I could have used some help from the elves

I'm baaaack!!!! It was a very busy Christmas for this cookie lady! Here's a little re-cap....

First came four corporate thank you gift boxes for IntuitiveTek's support offices. Each office received 20 hand piped logo cookies with a Christmas theme.

Then 110 boxes to their best customers. Each customer received a gift box including a santa, a snowman, and a logo cookie. They were shipped all over the country and to Canada!

After that came a platter of 20 simple yet elegant snowflakes.

And finally, a platter of 4 dozen Christmas lights.

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday season! Here's to a fabulous 2014!

Tuesday Tip of the Week

Uh oh. The holidays seem to have gotten the better of me! I don't have a Tuesday Tip of the Week for you this week. If you have any suggestions for future tips, please leave a comment below! Thanks and happy holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy time with loved ones and friends. :)

Tuesday Tip of the Week {rolling pin bands}

If I had to choose ONE tool that has significantly improved my cookie making, it would have to be my Rolling Pin Rubber Rings that my hubby got me as a present.

Once you pop these babies on your rolling pin, you can roll your dough to uniform thickness. Every. Single. Time. 

Mind. Blown.

The rings keep the rolling pin a precise distance from the dough, so you never get cookies that are too thin or too thick. The set he got me included 8 different rings, or 4 pairs: 1/16-inch, 1/8-inch, 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch. 

I use the 1/4-inch pair and my cookies turn out perfect every time.

Do you have a favorite tool that you can't live without?

Send a smile

Do you know someone who could use a little pick-me-up? Send cookies! Here's a platter that went out to Texas for a mom who broke her ankle but still had kiddos to take care of. Someone thought she needed a little cheer, so hearts and balloons were in order!

Is there someone in your life who needs some love?

Tuesday Tip of the Week {dividing dough}

I have tried many different sugar cookies recipes but the only one I use now is THIS ONE. I get consistent results with cookies that are buttery, delicious, and not too sweet. The dough is also very easy to work with.

To make it easier to roll out your dough, divide it into 4 blobs (yes, that's the official name for it) and place each blob on a separate saran wrap rectangle.

I usually just eyeball it to make sure my blobs are roughly even, but if you're picky you can use a scale.

Once your blobs are equal, form them into balls.

Then flatten each ball into a disk and wrap each disk with the saran wrap. Place your disks of dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling and cutting out your cookies. If you have dough left over, place saran-wrapped disks in a freezer bag and freeze.

Using only a quarter of the dough at a time makes it much easier to roll out. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter you're using, you can expect to get anywhere from 8-20 cookies per disk.

I hope this helps when you start making your holiday cookies! Happy baking!

Thanksgiving

I don't know where this year has gone, but Thanksgiving is just over 2 weeks away and time is running out to order your cookies! Thanksgiving cookies make a beautifully thoughtful hostess gift or a great addition to your own dessert table. Local orders must be placed by November 20, for pickup in Collierville on November 26. Out-of-town orders must be placed by November 18, to be shipped via USPS Priority Mail on November 22.

Tuesday Tip of the Week {baking sheets}

What you bake your cookies ON can really affect how your cookies turn out. Do they bake unevenly? Do the bottoms burn before the middle is cooked through? Do your pans warp when they hit the heat of your oven? I've tried several different cookie sheets, and I'm finally happy with THESE from NordicWare.

Coupled with my trusted Silpats, these really do the trick. They are sturdy and bake evenly and I get consistent results every time. And with the Silpats, nothing sticks and they're a breeze to clean.

Happy baking!

Veteran's Day

Thank you to all the Veterans who have served this country so well!

Tuesday Tip of the Week {cookie spread, part 2}

In my first Tip of the Week, I suggested putting cut-out dough into the fridge before baking to prevent cookie spread. The other way to combat this is by reducing the amount of baking powder in your cookie recipe. I use enough to help the cookies rise, but not so much that they'll spread and lose their shape. For my entire recipe, I use only 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

I've added a tab at the top of the page where you can find my sugar cookie recipe and my royal icing recipe, or you can click HERE. Enjoy them!

More School Logos

In addition to college logos, I can do elementary schools, middle schools and high schools too! These GL logos were part of a platter for a graduation party for a Gull Lake, Michigan grad.

And these were for Rossville Christian Academy's fall fundraiser.

How would your school's logo look on a cookie?? 

Don't blink!

