If there’s ever a triple-threat (or quadruple- or quintuple-threat) in the cookie world, it’s Ginny McCormick-Levack, owner of Creative Cookier and subject of this month’s Close-up . She does it all – she decorates,...
Well no one's ordered any autumn cookies from me this year, and I do love a collection of pumpkins and gourds. I always have a few in the window where I work. I particularly love the quirkily shaped, knobbly gourds, both beautiful and funny! Though...
Hello, every lovely cookier! You guys are the absolute best to keep coming back here to Practice Bakes Perfect to challenge yourselves. I could not be prouder of the amazing leaps I've seen people take in trying new things and stretching...
Hands down, teaching is the thing I like most about cookie decorating. Not only do I get a huge kick from seeing students’ eyes light up when they master my projects or a new technique, but I also learn a ton from everyone attending –...
I have been asked how I make some of my more elaborate cookie sets. You know, those sets with all the flowers? Wait. You’re right. Pretty much ALL of my cookie sets have flowers . . . but you guys don't mind, right? So, a set like this....
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...
Yankee Girl Yummies here. I’m thrilled to say that I’m your guest host for this month’s challenge! Yes, it’s true. I promised Rebecca that I would put together an awesome challenge and everyone would "bring it" with their...
Is it too early for Halloween? Hmmm . . . judging from the quantity of eerie (but gorgeous) cookies hitting the site lately, I'd say no! Plus, by the time you design, bake, and ice, Halloween will be upon us in no time flat. So, sit back...
The entire Hidden in the Garden cookie set by Fernwood Cookie had me mesmerized. Seriously. I studied these four cookies for a long time and instantly knew Kerri Roy, the woman behind the cookies, would be my next How DID You Do That? ...
In this fourth edition of special Cookier Close-up s focused on Cookie’sCool instructors, we visit with Jacinda (aka Jaci) Baynes Harper of Ali’s Sweet Tooth , a cookier widely known for her romantic shabby chic style and predilection for...
New Year's cookies in June? Why am I showing you these cookies now? Because this is where I got the idea for this next challenge. I love this set because of how it came about. I have a good friend in my town who also decorates cookies. We...
[EDITOR'S NOTE: So, I've been pouring over your input - here - about what you'd like to see on Cookie Connection in its second year. And I'm happy to report that "more tutorials" is the most popular request so far - by a long shot. "Happy?", you ask! Yes, "happy", because, you see, we're already taking steps to bring you exactly what you want! Just call us clairvoyant, if you please! In addition to our monthly and bimonthly tutorials written by...
This edition of "How Would You Cookie This?" is being brought to you by Dana (aka Dana’s Daydreaming Cookies on Cookie Connection )! Just a little background info for all of you who are new to my blog – this fun segment is...
Lucky us! In this Cookier Close-up , we get to know Cookie’sCool instructor Pam Sneed a whole lot better. Inveterate glaze user, Pam has staunchly held her ground amidst a sea of royal icing enthusiasts and conquered this often tricky medium,...
[EDITOR'S NOTE: If you didn't see my recent forum post about changes to our team of contributors, let me quickly catch you up! Karen Anderson is leaving the helm of her How DID You Do That? column to pursue a new business in dog rescue. (Go, Karen! We will miss you!) Aymee VanDyke is on a leave of absence until the fall for health reasons. (Get well soon, Aymee!) And . . . last but not least . . . I am over-the-moon excited to announce this new monthly column, hosted by the supremely...
With all the detailed decorating I've been doing lately, it's no wonder I can't see the forest through the trees - with anything! (I say, as I adjust my glasses, hoping that the computer screen will soon come into focus . . .) So . . . in a...
With CookieCon 2014 just days away, enthusiasm in the cookie community is at an all-time high. But amidst this enthusiasm, I've heard some whispers of anxiety too . . . and lots of questions from first-time conference-goers. Questions like: What...
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm thrilled to announce the addition of another top-flight decorator to our team of contributors - the fabulously talented Lucy Samuels of UK-based Honeycat Cookies . Every other month, Lucy will be pushing your (and possibly her!) creative boundaries with an innovative cookie design and technique tutorial. For her debut post below, she explores an interesting twist on the wet-on-wet technique, which, as you'll soon see, is a great way to get some relief (so to speak)...
They say “necessity is the mother of invention,” and nothing could better describe the life events of our next Cookier Close-up featured guest - Georganne Bell, creator of the popular blog LilaLoa and CookieCon 2014 presenter. ...
We’re back again with another amazing CookieCon 2014 instructor – Anne Yorks of Flour Box Bakery! I first stumbled upon Anne’s cookies about two years ago – and then promptly fell head over my gaping-to-the-floor...
My Aunt Jean was a wonderful baker. Watching her in action was something to behold. She would talk a mile a minute, all the while looking directly at me, never missing a beat while mixing her ingredients. She would grab handfuls of flour and...
Did you ever imagine that something as simple as decorated cookies - a straightforward mixture of sugar, flour, and a few other things - could connect us so powerfully? When I started this site, I certainly had hopes of making cookie friends outside...
Over the last three years that I’ve been decorating cookies, I've become a member of a club of sorts; I’d even go as far as calling it a sorority of cookie sisters. Those of you in this sweet sorority can attest to how wonderful...
Again, my apologies for the delay in this week's Saturday Spotlight. A zany cookie-filled weekend prevented me from getting to my computer at the usual posting time. (If I remember correctly, fellow Cookie Connection members Charlene Smith and Penny...
Hello, Cookie Connection members! Have I got a treat for you! Later this month, I'll be welcoming member Aymee VanDyke as a guest blogger. Her "column," which is in need of a name (more on that in a later post), will cover all you ever wanted to...
Aha! I betcha thought I'd be posting the week's top 10 wedding cookies (after all, June is wedding month). Or the hottest Fourth of July cookies to celebrate that imminent holiday in my home country. But, noooo . . . I fooled you. This week, it's none...
