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When my kids were little, every Halloween we would make ghost decorations from cheesecloth and laundry starch. The process was simple: soak cheesecloth in the starchy liquid, drape it over a rough form of compacted aluminum foil, and allow it to dry. The gauzy cheesecloth would harden, creating spooky, semi-transparent specters. In this project, naturally-starchy rice paper stands in for cheesecloth to make an edible version of this Halloween craft.

I love flowers of all kinds, but I have a special fondness for flowers that look a little unique. The coneflower, with its spiky, vibrantly colored seed cone and skirt of purple petals, definitely fits the bill. Apparently, bees are just as partial to them as I am, so...

These lavender cookies were inspired, in their entirety, by a video I shot last year while mesmerized by a butterfly moving from sprig to sprig on a lavender bush. When I replayed the video...

You may still be lingering poolside, or perhaps just starting the summer wind-down and prep for back to school, but the internet is telling us it's already time for Halloween cookies! Say it isn't so?! Just take a look at...

I wasn’t trying to pick favorites when I made a cookie inspired by one of my dogs. But ever since, my daughter has been campaigning for our cat to get a cookie of his own. I’m not surprised; they have always had a special bond. We’ve had our cat since my daughter was little, and they’ve been an inseparable pair. While the décor in her room...

You asked, and we answered! Check out this post to see the video replay from Julia's July 7th live Q&A with guest and judge Sandie Beltran...

As a kid, I loved to pick flowers and press them between the pages of books. It's these fond memories of pressed flowers that inspired me to recreate them in royal icing...

We've definitely turned the corner from winter to spring here in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Yay! My crocuses are long gone, but my daffodils are in their glory! And it won't be long before my tulips burst open and start working their magic on those strolling through the neighborhood. As you probably know by now, I love...

Hello and happy spring! My daffodils are in full bloom here in Missouri, and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of 200 Virginia bluebells that I planted last fall. Though I see no signs of them yet, so I must confess that...

Hello and welcome to the recap of Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #50! I must admit that this challenge was by far one of my favorites, as it gave everyone a chance to...

I’m back - finally! My apologies for getting this interview turned around so slowly. It's been a challenging year so far with many disruptions in what I thought were well-laid plans. Anywho, on to more interesting stuff! How many of you are...

Hello and welcome to a very special Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #50! In recognition of this extraordinary milestone, I thought it only fitting that we mark the occasion by giving you an opportunity to participate in not one – but 50 different challenges! This means you have...

This month’s tutorial is only about royal icing transfers. As a reminder, a royal icing transfer is a royal icing decoration that has been piped onto some substrate other than a cookie - usually acetate, parchment paper, or silicone. Once the icing has dried...

So, at long last, no more waiting on pins and needles! Today I reveal the winners in the 2-D and 3-D categories of the 2021 virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™. In addition, I'll be unveiling the one entry that...

Once again, I've got a 3-D Christmas tree cookie project this year! Below are some of my 3-D Christmas tree cookies from my previous tutorials here on Cookie Connection. But let's not dwell too long on the past; it's always fun to see new and exciting things! Onward!...

It's not autumn without some mum cookies! In fact, I've got one mum project for each year all the way back to 2017, when I shared how to decorate a potted mum in Step 2 of this Cookie Connection tutorial...

You may have caught this awesome news already in my September stencil release post, but, if not, let me break it to you first, here and now...

I'm a sucker for stunning place settings, and particularly ones with an element of surprise. That's why I'm especially excited about this month's release, which will allow you to make a plethora of Thanksgiving place cards! The surprise for guests is that...

I have been so looking forward to autumn and its colors that this month you will get more colorful leaves! They are...

Hi, everyone! This week, we’re hearing from Stacy Frank, aka The Frostitute and two-time winner of my 3-D competition category, about her cookie journey and why she thinks...

So, one thing I've been doing, whilst revamping websites and prepping for a big cookie course, is biking! This week, I logged 110 miles, and, just today, I managed 29 - all in prep for what I had hoped would be a fall biking trip to Croatia with my college roomies. But...

Hi, all. I wanted to alert all competitors to two clarifications made to the 2-D Cookie Definition over the last two days. These changes have been...

My July tutorial is all about practicing the piping of sunflowers on cookies! I will also be using different types of straws in creative ways: first, a paper one to make the flower-decorating easier, and then stainless steel ones for the display. On a side note...

