Cookie Trial this weekend!

[akw94]

Hi ladies,
I started a thread awhile back but I couldn''t reply to it for some reason. I''m doing my cookie trial this weekend. I plan to make them for the favors, 2 cookies per person, one heart shaped and one circle.
My thoughts are the heart shaped will just be iced w/one color (maybe a white or ivory) and then have a pink or green border (our colors).
The circle will have the same base color, a border of either pink or green and either our initials or wedding date inside.

How does that sound?

Any tips for making them? I''m going to try two recipes and find a recipe for icing. My plan is to do my trial now but a few weeks before the wedding, make all the dough and freeze it. Then, the Thursday before the Sunday wedding, make the cookies, ice them and seal them until Sunday.
Do you think they will still be good if left out from Thursday until Sunday? Should I refrigerate them or just keep them in a sealed container?
I thought I would freeze some dough this weekend also and bake some a few weeks from now, making sure they still taste good after being frozen and make sure they then still taste good after leaving out for a few days.

Thanks!

 

[Fancy605]

I have no advice for you when it comes to baking, but I did want to say that I think you are very smart to try them after freezing the dough and letting them sit out, etc. Great idea! The colors sound very nice, and they sound like they will be delicious little favors.

 

[HappyAnniversary]

I think you''ll just have to approach this like a scientific trial. Put cookies into categories of how you will process/save them and then do a taste test for which preserved the cookies the best. Search the internet for cookie preservation ideas. Can you use those vacuume sealer machines? LIke put the cookies in a jar, and then seal them so they don''t get crushed. I would want to make sure the icing looked good not cracked. Yum, a co-worker had cookies at her DD wedding and she brought the extras to work--they tasted and looked good on Monday after the Sat wedding!!! They had a sugar sprinkle on them.

 

[So_happy]

What an organized cookie trial this will be!!! I love it I wish I could help you taste test!!!

Your plan sounds well thought out and I''ve heard that sugar cookie dough freezes beautifully so it sounds like you''re all set. If I find any helpful info, I''ll come back here and post more!

Good luck!!

 

[akw94]

Fancy, thanks! I''m excited to do the trial and taste them!

HappyAnniversary, you''re right! Good idea about looking for cookie preservation ideas. I don''t have one of those sealer machines so I guess I''ll see how this goes and get one if needed. Sugar sprinkles sound good!!

So Happy, thanks! I hope the plan turns out as well as it sounds! We''ll see and excited to get started. It''s not until Sunday but I have plenty to keep me busy until then.

 

[Jaders731]

Hey Dixie...

My hats off to you Miss Baker... I did the SAME thing.. so.. just a few pointers of help... OOH.. and i can add pictures now.. as my lovely hubby has finally uploaded our pictures!!! YES!

I made drop cookies rather than cutouts.. so the process will be slightly different.. but you''ll get the idea...When all was said and done I had made 11 batches (yes BATCHES.. NOT dozen...)

1. The night before.. I pre-measured all dry ingredients for all batches.. and put each batches dry ingred. into a seperate tupperware. You can also pre-measure the sugars for the cookies as well.. then all you have to do is dump each tupperware into a bowl.. and continue to mix... easy enough.. I actually found it theraputic (well relaxing) to do all the measuring the night before.. as I was somewhat wound up in anticipating making sooo many darned cookies...

2. The morning of, lay everything out on a table or counter space, so that everything you will need is easily accessable (sp?)

3. Silpats work WONDERS.. just in case you are deciding whether to use them... I had never made my cookies (my world famous oatmeal scotchies.. that I had gotten nasty threats from friends if I didnt make them for my wedding.. what the heck??!!!) with silpats before.. but i gotta tell you.. they are a bakers best friend... very nice browning.. and even.. and slide right off the pan! I cant stress this tip enough!!! they are fantastic.

4. I hope you have a kitchen aid mixer!!!

5. When you frost these... follow tip #1.. that will help too!!!

6. Get an early start.. I was so anxious.. that I was up by 6am.. baking by 7am.. now.. unfortunately.. I was baking until 11pm that night.. thank god for my dad.. he is the BEST cleaner upper!!! God love him!!!

7. Wear an apron.. you will get into the ZONE.. I''m not kidding.. and the last thing you need to worry about it where to wipe your hands... GET an apron... mine looked like it had been through a war zone of flour bombs.. I wish I had a picture!

