Permanent Templates for Custom Cookie Shapes . . . Works for Me Wednesday

So, here's the deal.  You guys are smarter than I am.

{But you already knew that.}

A while back, I wrote a post about making templates for cookie shapes when you don't have a cutter.  I was making them with clean cardstock or cutting up a new manila file folder.

Well, I got a sweet email from a reader who suggested I use plastic made for quilting templates.


Ding! Ding! Ding!

A. Using this method, the templates are reusable and WASHABLE!
B. My mom, who was a quilter, would have just loved this!

It's how I make all of my templates now.  All you do is...
 
go to the fabric store and buy the template plastic,


place the image to be traced underneath the plastic,


trace (I like a Sharpie),


cut out (I used my "good" scissors just for you guys).

Voila!  A cookie template you can use over and over again.  Works for me!

**Dear sweet reader who sent in the tip, please let me know who you are in the comments, so I can give you proper credit.**

Making Cookie Decorating Easier (with color) . . . Works for Me Wednesday

*Let me tell you a little cookie decorating secret*

Making 48 cookies in a similar color scheme is easier than making 18 cookies in all different colors.

I love cookie assortments.  And Eleni's in NYC has the some of the most creative and beautiful assortments around.  Like this gorgeous one...

{source: birds & butterflies assortment, Eleni's}

Now, I count...eleven colors in that assortment of 24 cookies.  If you are making these cookies at home, you'd better have tips and couplers and squeeze bottles out the wazoo, or be prepared to do some washing.

Making and planning a million different colors for one batch of cookies can rattle even a seasoned cookie decorator. (OK...I haven't actually asked anyone else, but it rattles ME.)  You'll also end up making lots of extra icing, just to ensure you have enough of every color.

Want to streamline the process?  Pick just a few coordinating colors.  So, from the Eleni's example, maybe just the purple birds, butterflies and flowers.  Just as pretty and and it will save you time and headaches. TRUST ME.


I actually LOVE how cookies that are all in the same color scheme look on a dessert table or in a basket.


This assortment?  Three different cookie designs, but using the same 3 colors.

Color coordinating cookies....they work for me!

How to Stop the Bleeding . . . Works for Me Wednesday

{that sounds kind of creepy, huh?}

The tips here are not a guarantee against bleeding icing colors, but hopefully they will help.

First, a little general advice:

1. Use a high quality gel paste food coloring (I like AmeriColor).  I LOVE their Super Red and Super Black food colorings.
2. Use as little food coloring as possible to achieve the right color. Remember that colors, dark colors especially, will deepen over time and as they dry. Over-saturated colors tend to bleed more than others.

 
For applications, like this one, where you are applying thinned icing on top of wet icing:

1. Work several cookies at a time, filling in the base color, then going back to the first cookie filled and applying the second color.  This will allow the base coat a few minutes to set before applying the second color.
2. Thin the icing colors out to as close to the same consistency as possible.

 
{Why did one cookie bleed and the other didn't?  I'm not sure.  It's a cookie mystery.}

For applications involving a dark outline:
 

1. If filling a cookie that has a dark outline, give the outline a little extra time to dry.  For a black outline, I let the outline dry 30-60 minutes before filling with a lighter color.  Another cookie maker I know (hi, Jen!) waits 3 hours.  And her cookies are perfection.
2. If adding detail piping in a dark color on top of a light color (like the beer mugs or the white hearts below), give the flood icing at least one hour to dry before adding the detail.

 

 Here's my most important tip for bleeding icing...

don't sweat it! 

It's just a cookie; it doesn't have to be perfect. 

YOU are probably the only person who notices. (I promise.)

{Plus...once it has been eaten, there will be no evidence!} ;)

Sprinkles and Sugars and Dragees, oh my! . . . Works For Me Wednesday

Here's a little secret about cookie decorating...everything looks cute covered in sprinkles or sanding sugar or jimmies, etc. etc.  Don't like how your cookie looks?  Cover it in sprinkles!  Instant Cute!

Here's the low-down on the different types of cookie accoutrements:


Nonpariels: These might be my favorite.  Maybe it was all of those years eating "chocolate stars" at the movies.  Remember those?  Anyone?

