Hi, Georganne. It's such a great pleasure to have you here. Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to chat with us!

Thanks for inviting me! I'm so excited to be here!

Before we jump in, a few housekeeping notes for those new to our chats: questions are answered in the order received, but they will not post to the public/viewable area of the chat until Georganne reads and answers them. We'll work through questions that were logged in advance first; then start working on questions asked live during the chat. That said, please be patient and do not re-post the same question. It may take some time to answer your question, depending on where it sits in the queue. But I will personally make sure it gets answered!

I would love to know how Georgeanne does the shading on her cookies. Can she give us a quick how-to? Her cookies are just to die for!

Royal Icing Diaries -- I'm so glad you asked because I'm pretty much in love with shaded cookies! I use a couple of different methods to do my shading. My favorite and easiest way to shade a cookie is to use luster dust with a food safe brush to smudge the edges. I have a post here -- http://www.lilaloa.com/2013/07/western-wedding.html -- that has some great pictures to explain the process.

Hello Georganne, wanted to ask you about shading using dried food coloring such as Amy does http://www.youtube.com/embed/xOKiOVdmoOA?rel=0. Is that normal food gel coloring that is dried, or is it a different type? My second question would be about shading using water to soften the color. Doesn't that make the already iced (RI) cookie smudgy? grainy? Thank you.

I think you mean Arty, not Amy. Video is by Arty McGoo, everyone.

Kookie -- How convenient that you asked! I love that video from Liz! (Arty McGoo) She explains shading SO well! This is my second favorite way to shade cookies. I actually bought a new empty paint palette and filled each well with a few drops of a bunch of different gel food colors and let them dry for a few days. When I'm ready to use them on cookies, I gently mix the edge of the color with a little water and then nearly dry my brush before taking up the colored water again to paint with. You *definitely* do have to be careful about using too much water on your cookies or it will start to dissolve the surface of the icing. If you accidentally get too much water on the cookie, you can quickly wipe it off with a paper towel. Some people prefer to use alcohol (like Everclear) instead of water. Strangely, this is the one time in my life where I choose the path that actually requires caution. I figure, I always have water on hand, so that's all I've ever used.

Hi Georganne, as an avid follower of your blog, and someone who you have helped - firstly thank you for always taking time to help us newbies! My question for you is where do you think you get the most inspiration for your cookies?

Cloud Nine Cookies -- You are so sweet! Thank YOU for being part of my little cookie world! Most of my inspiration comes from Universe Juice. I'm only kind of kidding. It comes from everywhere. I see a little purple flower while walking my son to school and want to make a whole set of garden cookies. Baby clothes are SO crazy adorable, it's easy to take the patterns and shapes and create whole collections based off one tiny onesie. My cousin makes the most fabulous paper cards and lets me make cookies from them and the whole process of switching a paper design to a sugar form brings up even more ideas of things to try in the future. Sometimes I'll be out shopping and see a roll of wrapping paper that has great colors and then walk past a cute shower curtain and the two get mushed together and come out as a cookie.... you know, now that I'm saying this all out loud, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I need some kind of inspiration intervention.

LOL

Is it necessary to  refrigerate your dough before rolling to help prevent cookies from spreading? I just read that recently and always roll out my dough right after making it. And my cookies do tend to spread.

Kim -- That is the beauty of the recipes that I use! I use a vanilla and a chocolate recipe that are both NO CHILL. (You can find them here -- http://www.lilaloa.com/p/recipes.html) I can roll them out and bake them right away and still have no spread. If your cookies ARE spreading with the recipe you currently use, you have a few options -- You can find a new recipe, you can chill your dough before baking (either before or after cutting out the shapes) or try dipping your cutters in flour each time before cutting out a new cookie. Also, sometimes putting too many cookies on a baking sheet can cause the cookies to spread as well.

I am always looking for answers to cratering. Do u have any tried and true ways to prevent them frm happening? Any secrets with regards to icing consistencies?

Bel -- Cratering is the WORST, isn't it? I don't know of any magic solution (I WISH one existed!!) but there are a few things that you can do to minimize your chances of having craters -- 1) Use a toothpick to drag through the icing in small areas, 2) Use a slightly thicker consistency of icing (at least 15-20 count icing) -- because the faster it dries, the less chance you have for craters to develop and 3) Dry your cookies faster. Use a clean oscillating fan, a heat fan, a dehydrator or a heat gun to set the top layer of icing before those craters can creep up on you.

Lots of good advice there!

If and when you make a variety of cookies in bulk, what method do you use to keep it all straight?

One Smart Cookie -- Let's say that I'm doing 150 cookies in 5 different designs. I keep each design on their own tray(s) and I will do step one for all 5 designs before moving on to step two for any of the cookies.... until I get to the final details. And then I finish each cookie individually before working on another cookie.