8. If you are gonna be baking all day for your actual cookie making (the week of the wedding...) make sure you stretch between batches... you may giggle about this now.. but take it from me... I could hardly stand by the end of the night.. and the next day.. whew... I was feeling muscles I never knew existed...

9. As far as packaging??? Well, I made my cookies on Tues. (for a Saturday wedding) packaged and sealed that day as well (in ribbon tied cello-bags) and handed them out starting on Thursday... (we used them for welcome baskets...you''ll see!!)

I hope this helps... now.. for some pics!!! Good luck.. and I totally dont envy you.. I havent been able to make cookies since then.. the smell of cinnamon.. blech.. my mom said her house still smells like my cookies... LOL.. and its now 3 months later... Just be SUPER organized.. and you''ll be fine!! I cant wait to see your results...

The beginning:

 

[Jaders731]

I think this picture is from 1/3rd the way through....

 

[Jaders731]

Here is a picture of the finished buckets...

 

[Jaders731]

doh.. I totally forgot the picture....

 

[Jaders731]

Last one... this is a close up of the welcome bucket!!

Good Luck on this... you are gonna have fun.. promise!!!

 

[njc]

We did cookies as favors. The lady made them sometime earlier in the week (mon-wed) and we got them on thurs. They were just in a big box with parchment paper between the layers and plastic wrap covering the top. She had kept them in the fridge, so we did the same. Bagged them on Friday with the Wilton Candy bags from Michael''s, kept them in my parents finished basement (so cool, but not cold) until we set them out at the reception Sat morning. Everybody ate them up Saturday night! I even put two in the freezer to eat on our one year anni... didnt taste too bad!

I wanted to recommend a royal icing for a frosting. It will get nice and hard so the bags or whatever you are putting them in will stay neat and it should help preserve the cookies as well (think gingerbread and the iced cookies in the grocery store). Its also an easy icing to make a big batch of and divide between colors and easy to thin out to cover the cookies. Just make sure you keep a wet towel/plastic wrap over everything when not in use or it will dry up on you!

 

[akw94]

Jaders, thanks so much for all the tips! Ok, you''re making me a little worried now

but alas, I''m still going fwd w/the trial! Now, I''m starting to wonder if I should make the cookies on Wednesday and then just ice them on Thursday rather than do the baking and icing on Thursday. I definitely don''t have time to bake from 7 till 11 on Thursday.
Did you have any for your wedding day? Do you think that making on Wed. and not serving until Sunday is too far apart?
What are silpats???? Um, I have a hand mixer not a regular one but pretty sure I can borrow a regular one. I didn''t think of that, good point! I''ll have my mom bring hers for our weekend trial!
Apron-- check! I never use mine but I do have one. Wouldn''t have thought of that either. Can you tell I''m not a huge baker but I am enthusiastic if that counts!

What did you seal the cookies in?

Those are great pictures! The welcome buckets look great!!

Njc, it sounds like based on what you''re saying that making mine Wednesday, icing Thurs should work fine for a Sunday wedding. It sounds easy enough to just store them in the frig until the big day. Cute idea about freezing two. I think I''ll do that too!
Thanks for icing recommendation! I remember someone suggesting it before and I have to find a good recipe. Thanks for the plastic wrap suggestion.. so many things I hadn''t thought of.

I love you guys!!

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Other ideas:

Make cookies one day: ice cookies another--just toomuch to do both in same day especially if they are cut-out cookies.

Wear a bandanna or hair net--not beautiful but the alternative would be bad if a hair got in the wrong place. And you won't be tempted to brush hair out of eyes with messy hands.

Call professional cookie decorators (bakery that does it for weddings) and beg for hints--you may be able to buy supplies from them, too like popular cookie cutters, icing mix, etc.

The cookies for my co-workers wedding were hearts; the one from another wedding were two halves of a heart, one in each wedding color with initials of first name of B and G piped on front (don't try to do that!! LOL, but the two colors sounds good. I think it would be hard to try to ice two diff colors on same cookie, easier to do only 1 color. They looked very cute together like two hearts became one.

