According to Mr. Webster: Array (noun) - An impressive display or range of a particular type of thing. (verb) - To display or arrange things in a particular order.
But what's a cookie array? To me, a cookie array is a collection of cookies, which, when arranged together, create a bigger single picture or scene. You know, one of those things where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But before I get to some examples of exactly what I am talking about, let's talk about the really fun stuff - this month's Practice Bakes Perfect PRIZE!
This month's PRIZE, to be awarded to a randomly selected challenge entrant, has been graciously donated by Cookie Connection's own Julia M. Usher herself. It is a SURPRISE package of cookie-related loot, with an estimated retail value of at least $50, including the new DoughEZ rolling mat and guides! So, with visions of that fabulous prize dancing around in your head, and without further ado, let's get to the challenge!
For the purpose of this challenge, we will be looking at three different types of arrays: platters, puzzles, and 3-D creations. Platters consist of a set of many smaller cookies arranged on a platter to create a larger picture, such as Sweet Sugarbelle's iconic turkey platter. I used the same platter concept to create this family tree:
Another example of a platter-style array is this brilliant daisy design by Sugar Pearls Cakes & Bakes:
The second style of cookie array is the puzzle. This is a set of cookies that not only work together to form a single picture or theme, but also fit together like puzzle pieces. And no one does this better than The Cookie Architect:
AND, Yankee Girl Yummies:
The puzzle is not something that I, myself, have mastered, but I believe key ingredients for a successful puzzle include: a clear plan, dough that does not spread, and a microplane tool (for filing down your cookie edges for optimal fit). Easy peasy, right?!
And last, but not least, the final type of array for purposes of this challenge is the 3-D cookie arrangement. This is similar to the platter, but the cookies are actually connected and stacked to create a single 3-D structure. The perfect example of this is Fernwood Cookie's autumn wreath:
So, now that you all have a clear idea of what a cookie array is, let's get to the rules for this month's challenge.
Rules:
Create a cookie array of 12 or more cookies in one of the three styles described above.
As always, we ask that you make a brand-spankin' new cookie set for this challenge.
To enter:
- Please post an image of your cookie set to the site under the Practice Bakes Perfect clip set no later than June 14, 2015 at 5 pm central.
- Because these challenges will be ongoing, we ask that you put "Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #10" in your photo caption (subtitle field) AND in a tag, so we can tell the challenges apart from month to month. Please use the main title field to uniquely name your cookies as you normally would.
- Please also assign other relevant clip sets and tags to your images, as you normally would. (Meaning don't just use the Practice Bakes Perfect clip set and leave it at that, or your photos won't easily be found with keyword searches.)
- You can enter more than once, but please post only one clip of each distinct entry/cookie set. Multiple clips of the same entry/cookie set are not allowed unless added in a comment beneath the one primary clip.
After the challenge closes on June 14, we will announce the winner in the Saturday Spotlight the following weekend (June 20). The next challenge will be announced after this challenge is closed.
And one last thing . . . This is NOT meant to be a competition. The only person you should be competing against is yourself. Period. These challenges are intended to inspire the artist in you and push you to be the best cookie artist YOU can be at this snapshot in time. Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to get you out of your comfort zone - to "take healthy risks," as my wise-beyond-his-years son always reminds me. Plus, prizes are given entirely at random, so healthy risk-taking has its own rewards!
I would love to chat with you as you journey through this process, so if you have any questions about the challenge, are having trouble getting started, need help bringing an idea to life, or need technical advice (like, "What the heck IS a microplane, anyway, and where can I get one?"), please leave a comment below.
Christine Donnelly began her professional baking career at 16, when she was hired on the spot at her local bakery to work the counter and decorate cakes. After detours to college and law school, she worked as a trial lawyer in Chicago for many years, ultimately leaving that career to become a stay-at-home mother to her two children. In her “retirement,” she continued to bake at home, at last finding her preferred artistic medium in decorated cookies. In February 2013, Bakerloo Station was born with a presence on both Facebook and Instagram. Christine makes cookies to balance her left brain, to inspire and share creative ideas, and to feed those needs that only art can satisfy.
Photo credit: Christine Donnelly
Note: Practice Bakes Perfect is a bimonthly Cookie Connection blog feature written by Christine Donnelly that poses inspiration or challenges to get you to stretch as a cookie artist - for practice, for prizes, and for fun! Its content expresses the views of the author and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. Catch up on all of Christine's past Cookie Connection posts here.
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