The multi-colored ones are really cute, too.  Can't find the mix you want?  Mix them yourself!  I mixed black and white nonpareils for these cookies.

 
Sugar Pearls: a little bigger than nonpareils and with a pearly sheen.  I have never used these, but could not resist buying these sweet pink ones.


Next we have jimmies.  Chocolate Jimmies are the most common jimmies...and every time I use them, I can't help but think of Seinfeld. "Jimmy likes these jimmies."

 
Dragees: Did you eat these as a kid?  Me, too.  Now they are for "decorative purposes only." Yeah, right.

{PS...dragee is pronounced "draah-zhA," not "drag-EE" like someone might have said in front of a group of people at THE Lodge. *blush*}  It's dragees, dahhhling.


Sparkling sugar versus sanding sugar: Sanding sugar is finer than sparkling sugar and, I think, a little more sparkly.
 
Sugars come in all sorts of colors...even gold!


And, last but not least.....SPRINKLES!!!

Repeat after me....."Sprinkles fix everything."

How to make "flat dots" on cookies . . . Works for Me Wednesday

Ever had one of those "How did they DO that?" moments?   I sure did.  I had been decorating cookies a few years and saw some cookies in the Martha Stewart catalog (I miss that catalog).

The cookies had FLAT dots and stripes and they really boggled my mind.

Once I figured out how to make them, I, well, went kinda went dot crazy.  It is probably my favorite cookie decorating technique.  {And it's so easy!}

First....here's a little video (from last year) if you are a visual learner. :)
(More how-to cookie decorating videos like this can be seen at University of Cookie.)

Here's how to do it...
{portions of this post were originally published here in 2007...have I really been blogging that long?}

• Thin two (or more) colors of icing with water to approximately the same consistency, like a thick syrup. One shouldn't be noticeably thinner than the other.
• After outlining, flood the cookie with the base color first and spread with a toothpick.
• While the base color is still wet, add the dots using a squeeze bottle. The dots must be added to the wet icing, but do give the base color a few minutes to set. Adding the dots right way, especially dark on light, may cause some bleeding into the main icing as it dries.  I typically work 6-8 cookies at a time, adding the base color, then going back with the dots.
• If the bleeding does happen, don't worry...it's just a cookie! Chance are, no one will notice but you. :)

---

One little announcement:

Kicking and screaming, Bake at 350 has entered the 21st century.  

Yes, Bake at 350 is now on Facebook.

As my friend Shelly said, "I think you are the last person alive not on facebook...you and my grandpa."  Look out grandpa, you're next. ;)

{And don't be confused...I guess there are a few "Bake at 350's" on FB...you'll see my little pink cake cookie on my page.} 

Now, go get dotty! :)

Tips for Edible Images, Icing Printers & Frosting Sheets . . . Works for Me Wednesday

Last year, I bought an icing printer.  It hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops, but it has been kinda fun.  Here are a few of the cookies I've made using it:

 {All Saint's Day, Skeleton Bride & Groom, Terri's Birthday, Bluebird, Uncle Mike}

First, let's talk about the printer itself.  You can go one of two ways....

• buy a printer specifically made for icing printing, like the one sold here,
• or, buy a NEW printer that is compatible with the food coloring "ink" cartridges.  (A list of those printers is here.)

I bought one of the compatible printers.....I chose an Epson WorkForce 30.  (I bought it from Amazon.)

Next, let's talk "ink."  Food coloring cartridges are, well, expensive.  Go to the list of compatible printers and find the edible ink that you need.

The ink for my printer is $90.  Yes, $90!  How long does it last?  Well, it depends.  Depends on the images printed, how much ink is wasted cleaning nozzles, running print checks, etc.  My guess is, you can get 30-40 pages out of a full set of ink.

The best tip for the ink that I've found is to refill is with these ink refills.  They are $10 a color and are SO nice to have on hand when you realize that you're out of magenta and your printer won't work without it.

{Refilling the tanks can get messy and I won't pretend I know any tricks to doing it, other than batting your eyelashes and seeing if you can get your hubby to take over.  Worked for me.}

Getting ready to print:

Scan your picture or save it on your computer.  Use a photo editing software (I like PhotoScape) to crop it to the size of your cookie cutter.  The easiest way to do this is to view the image at 100% and hold your cookie cutter up to the screen.  I like to make my images just a tad smaller than the actual cutter.