Did that answer your question One Smart Cookie?

OK, gang! We are through all the Qs that were asked in advance. Onto live questions!

Don't know if One Smart Cookie is logged on, but that seemed like a thorough answer to me!

OK, while we're waiting for others to chime in with questions, I am going to fire off a few.

First - are you all ready for your CookieCon presentation? What preparations are you currently doing for it?

I am *almost* ready. I've got a few more pictures to take and then I have to actually get technologically saavy in just a couple of weeks so I can use the power point presentation I made!

I've never actually made one of those before!

Oh, I'm sort of a PowerPoint nerd. Can give you any tips if you need. I went crazy (overboard) with animating my last one!

I feel pretty good about putting a picture AND text on the same screen! Maybe I'll have to call you up.

OK, another question from me: what more can you tell us all about your CookieCon pres? Especially any key lessons for those not attending.

Don't be afraid to experiment with color!

Try everything out. Make mistakes. Learn what NOT to mix together. And what happens when you mix those colors together anyway!

Yep!

Yes, thank you!!

Really, the fastest way to understanding how food colors work together is to use them together in all sorts of different ways.

Oops, I see One Smart Cookie was here!

Sometimes my royal icing will become harder than others after drying, even though I am using the same recipe...what can i do to prevent that?

Humidity affects EVERYTHING we do with cookie decorating...from the flour in the cookie to the hardness of our icing. Check your consistency every single time you use your icing. Sometimes you will need more powdered sugar for the same consistency or LESS the next time.

How do u juggle between decorating cookies and family time? I'm a stay-at-home-mom but I have 2 little ones who hasn't started school and I can't seem to find time to do any cookies except during nap and/or bedtime. What's yr secret?

And if your icing just ends up harder than you want it to, place your cookies in a sealed container, covered with wax paper and place a piece of bread on top. It will soften both the icing and the cookies just enough to be pleasant.

Good tip about the bread.

Bel -- That IS the trick, isn't it?! I mix cookie dough and icing while my children are awake and running around. I can roll out cookie dough on one half of the counter while letting my daughter roll out her own little ball of sacrificial dough on the other half. But all the decorating gets done at night after they are in bed.

Do u or hv u used corn syrup in yr RI recipe? If yes, would u recommend it? What difference do u see?

I have found that I get SO MUCH MORE done while they are sleeping. It just isn't worth trying to do it while they are awake anymore!

I have never personally tried it. I know a lot of people say it gives the icing a little softer bite and maybe a little more shine. But since I used powdered egg whites instead of meringue powder, I think my icing is just a little softer to begin with anyway. My friends you use it would recommend it!

I'm glad you're here Sherry!!

Sherry O, if you have questions (or perhaps you meant you didn't have any?), please feel free to post here.

I know G would be happy to answer ANYTHING! Within bounds, that is!

Oh Luz -- You know I felt your pain when I lived in South Korea!! That is seriously why I started experimenting with the dehydrator. It lets the icing actually DRY before the humidity gets to it. I would definitely suggest using a fan or moving air of some kind to help the icing dry faster. And then keep the cookies in an airtight container between decorating sessions. Line the container with paper towels on the bottom to soak up whatever moisture might already be inside the container. And... good luck!!

Do you substitute the powdered egg whites one-to-one ratio with MP?  And, while I am posting, I seriously love your work and blog. 

You are so sweet! Thank you!! I use a different recipe entirely with the powdered egg whites. Its a similar mixing process though. Here is the recipe I use -- http://www.lilaloa.com/2011/05...ried-egg-whites.html

Do u use a kopykake? Do u think its worth getting one?

I just got a kopykake a few months ago and... I love it! And hate it. I absolutely would recommend getting one if you do a lot of logo cookies or cookies with words on them. It makes the decorating process so much quicker and more uniform. I don't use it for most of my cookies though, because most of the cookies I make are well suited to a free-form and casual appearance....and also because I'm too lazy to go and get it unless it's absolutely necessary.

Bel - If you decided to get a KK, there are some helpful tips in this Cookie Connection forum about how to use it most effectively: http://cookieconnection.juliau...sing-my-new-kopykake

Dehydrator has been a blessing for me - especially with minimizing to eliminating craters.

First of all, I want to say that love your humor and enjoy your blog so much. I am so nervous about cookie con and meeting so many of my cookie idols. Are you nervous at all about being one of the presenters? Also, if I can ask one more teeny tiny question Where in the world do you come up with all your inspiration????

Luz -- Good luck with the dehydrator then! That was my favorite tool in the humidity! My kid are super happy to be back in America where we can buy Oreo cookies.

Hey, Tami, G answered the inspiration question early in the chat. Please revisit that answer when the transcript posts later.

