Learn From the Experts

After our last mishap, we decided it was time to find a professional cookie decorator. We searched on-line and found Barbara, who was an enormous help. We tried using her cookie recipe, but our cookies didn't turn out so we decided to stick with what we already did well. One of her best tips was to get organized before we started decorating. That left us less flustered when it was time to mix and decorate. Barbara showed us just how long to beat the icing and what it should look like when it's ready to be used. Our next batch of cookies were much improved and the musical ribbon adds to the fun.

Hydrangea Cookies

After all of the mishaps with the purple sash cookies, we thought we knew exactly what to do this time. We got creative and decided to decorate our wedding cake cookies with hydrangeas. That overconfidence failed us once again. This time we beat the icing way too long and ended up with a sticky, marshmallow tasting flood icing. Another batch of cookies went into the trash. This time it only took us two tries. Lesson learned: beat the icing for only 10 minutes on low speed. Stir by hand if you need to add more water to thin the flood.

Back in the Kitchen

This is what you call dedication. We're back in the kitchen for the third time, making the purple sash cookies. You might wonder why we don't just give up and buy some cookies from a bakery. That's what our husbands would suggest. But we keep thinking success is right around the corner. As the saying goes, "The third time's the charm." Our cookies were perfect and we presented them with pride. Now if we could only remember the process.

We Flunked Cookie Class 101!

We thought we knew exactly how to fix our purple sash wedding cookies. We baked another batch of cookies and promptly flooded them. Having ruined our last batch, we headed to the internet to see how long the flood icing had to dry. Everyone said, "Overnight." Being smart entrepreneur bakers, we decided that it might be best to let our cookies dry in the safe confines of the oven. Wrong. Guess what happens when you put cookies covered with wet icing in an airtight oven. The cookies absorb all the moisture from the icing, plus the icing doesn't harden. Batch number two was a soggy mess. The cookies fell apart when we picked them up. We promptly tossed them in the trash. Once again we have no pictures.

Learning the Hard Way

At this point in our cookie decorating career, we decided to continue with the trial and error method. I guess we like learning things the hard way. With another wedding coming up, we had a chance to practice a new cookie design. The pink bow was cute, but we wanted to expand our horizons. We thought we already new everything about the first layer of icing, called flooding, so we zipped right through that stage and excitedly added the next layer, a purple sash across the cookie with a big purple button on the side. The next day when we went to check on our cookies, we found that the purple icing had spread across our cake in an ugly blur. Our trial and error method had taught us a good lesson: always let the flood icing dry overnight if you plan to decorate with a different color! No pictures this time - these cookies went in the trash.

Our First Batch

It all started with the annual bake sale at our children's school. Every year we would bake and decorate gingerbread men, spreading them all over the kitchen and making a big fat mess. But we had fun and our cookies were sellouts. When our kids outgrew the gingerbread men, we turned to bridal shower cookies. We made 4" wedding cake cookies and decorated them with big pink bows. It took us hours and when they were done we thought they were beautiful. Looking back at those pictures we have to smile. Take a look at our first pride and joy. They look much better bagged.