As you sit poolside sipping a summer cocktail and basking in the sun, fall may not be calling you just yet. But, I assure you, with the way time flies, it will be soon! So, to get you geared up for that active autumn cookie season, I've got a charming fall-themed stencil design to help make easy work of those upcoming orders. It features...

The fruit tart is an iconic summer dessert. A barely sweet, buttery crust filled with silky smooth pastry cream and topped with an abundance of perfectly ripe berries - it’s everything I want on a hot summer’s day (or any day really). This miniature version is...

How exciting! The cookie competition of the year is here in its brand new, shiny virtual format! Here is where you will find all of the information to help you register for and later submit your entry into the 2021 virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™...

This cookie project is meant for a dad who plays or loves to watch tennis (or for anyone who does). I used the Needlepoint Mat from SugarVeil® to make...

Hi, everyone! What a charming round-up of cookies I have for you on this lovely Saturday night! All of our Spotlightees, with two exceptions, are veteran honorees. Special congrats to...

Hi, everyone! This week's Spotlight is a straight-up pure, unadulterated "top 10", yet, even so, Mothers' Day cookies clearly dominate it. With...

Hi, all! I would very much appreciate if everyone - those who have entered our challenges and those who have not - would answer my Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge Feedback Survey. The goal of these challenges has always been to...

This month's Dynamic Duos™ design, dubbed "Pretty as a Flower", combines one of my favorite places with one of my favorite people: Maine, where lupine and sweet peas grow wild with abandon, and my mom, who can be a bit wild at times too! The addition of...

The summer before COVID struck, my son was thrilled to be selected for an internship at NASA. He went into the program excited to get a taste of his intended career path; he came out...

Hi, everyone! I am starting this Spotlight in an unconventional way with a special mention and an explanation. Many of you have been wondering why a certain fabulous dragon cake (pictured below) has been in our "Top 10 Cookies" home page photo gallery, often in the...

This month's project tutorial features a 3-D driftwood tree cookie, intended to be a table display for an occasion at home. If you plan to transport it, I recommend...

Hi, everyone! Alas, with Dotty - our past survey writer - having recently moved on to bigger and better things, I have assumed the hat of Chief Site Survey Writer once again. But, I am...

Hi, all! I hope you're still enjoying your Christmas holiday (if you celebrate), just as I am doing here. After a flurry of work to prep my house for the occasion...

Well, Christmas is clearly here! And I couldn't be more eager to usher in the holiday season after this crazy year we've had. Apart from one cookie on this week's hot list*, all of this week's fabulous creations are suitable decking-the-halls material. With everything from...

This month, I've got a Christmas version of my tutorial from a couple of years ago, which, as you may recall, was a cookie platter that became a surprise 3-D lantern just by stacking the cookies. In the previous project, the cookies were...

Hi, all! Happy fall! We're in that inexplicably odd time zone where people tend to jump from Halloween cookies right into Christmas ones, forgetting about that wonderful Thanksgiving holiday that falls in between! Fortunately for us...

It’s been a particularly brutal summer here in California. Between the extended record-breaking heat waves and the raging wildfires, I’ve never been more excited for autumn. After weeks of...

This tutorial combines two of my favorite things: miniatures and Halloween. The result is a spooky play on my previous miniature projects, Breakfast in Bed for Mom and Dad’s Breakfast. Complete with...

At long last, we’re picking up where we left off in our June 27 (!) chat with Cookie Connection challenge host Sweet Prodigy, aka Christine Dutcher! In addition to organizing and recapping our bimonthly Practice Bakes Perfect challenges, Christine is a precision-piper extraordinaire, best known for her...

My son is getting ready to head off to his freshman year of college, and our talks lately have centered around his future life of independence. The other day, he sat at the kitchen counter daydreaming aloud about...

I'm back after a week off, and what a refreshing sight it is to see the marvelous cookies that made it onto our hot list tonight. Some have been dancing around the top ten photo feed for several days due to their ongoing popularity, while others are...

A felt letter board is the inspiration for this short and easy tutorial. From humble beginnings as vintage signs, letter boards with quotes have become very popular elements of...

Summer is that time of year when Mother Nature dazzles us with a spectacular show of beautiful flowers and an endless array of stunning colors and exquisite designs. With so much inspiration all around us, now is the...

I’ve had a hunk of modeling chocolate (left over from this Mother’s Day project) begging to be used up . . . or eaten. So in the interest of my waistline, I’ve been trying to come up with an idea that...