Hi, all! Surprise! I'm a little early this time! I'm traveling tomorrow during record-breaking cold temperatures (right now, it's -12°F in Maine, where I'm headed) so I'm expecting the trip to be rather complicated with no guarantee of actually getting there per plan. So rather than...
Do you ever get a cookie idea that stubbornly refuses to budge? The idea for this Rapunzel tower cookie popped into my head one day and set up camp. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the concept. It seemed cute but also...
Hi, all! I'm finally back with a Saturday Spotlight. I apologize for the many gaps in them, but I still haven't regained control of my life since my mom's move here in November. It's almost as if I have another entire life to manage. Having never had kids, I was definitely not...
Hi, everyone, and welcome to a new Watch-Learn-Create challenge! In this 53rd challenge, our featured guest Laura Saporiti shares all of the tools, techniques, and tips needed to paint watercolor florals on fondant...
Hello, everyone! It's time for a new Julia's Kitchen Club kit - or I should say, "new kits" (plural) since there are essentially three of them this month. Though they were initially designed with Valentine's Day in mind...
As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Such has been my judging team-mantra for the last couple of years. In fact, the team of judges for Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ has been such a well-oiled machine that the last thing I wanted to do this year was to...
Hi, everyone! Once again, I am taking over the Saturday Spotlight this weekend with the recap of Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #52. It featured guest Evelin Milanesi, also known as Evelindecora, and her signature Piped Crochet Technique developed in 2016...
As you probably know, Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ returns to its usual in-person format at That Takes the Cake Show (TTTC) in Round Rock, Texas on March 31, 2023. I am super excited to finally see sponsors and competitors in the flesh! If you read this sponsor shout-out from me last year, what follows will feel a lot like...
I am celebrating winter with a 3-D winter wonderland tree cookie, and I hope you'll come celebrate with me! This 3-D project doesn’t require any icing "glue" to stand, so it's more like a 3-D cookie platter. The concept behind its construction is similar to that of mug-hugger cookies, which are . . .
Like so many others, I’m smitten with the golden and crimson hues of autumn leaves. But they shouldn’t get all the love. On close inspection, the leaves of each season have their own unique beauty...
If you're like me and sad to see Christmas come and go so swiftly, then take a moment to relive it with this belated Saturday Spotlight! This hot list features the...
Wow! I know, my 2022 competition was just put to bed, but we’re already on to the next one! Because my competition returns to an in-person format at That Takes the Cake Show at the end of March, planning your entries can’t start soon enough...
Yes, you read that right - I'm running two days late on the Spotlight. I am so sorry, but one thing has led to another lately. Painters were here a week ago, which triggered a break in our old roof. The roofers came and replaced our roof, but messed up the...
It’s the end of November, which means that it's time to share a Christmas tree-themed tutorial! [EDITOR'S NOTE: Apologies to Manu for my delayed posting - it's now early December! However, there's still plenty of time to enjoy this tutorial, and even make this fabulous project! ~ JMU] To kick off, I am posting pictures of the Christmas cookie tutorials that I have shared over the past several years here on Cookie Connection...
At long last, it's the time so many of you have been waiting for - the grand winner reveal in the second virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™! But, wait! What happened to the finalist announcement, you ask?! Good question. A few weeks ago, I posted a notice to this site that answered this question quite fully. If you missed it, it said..
