It's that special Saturday time again - and boy, have I got a wide-ranging lineup of beauties for you! Of course, it's the season for pumpkins, so there are a few different (and quite original) takes on those. You'll see a fair bit of black and...
Hello, I’m back with the next interview in our ongoing Cookie’sCool instructor series – Francesca Belfiore of Dolcimaterieprime ! An architect who “likes to turn everything into sweets,” Francesca often works in mixed...
Another great challenge!!! I'd like to thank Tammy Holmes for the idea for this month's challenge - cookies based on a single inspiration photo. I asked her to pick the photo, and she picked this picture of a gorgeous fancy lilac powder room ! I...
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...
We marvel over her delicate handpainting. We mutter oohs and ahhs at the sight of her intricate piping work. Heck, we stop dead in our tracks nearly every time she posts something to this site! Yes, I’m talking about Evelin Milanesi, aka...
There is amazing work being regularly posted on Cookie Connection , which makes my job of finding an interviewee super easy, but also incredibly hard . . . how do I choose just one a month?! You all are so incredibly talented! The talents in this...
It's that time of the week again - when we celebrate the most popular cookies (or subset of cookies) on the site! Since I'm unaccustomed to the unusually cool Missouri weather that we've been having (brrrr!), I've decided once again to spotlight those...
A flower necklace: My attempt at an advanced tutorial. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Per members' recent requests for more advanced tutorials, I've asked all of our site contributors to push cookie boundaries for you! As you'll soon see, Kari's done a great job with this challenge - of course, I expected nothing less from this very talented lady! ] I can’t say that anyone said, “Hey, Yankee Girl! How would I make a flower necklace?!”, but I figured that since I was going to making...
Next up in our Cookie’sCool series, we chat with Cookie’sCool instructor Mallory Mae Chiavacci of ButterWinks , perhaps best known for her amazingly detailed Alphonse Mucha-inspired series and her distinctive “wet-by-wet”...
It wasn't so long ago (May 24, to be exact) that I posted a most patriotic list. But that's just an indicator of how time flies - we went from Memorial Day to the lead-up to July Fourth in what seems like no time flat. Phew! With the US's most...
Hey, all! This week's Saturday Spotlight is taking on a very different shape than the norm (and coming a day early) for a couple of reasons: (A) I'm on "vacation" this weekend, and my husband is likely to wring my neck if I spend any time on the...
Wow, it's taken a lot longer than usual for my internal clock to return to St. Louis, Missouri time after my trip to Genoa, Italy last week - and even longer for me to tend to the consequences of reentry into non-teaching life (i.e., mountains of...
Some daughters give chocolates to pay tribute to their moms. Others send pretty bouquets of flowers . . . And then there are those rare others, like this week's honorees, who take the time to craft something uniquely special - a cookie gift that...
Phew - how time flies! Just two more days 'til Cinco de Mayo, and I'm still catching up on my Easter cookies! If you're like me and haven't yet made cookies to go with the tostadas and tacos for the upcoming festivities, now's the time....
Rarely does a cookier make a mark on the cookie kingdom with one set. But when this month’s featured cookier, Stephanie Kappel of The Hungry Hippopotamus , appeared on the scene in 2011 with her Lichtenstein pop art cookies (two photos below),...
I never cease to marvel at how many different interpretations there can be of the same basic shape. And nothing underscores this point better than the variety of Easter eggs that have graced the site this past week! While it's verging on too...
Phew! It was a busy long weekend of cookie decorating at Chef Nicholas Lodge's highly acclaimed school of sugar art (aka ISAC ) just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was so busy, in fact, that I had zero time for my usual daily recounting of...
Okay, so I've been bemoaning the fact - for a week now - that I failed to get photos of CookieCon 's Instructors' Choice winners. My bad - but between manning my booth and trying to jam in as many CookieCon video interviews as possible, I simply...
I thought CookieCon -goers would be slow to rise after the non-stop program of classes (and socializing) yesterday. But - lo and behold - the Hilton Ballroom was already buzzing at 8:30 am with those getting a jumpstart on their "open...
Day #2 of CookieCon continued at an invigorating pace with speaker presentations, the raffle and cutter swap in full swing, and some rather unexpected guests. Read on to see what I mean . . . Or if you're more the listening sort, visit my...
