consistency icing* and an Ateco 00 or PME 1.5 tip.

 Outline bodies

 and stripes
(Yes, I know - different bees!
Just be grateful there are photo's, ok?!)

Flood a section with flooding consistency icing* ("15 second icing" )

 After the first stripe has dried (approx. 20 min)
fill in the yellow, and the opposite side's black stripe. Add some wet-on-wet pink cheeks
(you'll see them in the next pic!)

Fill in the outer wing first, let that set before  flooding the second wing

Use piping consistency icing to add final details - eyes, feelers, little shared heart.
















For a royal icing recipe and explanation of consistencies, see here.

Cookie designs inspired by Sweet SugarBelle, SweetFace Cookie Boutique and Cookie Crazie;
the canoodlers are my own ;o) 

Ha-bee decorating!

xxM

White Stamping on Chalkboard Cookies

Stamping on cookies seems like a bit of a cheat - but it's so cute, effective and quick that I can't let the purist in me get the upper hand. I love stamping on cookies!
I've posted about it before (here) - a technique using a stamping pad, which produces a great clean effect.
But because I was using white "ink" this time, I painted it onto the stamps:

What you'll need:
Cookies flooded with black icing - that have dried for at least 24 hrs
Rubber stamps - used solely for food, they must not have come in contact with non-edible ink
White gel colour-  mixed 1:1 with clear alcohol
A firm, square-tipped paint brush
Royal icing - for additional details

(It's a good idea to have a few spare cookies to practice the technique on!) 

Paint the white gel mix onto the surface of the stamp - make sure that all the details are covered, but that there aren't any blobs obscuring fine details.

Press the stamp firmly onto the flooded cookie - apply extra pressure in the centre which is where there is often a slight dip of icing.

Allow to dry.

Add royal icing details.

(If you want the speckled effect that I've created on these cookies, dip the paintbrush in the white paint and run your finger over the bristles about 20cm above the cookies.)

Happy stamping!

xxM

Rubber Stamps and Cookies

Our bags aren't packed, and we're not ready to go, but tomorrow we'll be leaving on a jet-plane!
We'll be gone for two weeks, and then I'll be straight back and into my kitchen baking up a storm for my son's birthday party.
So much to do!

But first a holiday : )

And I'm squeezing in a quick "how-to" before I get stuck into packing.

How-to use rubber stamps on cookies:

You'll need:

• Cookies iced with royal icing that have had at least 24hrs to dry completely
• Non-inked ink pad - available at stationery stores
• Gel food colour - usually black or brown, to make your edible ink
• Clear alcohol - vodka, cane, etc
• Rubber stamps - to be used exclusively with edible ink!

Mix the gel colour with alcohol in a ratio of 1:1
Use a large paintbrush, or pastry brush to evenly distribute this "ink" over the non-inked pad.
Test the stamp on some paper towel before applying to the cookie - some areas of the stamp may take up more colour than others.
When pressing down with the stamp on the cookie, be aware that there is often a dip in the centre of the cookie - so be sure to press down firmly on the middle of the stamp.
Allow the ink to dry, then
Add details with royal icing, or paint made from food colour and alcohol
 - I often just dry brush on powdered colours and luster dusts - or a combination of these.

Happy stamping!

xxM