Are you using cut out cookies? It is important to have them all the same thickness . In food science class we used woodensticks (planks) that were positioned to the right and left of the dough, then put the roller on top of those planks so everytime we rolled out the dough it was always the same depth. Makes sense? I don't know if you can buy that or not, anything would work as long as the roller could lay on top of it and it was the right thickness. We ended up rolling more rectangular dough than the usual circular cos the dough can't be wider than the rolling pin width. You might also need to practice what thickness of cookie you like. I am wondering if you need a special recipie for the thicker cookies like Cookie Bouquet makes? They seem to stand up well to being moved.

This sounds like fun if you lived near me I'm come and help you cook them!!! Surely you are going to enlist help from friends and family.

 

[eks6426]

I didn''t make cookies for my wedding, but my mom made cupcakes as my wedding cake. She actually completely made the cupcakes...frosting and everything then froze them for about a week or two. They thawed out just fine. So, you might be able to make the cookies several days ahead then freeze. Might be worth experiementing.....

I also have made Christmas cookies every year and have froze those with no problems. I''ve done snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, frosted sugar cookies, oatmeal lace this way, ginger snaps. When I do Xmas cookies I actually start baking in October and freeze each different type and not start passing them out until early December. It works fine and I''ve never noticed a freezer burn taste.....

 

[Jaders731]

Dixie..

Dont stress yet.. it is good you are running a trial.. that will help ease the nerves..

First.. yes.. baking from 7am to 11pm was tough.. but.. I had CREATED the time... I told everyone.. that the day I intended to bake.. I was off limits... no one messed with me.. if errands had to be run.. Mom or Fi. did it... My dad brought me lunch around noon... I did take a break to run to dinner.. mmm.. yummy... but that was it... Everyone knew... leave me alone.. and it really helped... So.. if you cant take a day... create the time for yourself.. make sure everyone knows that on Wed. from x time to x time is for baking.. and on Thurs. x time to x time is for frosting.. If you cant take a whole day.. then you need to make sure that the time you do have is QUALITY.. and you use your time wisely... Make sure, Fi, mom and dad know what needs to be done outside of the baking.. and they can tend to it... and make sure someone brings you food..LOL.. sounds silly.. but the 15 min it takes to find lunch.. is 15 min that you can frost half a dozen cookies...

As far as whether the cookies were good on the wedding day.. YES.. ours were... but this particular cookie is pretty hardy.. and is good no matter how old.. LOL... I think that your cookies.. (sugar right?) might be ok.. especially when frosted as that will preserve some of the moisture... plus.. I think the more cake like the cookie.. (i.e. thick and chewy) the better.. as that will hold up well.. whereas if you were to make thin and crispy.. they may taste stale...

Where frosting/icing is concerned.. check out Wilton Co. at your local craft store.. you know.. the cake decorating company... they have a "color flow mix" that will help you to "flood" your cookies.. which is infinitely faster than having to ice all those cookies.. In one squeeze bottle, you have a thicker mix to just outline the cookie.. and then with another squeeze bottle a thinner mix to "flood" the cookie...
Here is a link for the color flow: http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E3114B0-475A-BAC0-5F2935F509E3E44D&fid=78475982-475A-BAC0-5657277058B05CDE
You would have to buy the Wilton food coloring gels as well to color it what you prefer.. but try those out this weekend.. they may help tremendously

Sealing the bags.. we just twisted and tied with a ribbon.. and that seemed to work just fine.. I think that between your frosting and a cello bag.. you may be fine! I totally second the idea of trying out various ways to package.. and tasting them over the course of the next week to find your perfect packaging/timing process!

Silpats are silicone pads that you put on the cookie sheet... it takes the place of greasing.. or parchment paper on the cookie sheet (important to note that you can use the silpat EVEN if the recipe does NOT call for greasing or parchment.) They just help regulate the temp against the bottom of the cookie for even baking and browning.. and the cookies come off the pan like a gem!!! they are a MUST... you can check, BB&B, Linens & Things, Williams-Sonoma, Home Goods, Marshalls or TJ Max for them...

I''ll make sure to post if I have any more tips.. I''m racking my brain for more!! I''ll let you know!!!

Good Luck!!!

 

[njc]

Yup, I think youd be fine baking Wed, icing Thurs and serving Sun. Giving the cookies a day between to cool and what not will not only help them, but it will keep you from going crazy too!