Living in the South is new to me. The summer wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I really enjoyed no snow in the winter, but one thing I really miss is the fall. I miss the pumpkin patches, apple picking, warm apple cider, hayrides, and the beautiful fall foliage. It goes from HOT HOT HOT to COLD here in the blink of an eye. Most of the leaves go from green to brown and it makes me a little homesick.

I figured if I couldn't have fall outside, I could bake it up inside! Just looking at these cookies makes me happy. I hope they make you happy too!

Tuesday Tip of the Week {cooling cookies}

Welcome to another Tuesday Tip of the Week! Every week I'll let you in on a little secret that has helped me perfect my cookies....

Have you ever tried to lift your freshly baked cookies off the cookie sheet only to smoosh or otherwise mangle them? The solution: let your cookies cool ON the cookie sheet for about 5-10 minutes before removing them. This allows the cookies to firm up just enough so that you won't bend, break, or distort them when removing them to the cooling rack.

Once they are firm enough to move, place them on a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them. My favorite cooling racks are THESE stackable ones from Wilton.

I have 2 sets of 3, so I can stack them high and cool lots of cookies while only taking up a small footprint on my counter, plus they collapse down making them easy to store.

Happy baking!

Place Card Cookies

If you want to make a statement at a party, consider place card cookies. They are simple and elegant, and are the perfect addition to your party table.

Place card cookies can be any shape and color imaginable. The guest of honor at this intimate dinner party likes blue and yellow, so Phyllis the hostess chose those colors.

I used my plaque cookie cutter, which I just love. It's from PlasticsInPrint and it's a nice substantial size, which makes for an impressive cookie.

Phyllis was kind enough to share a picture of one of the cookies on her table. Thanks, Phyllis! I hope Tina had a very happy birthday!

Fore!

OK, confession time. I don't golf. I don't like to play it and I don't like to watch it. I tried. I really did. Gerard tried to teach me and that nearly ended in divorce. :) I took lessons, too, but alas, golf is just not my game.

Of course that doesn't mean I can't love golf cookies. I put together 72 gift bags for a golf tournament and each bag included a ball and a golf green. I wish I could take the credit for the golf ball design, but I have Jennifer at The Bluebonnet Bake Shop to thank for that. Most people do little dots of white on top of a white cookie but of course golf balls do not have raised dots, they have dimples. Jennifer suggested "dropping light grey dots into your still wet base icing, then immediately drop in the white dots just a smidgen below each grey dot to create this cool "shadow effect" on the dimples".  I think she is a genius!

Tuesday Tip of the Week {cookie spread, part 1}

Thanks to my good friend Isabel, I've decided to offer a Tuesday Tip of the Week! This week's tip was one I learned early on and really changed my cookies.....

Have you ever baked some cookies that started out looking perfect, only to take them out of the oven and find they look like one giant glob? Spreading cookies may not be a disaster if you're baking circles, but if you're trying to make something with fine details, cookie spread can be the kiss of death.

There are two things that I've found that can help your cookies keep their shape. The first is in the recipe you use. I use only a little bit of baking powder to allow the cookies to rise slightly, but not enough to make them spread. Check back in a few weeks and I'll share my cookie recipe on another Tuesday Tip of the Week!

The other key to keeping your cookies from spreading is that they need to be cold. After you roll and cut out your cookies, place them on the cookie sheet and into the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then bake them straight from the fridge. They hold their shape much better when they're cold and baked on a cold cookie sheet.

Happy baking!

Ball Jars

Ball jars are all the rave these days. I've seen Ball jars made into lamps, candle holders, planters, Halloween decorations, soap dispensers, and much more. Just check out Pinterest to see what I'm talking about! Thanks to Jamie H. and THIS INSPIRATION, I made 60 Ball Jar cookies for her grandmother's 90th birthday party in Chicago. They were a labor of love, but I think the end result was well worth it.

A Halloween Birthday

I love Halloween so I was super excited to do Halloween-themed birthday party favors for two adorable girls. Of course I forgot to take pictures before I had packaged them all up, so these pictures will have to do. I hope you can get the idea!

Totally Custom

If you can dream it up, I can probably create it in cookie form. Part of the fun for me is turning what you've imagined into edible art. I love a challenge! Check out these custom cookies:

Rather be hunting

book club treats

mah jongg tiles

for a "trophy wife" with a sense of humor :)

13th birthday party favors

thank you gifts with a pirate theme

Scott's favorite things

for an awesome race car driver

baby gift with a John Deere theme

Memphis favorites