Day 18 (February 20), 10:30 am to 2:00 am. My teaching days here in Portugal (three of them) don't start until Saturday, so the next two days are designated sightseeing days! And it seems as if my host Teresa has a lot planned for us to do. Woo...
Day 16 (February 18), 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. I haven't planned much for today other than transit to Portugal. Though I am sad to leave Spain, I'm pretty darn excited to meet more cookiers in another part of the globe! I prep for a long day of...
Day 8 (February 10), 10:30 am. Gad! How indulgent! I hate to admit it, but I sleep in much later than any reasonable person should. But what counts is that I've recovered from my marathon weekend of cookie decorating and teaching, and I'm ready...
Day 6 (February 8), 8:00 am. My iPhone alarm sounds off a full two hours later than usual, and I'm showing none of my typical hit-the-pause-button-and-roll-over predispositions. We were so organized at the conclusion of yesterday's class...
[EDITOR'S NOTE: It takes a small community to keep a large community like Cookie Connection alive with content, which is why I'm so completely thrilled to be adding another regular contributor to the site. I'm sure many of you already know our newest featured blogger - Kari Arroyo aka Yankee Girl Yummies - for her amazing cookie work posted here on Cookie Connectio n and elsewhere online. She's a top-flight decorator with a strong grasp of many techniques and an amazing...
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...
And just when you thought all the fun and games were over (I'm referring to our recent Christmas Countdown Challenge), we've got another opportunity to win for you! Yes, you, our Cookie Connection members and cookie-loving public, will be...
For me, the Christmas Countdown has a wonderful month-long journey, filled with more cookies than I'd never imagined, each depicting our most festive season in a uniquely special way. Simply put - I was blown away! All in, we had 245 entries, which...
Hi, all! In case you missed this message in the photo feed or forums, I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thank you for making Cookie Connection's first six months so fulfilling! May your lives be blessed with many more...
Woo hoo! Our Christmas Countdown Cookie Decorating Challenge is now open for entries. And the $700 in prizes will soon be within reach! Thanks again to Designer Stencils, Fancy Flours, and Karen's Cookies for so generously sponsoring this...
Now that the dust has settled (a bit) after the whirlwind of last night's CookieCon reg, I thought, "Why not stir it up again?!" So here you go . . . I know, I know, our cookier of honor in this close-up needs no introduction. None. What. So....
First, my apologies if I'm advancing the seasons too rapidly for you! But EEK! I spotted my first pumpkin cookie of the year about two weeks ago, so I'm afraid that Halloween cookies might already be past due! Without further delay, let me...
Admittedly, I've seen little sun in recent weeks, holed up as I've been in my basement kitchen prepping for the OSSAS. That said, it's altogether possible that autumn arrived in Missouri long before now and I was simply oblivious. We could...
So . . . I got a new cookie cutter. Isn't that how all of my posts seem to start? I've always been super jealous of Lilaloa 's plaque cookie cutter, and finally Karen's Cookies came out with one and I snatched it up immediately...
Happy Saturday! It's that special time again when we celebrate the week's finest decorated cookies. And, boy, are they ever fine! In an effort to disrupt another cookie rut (this time, it's the thousands of dots I'm laying on cookie jewelry boxes...
Hello, cookiers! What's on your docket this Labor Day weekend? Are you hanging up the pastry bags to dry or are you settling in for some soothing, uninterrupted cookie decorating time? Unfortunately, you won't catch me chillaxing at any...
It is fair to say that decorated cookies are quickly becoming the new cupcake. Cookies are showing up everywhere. People who never spoke to me about cookies or any other baked goods are now sending me photos of decorated cookies with comments...
My oh my, time has sure flown by! It's already the season for appreciating those dwindling spare moments before the onslaught of carpooling kids, packing lunches, and the otherwise busy school year begins. How are you spending this precious time?...
Who better to feature in this week's Saturday Spotlight than our Vintage Vacation contest finalists?! Though the finalists were announced in our forums last night, it seemed only fair to let these fabulous entries bask another whole week in the...
Thanks so much to those who entered Cookie Connection's inaugural cookie decorating contest. And congrats too - all of the entries are amazing and show incredible creativity and skill! If you haven't yet seen these glorious cookies, please...
As you can see, I'm on a site housekeeping kick today! Another quick reminder that Vintage Vacation contest entries are soon due - tomorrow, on July 5, 2013 at 5 pm CDT, to be exact! Please be on time with your submissions, as the...