Totally second Jaders suggestions of "flooding" the cookies! Its what I was thinking in my head when i talked about thinning the royal icing, but never wrote it like that. I've never done it personally, but it does look super easy when I watch others do it. I've never used the Color Flow Jaders posted, but I think it would be worth a try along with the royal icing. They basicly seem to be the same, but one may taste different? I found a video that comes close to showing how to "flood" a cookie... where they use a brush to spread the icing, I would use a thinner icing and just fill in (or flood) where you have outlined. Here is the website... click on "NEW Windows Media How to Decorate with Squeeze Bottles" for the video. Squeeze bottles are nice... so are plastic Ziplock bags and Wilton also makes disposible plastic icing bags. Dont worry with tips, just cut the ends off the bags. Remember its easier to make the hole bigger vs smaller!

As for making royal icing, I only know of one recipe... its basicly eggs whites, conf sugar and water I think! I always use meringue powder from Wilton instead of egg whites. So much easier than dealing with egg whites. There should be a recipe on the can, so I'd just go with that. And here is a YouTube video on making it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efmpm6WNazE to help you out on what it should look like.

And my Michaels has a big aisle with nothing but Wilton stuff if you dont know where to look.

I also bake a lot of cookies at Christmas and freeze like Island. Cookies are pretty hard to screw up in my personal opinion!

 

[akw94]

Thank you so much for all the tips!

HappyAnniversary, I agree about making one day and icing the next. I know that I tend to be a bit impatient about waiting for things to cool so that extra day should help so I''m sure they''re ready to be iced. Hopefully I can get them all done on Wednesday.
I was planning to use cut-out cookies although I''m wondering if that is going to be much more difficult. I think that''s something I''ll figure out in the trial. Perhaps I''ll end up w/drop cookies but I''ll see. I think I understand in terms of the thickness. Are there certain recipes for cut-outs vs. drop cookies. Maybe that''s something I''ll have to consider. Thanks for the offer to help! My mom and possibly a BM are coming over for the trial and I''ll have people around that Thursday to help bake and/or ice the cookies.

IslandDreams, thanks for adding your thoughts! When you freeze, do you just use freezer bags or do something else in particular? I hadn''t thought about doing the whole cookie in advance but I think I save a few completely made and freeze them to see how they taste.

Jaders, thank you! Great idea about creating a set of time. I will have to do that! Yes, I''m planning on doing sugar cookies. I would prefer the chewier type of cookie but I have no idea what these recipes that I''m trying make. One is from a cookbook of my mom''s and the other is the Martha Stewart recipe on her website.

I have seen the Wilton stuff and bought some disposable bags and a starter kit w/tips. Do you think I should just return that and get the plastic bottles?
Also, any idea what colors would combine to make hot pink and sage green? I noticed that they didn''t have those colors already so I figure I''ll have to mix to make them. I suppose I should at least get the closest colors to them though to make it easier.
So for the outlined part, I should just use the color flow mix and not the icing?

That''s great for the sealing. I didn''t know if I had to put the favor bags into something else to seal them or if that would be enough. I bought some clear bags from Michael''s and was going to find some pink or green ribbon to complement. I wanted the cellophane but couldn''t find what I was looking for at Michael''s near me.
What''s the best way to seal the frozen cookie dough?

I will definitely go check out some stores for the silpats!

Njc, Thank you so much for the links!! I will try the color flow along w/trying to thin the regular icing and see what works best. Wow, I had no idea there was so much information I was missing! I figured that cookies couldn''t be too hard to make. But I feel much more prepared now.
Do they sell meringue powder at somewhere like Michael''s too or at a grocery store?

Ok, I think I''m a little confused. Is the flooding the icing that''s in the middle or the icing that makes the different colored outline? What I want to do is ice the base and then use thinner icing to make a different colored outline and possibly writing inside.
I think I better re-read these posts!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Jaders731]

Whew.. ok.. I''m heading out from work.. and thought I would reply quickly.. I hope I dont miss anything...

