Hi, everyone, and welcome to the recap of Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #58 featuring @Delorse Sword (aka @swordssugars on social media). Delorse's kickoff video taught us so much: we learned how to create three kinds of outlined-flooded bows, piped directly on cookies using two royal icing consistencies, and also how to pipe another flawless bow using a single thick royal icing consistency.
It was my absolute pleasure to finally meet Delorse as well! I've always admired her stunning piped bows, and so watching her decorate live was an experience that I will treasure. I can't thank her enough for sharing her signature secrets for creating the illusions of overlapping and twisting ribbons with so much depth. A huge thank-you to those who purchased Delorse's video (@Julia M. Usher tells me there were a lot of you!) and took the time to create an entry. Delorse, Julia, and I really loved seeing your work and also the creative ways you staged your cookies! Also, another thank-you to those who purchased Delorse's demo but didn't have the chance to participate. Remember: Even though the challenge is now closed, we'd love to see your creations. You can post them to the challenge clip set at any time! And because this topic is so universal (bows work beautifully on cookies for any occasion or season!), I encourage those who didn't have a chance to watch Delorse's video during the challenge to do so now! It remains available for sale on Julia's site, albeit at a higher price now that the challenge is over.
On to the randomly drawn winners of this challenge! We have two winners this time, each of whom will receive one free past challenge video of her choice, selected from the past seven videos pictured below. (Note: Julia's demo comes in two parts.). Again, all past videos are available on juliausher.com under the "Guest Series" area.
And the first randomly drawn winner is . . . 🥁🥁🥁
. . .🥁🥁🥁 @Zeena!
Wedding Bows by @Zeena
Zeena piped beautiful royal icing bows to decorate her fondant-covered wedding-themed cookies. The bow with several loops (piped on the package) is her own design and surely it was not an easy one to pipe. I love her creative spin on Delorse's techniques and how she challenged herself.
We have one more winner to announce . . . 🥁🥁🥁. Who will it be?! 😀
🥁🥁🥁. . . @Dulcinea “Dool ceē neah”!
Bunny Wants a Carrot by @Dulcinea “Dool ceē neah”
Have you ever seen anything cuter than the carrot and the bunny cookies in this set? What a nice idea to decorate them with beautiful bows!
@Zeena and @Dulcinea “Dool ceē neah”, congratulations! Please make sure to check your emails for a note from Julia (likely coming on Sunday or even Monday after she returns from some travels). Meanwhile, each one of you will need to make an exact tutorial selection so Julia can set up and issue a tutorial-specific code for you to redeem your prize. Again, check out all past challenge videos here on Julia's site. Thank you!
Let’s now have a look at the rest of the spotlighted entries, listed in order of submission date.
Bows 🎀 by @Heather Bruce Sosa
What a lovely color combination that Heather picked for her beautiful bows! The lacy border on the heart to the left and the photo styling take this set over the top! Delorse and I were so happy to read in Heather's comments under her post that she loved this challenge! (We did too! 
)
Blue Bows by @Stevie Jean
Stevie practiced piping three of the bows demonstrated by Delorse and created one of her own - the one at the top with the expertly piped overlapping tails. And how clever was she to stage these cookie bows on real wrapped gifts?! Simply ingenious! During the demo, Delorse addressed the issue of cratering, which sometimes happens in the center of bows and ribbons, no matter what (even with the right icing consistency or after trying other tricks, like poking holes in the cookie or piping icing underneath the flood icing). But no worries, IMO! Any craters simply enhance the realistic, flowing and twisted look of real ribbons and bows.
Hair Ribbon for Kimono by @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.
With her entry, Ryoko took us on a trip to Japan, where we learned about one of the many wonderful traditions of her beautiful country. Ryoko practiced two of Delorse's beautiful bows and presented a hair bow cookie inspired by the Japanese hair ribbons that are worn when wearing a kimono. Check out the comments under her entry to read her mini step-by-step tutorial about how she decorated this cookie and to learn about the symbolism of each decoration. Ryoko, Julia and I were so happy to see you finally have more spare time to make cookies and especially to participate in these challenges!
A Bright Experience with Mini Bows by @EAC
Bravo on this broad array of bows, and what an eye-catching color choice! Here, EAC practiced piping many different bow designs on the same cookie shape. The variety she achieved is nothing short of impressive. She also experimented with the different piping tips suggested by Delorse. And can we talk about her great staging and how she nailed her icing color to exactly match the lighter blue in the backdrop?!
Piped Bows in a Bright Blue by @EAC
Practices Bakes Perfect was the name of Cookie Connection's previous challenge format - and for good reason! These cookies were EAC’s second stunning entry, and I think we can all agree that, after so much practice with bow-piping, she's achieved perfection.
