Well, judging from this hot list*, you folks have clearly had a more productive cookie week than me! After all these years of cookie decorating, you'd think I'd have the basics figured out. But dipping large dome-shaped cookies was my nemesis this week! The domes (for sugar bowl and teapot projects) looked perfectly smooth and evenly colored for the first eight hours or so, and then, slowly but surely, their colors started spotting and doing all sorts of weird things on me. I tried changing brands of coloring, hues, and icing thickness, and controlling humidity in different ways, but no amount of systematic testing helped me figure out the culprit. And, of course, I had never experienced anything like this with smaller domes, so there was no learning from past mistakes . . . I swear, my cookies can sense my anxiety, and they always seem to act up when I am least prepared to handle the unexpected. 
But enough of my woes! We've got your gorgeous cookies to celebrate! Half of this week's spotlighted cookies are Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #28 entries, meaning that they are others' attempts of popular Cookie Connection tutorials! And what impressive attempts they are! (BTW, where was that tutorial on dipping large domes when I needed it?! 
) The others fall into the camp of original creations, each as stunning as the next! Enjoy!
#1: Rose Garden by Sweet Prodigy
#2: Mermaid's Bath Time Cookie Set by myui
#3: I Wish for Breakfast in Bed by Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. [Tutorial by @Aproned Artist]
#4: Mixed Media Daisy by La Shay by Ferda Ozcan [Tutorial by Sugar Pearls Cakes & Bakes]
#5: 3-D Stenciled Basket Cookie by Adria [Tutorial by yours truly, @Julia M. Usher]
#6: Landscape by Bice Beatriz Loffa
#7: Ready to Don the Gown by Cookies Fantastique by Carol
#8: Summer Mug by Olivera Vlah [Tutorial by @Manu biscotti decorati]
#9: Wood, Moss, and Lavender by E. Kiszowara MOJE PIERNIKI
#10: Stacy by Susan Hennes
Stunning, was I not right?! Congrats again to this week's honorees.
Before I go, I should add: if you didn't have time to give Challenge #28 a go (it closes tomorrow), that's quite all right! We have a vast reservoir of tutorials on the blog just waiting to be tried at any time. If you review the comments from those who entered the challenge (here under each photo), I think you'll see what rich learning experiences they all had. And, if anyone wants to write that large dome-dipping tutorial, I'll be the first to jump on it - I promise! 
Have a great weekend, everyone, and happy Memorial Day to all who celebrate it!
So that no one has an unfair advantage in making it onto a hot list, the algorithm is secret even to site administrators. Only our platform developers know the code, which has been exhaustively tested by those developers and Cookie Connection staff.
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
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