1. Recipe.. Lemme look around.. I might be able to find a great recipe for you.. I will try and do that tonight.. and post tomorrow..
2. The stuff that you bought sounds fine.. BUT if you want to flood cookies (ie. use royal icing and/or color flow) I would suggest returning...
3.. Ok.. gonna outline (no pun intended) the outline and flood procedure:
a. outline the cookie you are intending to frost... say you have a round cookie.. you would outline in a thicker consistency royal icing (I believe Wilton also sells either a royal icing mix, or pre-made) along the edge of the cookie... so now you see a big round cookie.. with a smalll circle of icing around the edge (think.. circle within a circle...)
b. Once you have outlined the cookie, and the icing has dried... then you take the same color in color flow or thinner royal icing... and proceed (with a squeeze bottle.. I just find these work easier) to flood (think big globs of thin icing, that you sort of spread with the tip of the squeeze bottle) until you have a smooth filled in area... now.. you should see one full circle of icing.
c. Once this dries.. you can do another layer, say you want to pipe your initials on this? Use a thicker icing, perhaps in a pastry bag with a small round tip... you can do initials, or dots, etc. this will sit higher on the original icing...and almost have an emobossed look to it!
OK.. that was the kindergarten version.. I hope it helps... you may want to tool around on www.wilton.com They have an online store for you to look at, as well as a message board that has TONS of information.. they also have technique "how-to" pages for you to read and brush up on some icing techniques...Remember though, it is important to make the outline the same color as the flooding.. otherwise, you may come out with some crazy tie dyed mish mash of colors along your edges...

4. Icing colors: Hot Pink and sage green... this may take some playing.. BUT... wilton does have this: http://www.wilton.com/store/site/department.cfm?id=3E305008-475A-BAC0-50998F2253BBBC1F&fid=7816D930-475A-BAC0-5CB6ADF25218B917
Check out the "garden tone" as they have a Juniper green which may work...
and check out the "12 icing color set" One of those pinks may work.. or I suggest you just play with the Red.. you will definitely get a Hot pink from that.
REmember.. DO NOT use liquid food coloring.. as this will thin color flow or royal icing.. both of these icings are EXTREMELY sensitive to liquid.. and will thin easily... the wilton food colors are gels and help to maintain (meaning they dont change the thinness or thickness of) the consistency of the icing you use it in. These colors are MUCH more vibrant than their liquid counterparts... just an fyi!

I will try and find some pictures of flooded cookies so you can see.. but I''m sure you can google as well.. and see!!! And remember you dont have to make cookies to practice the color flow... place wax paper or parchment over a pattern of some sort... and you can just outline and flood to your hearts content... that will really really help you get the hang of it!!!

AS far as sealing frozen cookie dough... i would say well sealed (meaning saran over the top of the tupperware, and then put on the lid and then tin foil over the whole thing... ) will freeze just fine.. or cut out the cookies and then freeze with layers of parchment between the unbaked shapes! that might work too..

Still trying to come up with more hints!! if you have more ?s please dont hesitate to ask!

 

[LollyBear]

dixie - you''ve gotten a lot of great advice but I thought I''d share my experience anyway.
I spent an entire day baking cookie favors for one baby shower I hosted and I sealed all the ones I wanted to use in tupperware and put them in the fridge after they''d dried. The icing was sooo nice and shiny. Well, that didn''t last long.

When I took them out the next day to bag, the icing had taken on a strange, dull appearance. The "reject" cookies that were sealed and left on the counter still looked great and I put them in the fridge overnight to test and they kept their sheen beautifully. I guess the icing recipe I used needed more time out of the fridge to set fully even though they were totally dry.
Test your frosting so this doesn''t happen to you!

 

[HappyAnniversary]

A quick internet search found this recipe for the cookie bouquet type of cookies;

It recommends rolling the dough between parchment paper so you don''t have to add more flour and the dough doesn''t stick to the rolling pin. It has a rolling pin with attachments on the ends to roll even thickness of dough or a "doboard" with edges like I talked about. Surely you could come up with cheaper solutions.

http://www.kitchengifts.com/nofailsugarcookies.html

or

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Rolled-Sugar-Cookies/Detail.aspx (sounds like people have added sugar and lenon zest to this one--read reviews at end)

This hint sounds really neat, I''ve never tried it, maybe you could roll right onto the silpat:

I have a tip for MAKING CUTOUT COOKIES EASILY: I put a sheet of baking parchment (now easily found in grocery stores) on my cookie sheet, then ROLL THE DOUGH OUT DIRECTLY ON THE PARCHMENT-LINED COOKIE SHEET. After making the ''cut-outs'', appropriately spaced on the dough, I PEEL AWAY THE EXCESS DOUGH from around and between the ''cookies'' and bake as directed. The parchment helps keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too dark, eliminates any need for greasing the pan, allows you to remove the cookies from the sheet by simply sliding the parchment carefully off the side (which is especially helpful with extra large or delicate cookies), and CAN USUALLY BE REUSED IN BAKING THE REST OF THE COOKIES. I have also rolled dough out on the parchment without having it on the cookie sheet, done the cutting and trimming, and then slid the parchment onto the sheet for baking, which helps when you''re short of cookie sheets -- the next batch is ready to pop into the oven as soon as the first comes out.

