Now that October is in full swing, it’s time to get crazy with all those Halloween designs that you still have left to do! One way to come up with a truly unique cookie design is to create your own cookie shape. A shape that no one else has in their cutter stash. It’s time to FRANKENCOOKIE!
So, what does "frankencookie" even mean? It’s a fun term that someone came up with to describe the process of merging two or more cookie shapes together before baking. Baking the new shape will hold the cookie together thus creating a brand new (totally cool, of course) shape!
When I do it, it tends to get complicated . . .
YOU don't have to do like I do though! Save yourselves and follow Yankee Girl Yummie's (aka Kari's) great example here:
Yankee Girl Yummies used a bowling pin and two leaf cookies to create this shape. After it was baked and iced - ta da! - a unique shape that fits the cookie design perfectly!
Thank you Yankee Girl Yummies for lending your editorial help and your images to this month's blog post! [EDITOR'S NOTE: And thanks for being guest host last month! I love how this team pulls together.]
Looking for a tutorial on how to frankencookie?
The illustrious LilaLoa has one that’s perfect for Halloween. A spooky ghost cauldron on her blog.
Rules:
I want you to take two (2) cutters from your collection – preferably ones that you rarely use – and frankencookie them. Combine them into one cookie shape, bake, and then decorate them in a way that takes advantage of your new shape!
Each combination cookie = 1 entry. Cookie can be included within a larger set.
Any theme. Any colors. They do not need to be Halloween themed! Whatever you are working on, or whatever you are inspired to fit on your new shape!
Please list the cutters that you used in the comments area under your entry. Just because we’re going to be curious!
As always, we ask that you make a brand spankin’ new cookie/cookie set for this challenge.
And lastly, get creative and have fun!
Prize for this challenge:
Love the prize this for this challenge! First of all, Julia is letting me send you a great Cookie Connection apron!!
AND, thanks to the generosity of previous drawing winner Janet Kasa of Roll Your Own Cookie, we will be sending you a complete set of lower case Helvetica cookie cutters. You can frankencookie them into words, or use them one at a time. Or whatever you want! Obviously, if Janet wins (again!?!), I'll just have to send her some cookies!
To enter:
- Please post an image of your cookie or cookie set to the site under the Practice Bakes Perfect clip set no later than November 2, 2014 at 5 pm central.
- Because these challenges will be ongoing, we ask that you put "Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #6" in your photo caption (subtitle field) AND in a tag, so we can tell them apart from month to month. Please use the 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.
Once the challenge closes on November 2, we will announce the winner and host the Saturday Spotlight the following weekend. The next challenge will be announced in November after this challenge is closed.
Last but not least, THIS IS NOT A CONTEST!!! These challenges are meant to spark conversation and learning. You are challenging yourself to try new things and stretch as a cookie artist. Just because someone else went to town, doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a shot. I want to see what YOU would do! Of course, there are prizes, but they are given at random, so just participate and you have a chance to win!
If you have a question, or if you need help getting started or just want to run an idea by me or the group, please comment below. I love to troubleshoot, brainstorm, and talk technique, so please don't be shy!
Rebecca Weld came to cookie decorating from gingerbread house making. As a "real" architect, busy business owner, and mom of two small kids, Rebecca discovered that gingerbread houses had a way of getting out of hand, and that cookie baking offered her a more manageable artistic outlet. Always eager to be a part of the cookie conversation, Rebecca maintains an active Facebook page as The Cookie Architect, as well as Pinterest and Instagram presences. She makes cookies to inspire herself and others, to feed those needs that art fills in all artists: expression, sharing, stretching yourself.
Photo credit: Rebecca Weld
Note: Practice Bakes Perfect is a monthly Cookie Connection blog feature written by Rebecca Weld 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 Rebecca's past Cookie Connection posts here.
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