Yes, I’m finally back with another Cookier Close-up, and I’m especially excited about this one with our January 2023 site artist, Katuscya Marchioro, owner of Gina's Cake and Icing Cookies. I know Katuscya only through the brief bio in her recent forum intro and her signature cute-as-can-be doll cookies that she is known for posting to this site. So it’s always a...
One of my sisters and I decided to attempt a new baking project each month. The goal is to try a new technique, flavor profile, cooking method, or some combination of the previously mentioned. This month, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're going for...
We did it again! Thanks to several amazing sponsors, prizes for the 2023 return-to-in-person edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ are as impressive as ever. In record-breaking time (about half the usual), our sponsors...
My first daffodils are up here in Missouri – a telltale sign that I not only need to rake up the residual fall leaves 😊, but I also need to get cranking on prep for the onslaught of spring events that starts at the end of March and continues without break through mid-May. Today I took these cheery harbingers of spring seriously and...
This month I have a tutorial for a dimensional cookie platter comprised of two flowers whose petals, centers, and leaves are contoured. When I was thinking about how to decorate the cookies, I decided to...
Happy (almost) end of February everyone! I'm not sure how the weather is where you are but where I am - on the east coast of the United States - things have been all over the place. In a matter of days, we went from...
Hey, all! As you may know, I'm a sponsor of the upcoming Spring Cookie-A-Thon - and a mixer-level sponsor at that! "What the heck is a mixer-level sponsor?", you ask. Good question! In a nutshell, it means...
Hi, all! I'm busy, busy, busy, prepping for a belated Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow with my mom and husband. So while the fixings for beet soup simmer and the red raspberry mousse gels (yes, every menu item is some shade of red or pink!), I'm going to...
Hey, all! With one-and-a-half months to cookie competition time, I took to social media today - live (!) - to answer all of your lingering competition questions, and to hopefully nudge a few more of you off the fence. As I mentioned...
Hi, all! I just returned from a brief trip and am gearing up for a busy work week ahead, so I'll keep this post short and sweet. As you probably suspected, we've got a...
Questions about competing in my namesake Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™?! Great - ‘cause I’ve got answers! Join me live on my Facebook page on Friday, February 17 (12 pm CT) to air all of your lingering competition questions...
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...