This site mentioned glazing the cookie before icing it: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_dining_entertaining/article/0,1801,HGTV_3112_2576199,00.html

Glaze the cookie with a mixture of powdered sugar, water and corn syrup. Apply with a brush. Let the first side dry for an hour, then flip and brush the back side. Dry for another hour. This seals the cookie, keeping them fresh for up to two weeks.

Unfortunately it didn''t tell you the amounts of powdered sugar, water and corn syrup.

Ok--I''m done hunting on the internet--you''ve probably gone into overload or fallen asleep

Best of luck!!!

 

[monarch64]

Dixie, I am not a great baker (unless you count Betty Crocker brownies from a box), but I want to wish you luck with your cookie trial! I''m so impressed that you''ve taken on this endeavor, I could never have done something like this! As far as the designs and colors you''re using for the icing I think everything sounds great and will turn out really pretty. These are going to be favors everyone will enjoy, for sure!

I think it would be really cool if you''d take pics while you''re baking and post them for us, hint hint!!!

 

[akw94]

Jaders, you are wonderful!! When I''m a tad bit less tired, I''m going to really read your post. Right now, I''m not quite functioning enough. I did go buy the silpat today though and had a coupon for BBB so that worked out great. Do you have one for each baking sheet? I just bought one but figured I can buy more for the actual baking session if need be.
Um, the kindergarten version was perfect for me, btw! When I''m a bit less sleepy, I have to really take some notes on everything everyone has said so that I''ll remember while baking. What I do know is that I''ll be making another trip to Michaels tomorrow.

StephensBride, thanks for sharing your situation. I wonder what happened

I will definitely test my frosting!

HappyAnniversary, thanks so much for the sites! The hint you posted does make it sound pretty easy. I''m not quite asleep yet but I''m getting there or at least my brainpower has almost stopped working for the night.

Monarch, thanks for the good wishes! Um, don''t be too impressed yet! We''ll see how the weekend goes first but I am excited! If my FI didn''t take the camera w/him (he just went out of town), I will certainly take pics. It would be fun to have them and of course, to post on PS!!

Be back tomorrow when I''m slightly more awake!

 

[door knob solitaire]

I have this weakness...decorating cookies. My mother loves them so much she won''t eat them. She has some from 12 years ago under glass on her countertop. I am so worried someone new will come in and eat them. EEEEuuuu!
Ditto on most of the advice. I use a process that was already described. But I use the wilton tube and cone. Make sure you triple sift your flour. The cookie texture is your palette to paint on...you want it smooth and crumb or bump free. (be sure your dusting flour is also triple sifted). Measure your thickness as it was recommended in a previous post. Oh, keep your dough cool and use a marble rolling pin that is also kept cool. Roll the dough out on parchment peel away the selvage dough...always keep unused dough under a moist towel.

Bake your cookies. Never begin frosting before they are cooled and your kitchen is also. I bake in the morning ...and begin frost in the PM or the next day. Your frost process is never rushed. The border edge of piping is the key to a professional cookie. I will get my cone out to tell you what gauge of hole it is. You never stop your piping. It is a continual pipe. YOU LET THIS DRY completely. Usually overnight. You can tell by having a test cookie the last one you ice...ready to poke. It should be rock hard. No give. Take a new soft bristle paint or basting brush and brush each cookie, removing any powder residue. Then I fill my cookies with a paint brush with the icing. I have even done it with a spoon. It is liquid and liquids are self leveling. This is yet another drying period. I usually wait another day.
The detail work is what really takes my time. I alternate with dots...triple dots...swirls...swiggly lines...v shapes...anything I think will be attractive. I place each pattern exactly on a grid...on each cookie. It will look like little pearls, Or hand crocheted patterns. I have a technique that resembles lace...it is so lovely.

