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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Operation Cookie: Complete!

It's official, I have found a new hobby.

Last year, I was all about the tie-dye. 
But then I started to wonder what I would do with a million tie-dyed shirts.

Cookies, on the other hand...

I think I could handle an overabundance of cookies.

This was the first time in my life I have successfully made sugar cookies without crying. Not only did I manage to use my rolling pin and cookie cutters without disaster, but I also made my own icing!

Sometimes you will fight with your piping bag. 
And the piping bag will win.

Other times, you will work together to create beautiful cookies.

Marbling looks great, and it's easy to do when you have the right consistency of icing.
Who knew you could do things like this?


A few lessons learned from Operation Cookie:

  • This is a multi-day process. You can't make, bake, and decorate a batch of cookies in one day. I know, I know, that sounds crazy. But this takes patience! You could whip up the dough and cut and bake in one day for sure, but the icing is a whole other story.
  • Patience is key. After you outline a cookie, it's best to let that completely dry before you move on. If it's black, this could take 24 hours! Same for when you flood a cookie with one color (like the above fishie). Unless you want the next color to bleed or sink into your base, you need to let that completely dry!
  • There a lots and lots of cookie blogs out there that feature the most amazing and beautiful cookies you have ever seen. Your cookies will not look like this.
  • Remember that the professionals use name brand icing colors and fancy projectors to create their designs. As a beginner, it's okay to use store brand gel colors and freehand smiley faces.
  • When outlining a cookie, the higher you hold the tip from the surface, the easier it is to draw a straight line.
  • If your piping bag is malfunctioning and spitting out blobs and uneven lines, take the tip off and clean it! Be careful though, because if your icing is too runny you will come back to a table covered in a puddle of black goo. That was fun to clean up!
  • You get to eat all of your mistakes.

2 comments:

Amanda said...

Great job! These are beautiful! Did you use my recipe???

Natalie said...

Thank you, Amanda! These were done with the recipe from Karen's Cookies, but your recipe is next on my list! I've been experimenting witha s many as I can. It's amazing how the recipes for sugar cookies are all similar but one little change can make a big difference.