Lovely Bow by @Dulcinea “Dool ceē neah”
Though not a discrete, new entry (each entry required three bow types), this cookie, part of Dulcinea “Dool ceē neah”'s earlier featured set, definitely merits this close-up that Dulcinea posted to the challenge clip set. The sheen on this pretty pink bow is so appealing that I wanted to be sure you could clearly see it!
Sweets & Bows by @Sweet Doughsigns
This set of cookies is really lovely! Sweet Doughsigns says she wasn't completely happy with her bows because she felt she rushed to get the set done and posted. As a former Cookie Connection challenge participant, I believe this feeling of not being completely happy is part of the learning experience. What I see is that she took the time to watch Delorse's video and practice; then she thoughtfully designed and shared a set of cookies that is not only gorgeous, but also ticked off all of the challenge boxes. I am sure that, after having done the work of this challenge, Sweet Doughsigns knows exactly what to do next time to achieve bows that make her happy. Sweet Doughsigns, you made us proud, and we are so happy to hear that you've vowed to participate in every challenge this year!
Bows and Hearts by @Gloriabakes
Delorse and I absolutely love Gloriabakes’s pristinely piped bows, how she incorporated them into other designs, and how she was able to achieve a puffy look with no cratering in the smaller areas. She says she owes these results to the medium-consistency icing she used. Gloriabake's also used one of Delorse’s favorite bow cutters from one of Delorse’s first bow tutorials.
Bows by @SAORI
SAORI seems to have mastered Delorse’s techniques. What's not to love about these perfectly piped bows, which are so striking against the bare concrete surface?!
Bows and Bows by @The Baroque Baker
The Baroque Baker practiced piping three of the bows demonstrated by Delorse (those in purple), but she instead attached rose buds of contrasting colors. This added color contrast surely heightens the impact of the whole set. She also piped a very cute and super tiny bow of her own design, and placed it on the bridal gown cookie in this set. (Could you tell that she repurposed an ice cream sundae cookie cutter to create the gown?!) This small bow was an expert design choice for that particular cookie shape. I am also impressed with the technical expertise required to pipe it so beautifully at such a small scale.
Black and White Bow Heart Cookies by @Dixie Dust and Powdered Sugar
There’s so much interest in this set of cookies by Dixie Dust and Powdered Sugar. First of all, she took a different approach and made bow royal icing transfers. Then she introduced the quite striking black-and-white color contrast and a variety of intricately piped patterns on top. The real pink ribbon visually connects all of the cookies, and the delicate pattern on the white backdrop elevates an already elegant cookie set.
Practice and Learn Bows by @Rebecca Judd
And last but not least, let’s welcome Rebecca Judd whose entry was also her first stunning post on Cookie Connection! We look forward to seeing many more of her creations! The colorful bows that she piped on each of her three handpainted cookies not only graciously complement them, but also make them a cohesive set.
Well done, and thanks to all of our entrants!
It always feels bittersweet to close a challenge, but I think the video recap below, which captures the entire experience with Delorse, is a good way to celebrate your challenge successes and to preserve the challenge's memory. In it, you’ll see some time-lapsed highlights from Delorse's demo and a slideshow of all of your entries.
Again, thanks so much to featured guest @Delorse Sword, and to @Julia M. Usher for connecting us through this wonderful website Cookie Connection. Also, thanks to each one of you for supporting Cookie Connection's challenges by purchasing Delorse's demo, and for finding the time to participate. We are already at work on the next challenge, which is scheduled to be out sometime in March with a lovely featured guest. And that's not all - we have three more challenges in development for 2025!
Ciao, Manu
Manuela Pezzopane, affectionately called Manu by her friends and family, is the author of the blog feature Made by Manu, where each month she shares the method behind a magical cookie of her own making. In March 2022, Manu also assumed the role of host of our rebranded and reformatted Cookie Connection Challenges: Watch-Learn-Create Series, which debuted in a virtual video format in July 2022. A fan of everything handmade, Manu professes to have tried every possible hobby. However, it wasn’t until the end of 2014, when an American friend invited her to a Christmas cookie exchange, that she first discovered decorated cookies. In 2015, after watching Julia M. Usher's videos and signing up on Cookie Connection, Manu finally attempted her own designs. Since then, cookie decorating has become Manu’s passion, and her mesmerizing video shorts have earned her a large and loyal following throughout the global cookie community. Manu harks from Rome, Italy, where she currently resides. You can email Manu at manubiscottidecorati@gmail.com, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, or explore her past challenges and large library of Made by Manu tutorials here on Cookie Connection.
Photo credit: Manuela Pezzopane
Comments (10)