If you were dead set on Intials...I wouldn''t tackle the intial alone...get an initial icing stamp. You will find them at cake decorating places. You use it as if it were a stamp...It leaves an indention in the icing then you can pipe the initial exactly as it is. You may also consider using the new fangled icing markers. These are available in colors that should coordinate and also silver and gold. They work just like a marker. The tip is narrow and you have far more control to achieve a successful hand scrolled design. If I were an amateur I would SERIOUSLY consider using it. I would be a nice touch as your initial would be in your own handwriting...when you use piping...no matter how hard you try...it never looks like your penmanship.

Completed cookies I cool overnight on cake racks and then stack DRY completed cookies on wax paper in large tupperware. I would have coolers at the ready. And make sure no humidity got to them. Humidity will kill your work. And your hair. The recipe I use for icing is egg white and powdered sugar. I think it is one egg white and one cup of sugar...then you add more sugar to make the piping recipe firmer. OH PLEASE TAKE AT LEAST THIS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE: Buy cream icing colors...do not use liquid colors.

Recap: Triple sift...use parchment paper...dry completely before each icing step...cream colors....consider icing markers (Michaels have them)

Oh one more thing you may not have considered...You can order prebaked plain cookies from a bakery. Usually about $3.50 a dozen. A circle and a heart would be a stock shape they offer. So close to your wedding...you may appreciate the option. I do it for Christmas when I am crunched. (oh, Please don''t tell my mother).

DKS

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Dixie--can''t wait for the info on how your day went with the cookie trials. Today was a rainy day for me and I had cookies on the brain. You made me make a batch of cookies!! and I certainly don''t need the extra calories. I made my DH''s favorite, his Mom''s molasses cookies in the shape of a gingerbread man. Yummy!

I hope it went well for you.

 

[akw94]

DKS, thanks for all of your tips! I appreciate them!!

HappyAnniversary, thanks for thinking of me! Today was a BUSY day! And most of it wasn't even spent on cookies. Yesterday, I bought of ton of stuff to decorate my son's room and spent the better part of today assembling the bed, bookshelves, etc... So that didn't leave much time for cookies. We decided to just bake them today to get a feel for the 2 different recipes, then freeze some of those to ice next weekend. Then also freeze some dough to bake next weekend or the weekend after and then ice them then.
Well, the plans even changed after that change! We made 2 recipes and the first one wasn't so good. The dough was so crumbly. Even when trying to remove the cookies from the parchment paper to the baking sheet, they wouldn't stay together. Then after tasting them, they tasted more like shortbread to me and didn't look nearly as good as I would want. So that recipe was out. Didn't bother to save or freeze any of those.
The second recipe was better. The cookies tasted pretty good but it just seems like too much work and we didn't even start the icing process. I did freeze some dough to try out in a week or two but I think I've completely changed gears w/the favors.

After listening to you guys talk about other types of cookies, I think I want to change the type. Initially, I really wanted to have my grandmother's chocolate cake as our wedding cake. They can't come to the wedding and I LOVE their cake so it would've been perfect. That didn't work out. I completely forgot about their double chocolate chip cookie recipe. These are the best cookies I've ever tasted and SO, SO easy! They are simple cookies, no need to chill the dough after making it or wait until they cool since there's no frosting. They can definitely be made Wed or Thurs for the Sunday wedding and can easily be stored.

I'm considering doing one sugar cookie and one chocolate cookie but I'm leaning toward 2 chocolate cookies tied in the same bags w/either pink or green ribbon to match the colors. I know they'll taste good and I thought of including some sort of tag to explain the significance. But part of me just loves the look of the iced sugar cookie.

What do you guys think?

PS, sorry no pictures but the amount of time spent on the cookies didn't seem to justify pics! Plus, by that time I was way too tired to find the camera.

ETA: We did still use the silpat and could definitely see a difference! Thanks for the tip!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 7/2/2007 12:01:12 AM
Author: dixie94
DKS, thanks for all of your tips! I appreciate them!!