Put as many pictures as you can fit into a Word or Open Office document.  I typically get 6 per sheet, of course, you'll get more if your cookies are smaller.  The frosting sheets have a printing area of 7.5 x 10".

BEFORE PRINTING:

• Run a nozzle check of the printer.
• If any colors are not printing, run the print head cleaning (you may need to run it twice).
• If one of the colors is still not printing, turn off the printer, remove the specific color and swab the nozzle with a damp QTip.
• Print a test page on a plain sheet of paper.  (Once you see that it is printing correctly, you can cancel the print job to keep from wasting ink.)

 
Now, print the image/s onto the frosting sheet. 

There are a few ways to apply the sheets.  (And, I'm only talking cookies here, not applying to cakes.)

Once printed, I find the sheets a little easier to work with if they have "aged" a little.  Now, this could be because I live in a really humid area, I don't know.  But, when I've tried to used them immediately, I have had problems with tearing.

So, if I'm using them right after printing, I leave them out on the counter for a bit....at least 15 minutes to dry out.  You don't want to leave them out too long, or they will become brittle.   If I'm not going to use them the same day, I store them in a gallon-sized baggie.  Then, before using, I'll cut them into the size needed and let them sit out while I prep the cookies.

Method #1 (my favorite): Prepare the images by cutting the size needed, set aside. Outline and fill the cookie with royal icing.  While the icing is still wet, remove the backing from the frosting sheet and gently place on the cookie.  Pat the edges and corners down.  This may make up to 48 hours to dry.

Method #2 (I used this method on these St. Patrick's Day cookies):  Prepare the images by cutting the size needed, set aside. Thin piping consistency royal icing with water until it is loosened.  It should not be runny, just easily spreadable.  Remove the backing from the image and gently cover the back with the loosened icing.  Adhere to the cookie.  Because the icing is not as wet underneath, these don't take as long to dry.  (I like this method for when you don't want to add or see a border.)

Method #3 involves brushing corn syrup on the back of the image and applying it to a dry cookie.  I haven't had any luck with this method.  The corn syrup seemed to tear and stretch the sheets and the ones that didn't tear felt sticky to the touch. 

A few more tips....

• "Hot hands" can tear the images. My hands are cold all the time....except when I decorate cookies.  If this happens to you, wash your hands in really cold water and dry thoroughly. Repeat as needed.  I also will take the ice pack for kiddo's lunchbox out of the freezer and hold onto it for a while.
• A piped or sprinkled edge is a really nice way to finish the cookies or hide uneven edges.  I love a #16 star tip!
• Use your printer once a week....even if you don't need to...to help prevent ink clogging.
• Wait AT LEAST 24 hours before packaging. Tap gently on the image to see if it's dry.
• Never use your icing printer with real ink. :)

Now, here's the real deal....would I buy one again?  I'm not sure.  It's nice to have, but the troubleshooting hasn't been fun.

If you don't have an icing printer, but want to use edible images, here's what you do.   Format your pictures and take your file on an SD card or flash drive to your local bakery supply (or even the grocery store).  Call first, but more than likely, they can print FOR you!  Our bakery supply charges about $7 per sheet.

I'm not an expert at these edible images, so if I come across any other tips, I'll be sure to pass them along!

---

I know this post is LOOOOONG and wordy, so bear with me.  I want to let you know about a really neat event I'm participating in...and you can, too!

I’m co-hosting an upcoming class in the Web’s first-ever virtual cooking school, Cooking Connections, and I would love for all of you to participate! Here’s what you need to know:

When: Wednesday, March 9, at 1 p.m. ET

Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held.

And here is the registration page for all Cooking Connections classes.

What: The class I am co-hosting is called “Sweet Treats,” and it is hosted by Julie Mastbrook (Mommie Cooks) and Kristen Doyle (Dine and Dish ). We all will be sharing our best resources for finding sweets; sweet snack suggestions and recipes for when we’re craving just a taste of sugar; and dessert recipes with kid-friendly instructions and cleanup, so your children can help you whip up delicious creations!

The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.

I hope to see you there!