HappyAnniversary, thanks for thinking of me! Today was a BUSY day! And most of it wasn''t even spent on cookies. Yesterday, I bought of ton of stuff to decorate my son''s room and spent the better part of today assembling the bed, bookshelves, etc... So that didn''t leave much time for cookies. We decided to just bake them today to get a feel for the 2 different recipes, then freeze some of those to ice next weekend. Then also freeze some dough to bake next weekend or the weekend after and then ice them then.
Well, the plans even changed after that change! We made 2 recipes and the first one wasn''t so good. The dough was so crumbly. Even when trying to remove the cookies from the parchment paper to the baking sheet, they wouldn''t stay together. Then after tasting them, they tasted more like shortbread to me and didn''t look nearly as good as I would want. So that recipe was out. Didn''t bother to save or freeze any of those.
The second recipe was better. The cookies tasted pretty good but it just seems like too much work and we didn''t even start the icing process. I did freeze some dough to try out in a week or two but I think I''ve completely changed gears w/the favors.

After listening to you guys talk about other types of cookies, I think I want to change the type. Initially, I really wanted to have my grandmother''s chocolate cake as our wedding cake. They can''t come to the wedding and I LOVE their cake so it would''ve been perfect. That didn''t work out. I completely forgot about their double chocolate chip cookie recipe. These are the best cookies I''ve ever tasted and SO, SO easy! They are simple cookies, no need to chill the dough after making it or wait until they cool since there''s no frosting. They can definitely be made Wed or Thurs for the Sunday wedding and can easily be stored.

I''m considering doing one sugar cookie and one chocolate cookie but I''m leaning toward 2 chocolate cookies tied in the same bags w/either pink or green ribbon to match the colors. I know they''ll taste good and I thought of including some sort of tag to explain the significance. But part of me just loves the look of the iced sugar cookie.

What do you guys think?

PS, sorry no pictures but the amount of time spent on the cookies didn''t seem to justify pics! Plus, by that time I was way too tired to find the camera.

ETA: We did still use the silpat and could definitely see a difference! Thanks for the tip!

I think that''s a great idea! I understand that you love the look of an iced sugar cookie, but to make cookies that are your grandparents'' recipe would be so cool, and then on top of that to include a tag maybe with the recipe and/or why they are meaningful would be fantastic. I remember you first posting about wanting to do your grandma''s choco cake, so this cookie idea would really be neat.

 

[akw94]

Thanks Monarch! I hadn''t thought of including the recipe. I think it would be special to have their cookies there. My mom has agreed to make the cake for the rehearsal dinner so I''m excited about that too!

 

[monarch64]

Oh, that''s great Dixie that your mom is going to make the cake for your RD. Much less stressful for all involved to incorporate it like that instead of for the wedding cake, right?

 

[door knob solitaire]

Monnie,

I love the idea of using your Grandmothers recipe. That is soooo cool. I think the guests would really be touched by the idea too. What ever you decide to pair with it will be great.

If you get too busy to do your iced ones completely, you can drizzle stripes of icing in your colors Just a few random streaks of icing across a cookie can be very pleasing and most artistic looking. Something more avant garde I suppose. I forgot to remind you to look at edible glitter. This is something you have probably seen dusted on the tops of cakes. I use it on my cookies and it adds a panache that you can''t do without. You can get it in any color...but I have had the best results with the plain or clear. It actually looks like thin shards of broken cellophane you know if you froze it and it got brittle...that is what this stuff looks like up close. But it is actually much finer. Anyway it catches the light and the light seems to just kiss everything. Somewhat pricey...but it goes a long way if you are careful. About $3.99 for about 1 ounze. But just a teeny pinch per cookie will do it.

And I forgot to answer you main question....I make my Christmas coookies sometimes around the 2nd or 3rd of December. I give them out before the 25th...but usually have plenty left to serve at Christmas. And they all look just as good and taste as fresh. Secret has to be the cookie is baked to a stiff form...they are not moist. If they are the moisture will seep through the icing and you will get white streaks. I use a gingerbread recipe. And the last sugar cookies I have used....(were purchased already baked, as confessed before) but they also are at a snap stage. Now, here is the part I wanted to add...If you couple a crisp firm cookie with a moist delicious chiped one...I worry about the moisture tranferring to the sugar one. Just a thought...I have no experience doing what you are planning. But I would definatley test them. Hey, go to a bakery and buy a chewy moist cookie, bag it with a iced sugar cookie and just see what happens. You can run a test without doing the baking yourself.

Sounds like you had a busy weekend. But it sounds as if it was at least yummy!

DKS

 

[monarch64]

DKS means "Dixie," LOL!