My other fabulous co-hosts are:

Cheryl Sousan, Tidy Mom
Kristan Roland, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Monet Moutrie, Anecdotes and Apple Cores
Dennis Littley, More than a Mountfull
Kim Kopp, Quit Eating Out
Naomi Robinson, Bakers Royale
Robyn Stone, Add a Pinch
Rebecca Spivack, Let It Marinate
Kaitlin Flannery, Whisk Kid
Cate O'Malley, Sweetnicks
Faith Gorsky, An Edible Mosaic

How to Pipe Letters with Royal Icing. . . Works for Me Wednesday

Piping letters on cookies.....it still makes me nervous. 

Now, my piping still isn't perfect, but here are a few tips I've learned along the way.

• Use the smallest round tip you feel comfortable with. (I know that ends in a preposition, but "with which you are comfortable" just seemed too fancy.) I like to use a #1 tip.  The larger tip you use, the more likely the letters are to spread.
• Fresh royal icing is important.  Royal icing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but it loses some of its stiffness.  For the most exact lettering, make your royal icing the day you'll be piping.

• Write down the name or word to be piped on paper.  Make sure you've spelled it correctly and look at it every so often.  Words tend to look strange when you've piped them 52 times in a row.
• Start from the middle.  Once you've written the word on paper, find the center letter.  Place that letter in the center of the cookie and work out from there.
• Practice.  Before plunking down icing on that first cookie....practice.  Practice on a paper towel or a plate or a cookie sheet.  It could be that you were thinking all CAPS, but lowercase looks better. Maybe you want to try cursive.  Try it out first.

{Remember....it's ok if the piping isn't perfect. Our cookies are made by actual humans, not robots.  Although, a cookie robot would be kind of cool.}

These piping tips work for me!  What about you? Do you agonize over piping, or something else about cookie decorating?

Guest Post from Sweetopia : Marbling Cookies

I have *such* a treat for you guys today! This is the very first guest post on Bake at 350 and I am so, so happy to introduce you to Marian. Marian's blog is called Sweetopia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it is a cookie wonderland! I literally cried the first time I saw it. You'll love it, too! {Just WAIT until you see the little owl below!}

Thank you, Marian, for guest posting today! We are so lucky to have you here!

Hi! I'm Marian.

I'm really thrilled and honored to be here as a guest contributor for Bridget's website! Every time I visit I'm inspired by her eye-candy cookies and baked goods of all kinds! Hopefully you'll like the sweets I'm sharing today.

If you've tried cookies like these before you know how simple they are to make, and if you haven't, you're about to find out just how easy they are to create.

It's called marbling or swirling, which is basically when one or more colors of icing are applied to a base coat of icing, and then a toothpick, cake tester, pin or skewer is dragged through the icing to create a marbled or swirly effect.

Each combination of colors creates another look.

Just by changing the way you set up your lines and drag the toothpick, completely different designs emerge.

You can incorporate the swirled icing into your design, like these feathered cookie friends:

If you'd like to try the swirling effect, the most important thing for your success is the consistency of the icing. Bridget has some great points about that here, and my cookie decorating tutorial goes over some tips and the 10-second rule here.

Once you have your cookies baked and icing made, it's time to begin by piping your outline. I like to use a piping bag fitted with a coupler and #2 tip.

Fill or flood your cookie with royal icing right away. You could leave the outline to set to create a solid dam, but you'll be able to see the border when the icing dries.

Once you've filled the whole cookie in, shake it gently left to right on your work surface, to help smooth the icing out.

Add your second (or more), layers or colors of icing. Work as quickly as you can before the icing sets.

Take a toothpick, pin, skewer or dough tester (hey, whatever works!), and drag it through the icing. In this case I drew S-like shapes. The image below shows which direction I dragged the toothpick in.

Finish off the edges with dots or another design of your choice and you're done!

The hearts are made by piping dots and dragging the toothpick through the center of each dot.

Let your cookies dry, package and ribbon.

Simple, easy, fun and impressive!

If you have any questions or comments come visit me over at Sweetopia for more information or to contact me directly.

A big thanks to Bridget, cookie decorator extraordinaire, for having me as her guest blogger!

Happy marbling!

xo,

Marian