Tami -- You're so sweet! Don't be nervous!! We all love cookies, how bad can we be really? I think you will find that when you get there, the entire hotel will be filled with excitement and energy and you will feel like you are finally home. Can you tell I'm more *excited* to meet you all than I am nervous?

Though I'm interested to hear the answer about CookieCon!

I just realized my previous question has already been asked. Sorry, I was late to the party   hahaha

You should always be true to yourself. Do you love working with MPBC and love the way it tastes? USE THAT. Your customers will come to expect whatever you choose to use and they will be consistently happy and satisfied with your product. You will only make yourself miserable if you try to conform to what someone else uses just because other people are using it or because it's working for them. For example... glaze. I couldn't do it. So I don't.

No prob at all, Tami.

Tootimus -- Thank you!! That really makes me happy to hear that!

Any tips for Sherry for making the icing appear more plum than gray?

Sherry -- I am willing to bet that it is the red food coloring that you are using. They all say "red" but they all have more than that in them. When I used tulip red instead of red-red... I got gray icing.

And does brand of red coloring matter? Are some brands more black than red?

Honestly, I think it does kind of matter with specific colors like plum. If you use the "recipe" for plum that I posted on my blog a few weeks ago, it only works with Americolor Super Red. http://www.lilaloa.com/2014/02...make-plum-icing.html

I've never tried a desiccant when I was in South Korea. That seems like it would be really helpful in those awful monsoon months over there! I just used a paper towel in the bottom of the container...but even that sometimes wasn't enough. Good idea!

What's the main difference btwn using powdered egg whites and MP? Why do u choose one over the other?

Oh...and dragees? I have no idea. I'm so sorry. I don't really use them.

A thought on dragees: I find that they tarnish less when not exposed to air very long.

So contain your cookies in boxes after decorating, and they'll tarnish less. But different brands do behave slightly differently - some are better than others wrt tarnishing.

Bel -- I choose to use powdered egg whites because that is what I've always used. It works for me. They were easy to find and cheap to purchase. Meringue powder includes powdered egg whites AND a few other things like.... cream of tartar, cornstarch, powdered sugar, sometimes flavoring.

Julia makes the most LOVELY cookies with dragees. I'd definitely take her advice on them!

Yes, and sometimes those other things can mess with the icing results (consistency of results), particularly if you change brands. I'm with G in that I prefer to work with pure whites - pasteurized or powdered - because results are more consistent from batch to batch.

I learn so much from your tutorials and am experimenting with painting. Do you have any tips on painting and types of color and liquid, etc.? Thank you.

Sorry for the delayed posting, Sherry. She's responding to giving her plum icing another try!

Thank you Liz Cookies! I would suggest getting a paint palette with at least 10 wells, and filling each one with a few drops of basic food color gels. Let them dry and then use it like water colors. Use the least amount of liquid you can get away with to keep the shiny surface on your cookies. I use Americolor gels for painting because they are the easiest to get out of the bottles!

Thanks Julia! Sherry -- good luck!! It's SUCH a lovely color when you can fall into it!

This may be a silly question . . . but in between decorating sessions, do you stack your cookies in containers or keep one layer? I am so afraid that if i stack them, there will be grease marks from the butter. And I would also like to take the time while posting to tell you how helpful your blog is AND congrats on the new baby on the way!!

Kvue -- It makes such a difference!

From the sidelines: there's no such thing as a silly question! Keep 'em coming!

Shelby -- I always keep them in one layer until I am done decorating. I'm terrified that I will ruin them right before I am finished. This is another reason that I love my dehydrator though! I can keep all the cookies on the dehydrator tray until they are done. After about 15 minutes of drying, I unplug the dehydrator and use it like a storage box. (Which may have single-handedly saved my marriage. I'm no longer hovering around my family making sure they don't smudge or breathe on my cookies anymore!)

Did not know about the new baby either! CONGRATS!

And THANKS! I'm super excited for this little one!!

Tootimus -- I used to worry about that a lot, but it has never happened!

Luz -- I use Americolor Bright White straight from the bottle to paint the "chalk" designs on the cookies. Easy peasy!

Do you outline and flood with the same consistency icing?

YES!! At least, 95% of the time. I hate making two consistencies of icing. I only ever outline and fill with two consistencies when I want the contrast of a black outline and a colored middle.

I would love to know if there is a technique that you have discovered that you love and one that you dread? Am I asking too many questions yet??

Another note from the sidelines: never such a thing as too many questions!

Ha ha ha... you can never ask too many questions! I would have to say that I just love SHADING cookies. It really takes the cookies to a new level. I can't think of any techniques that I dread though... probably because they traumatize me to the point of memory loss.

Hey, all, we've got about 15 more minutes in the chat. Time is ripe for getting those questions in the queue!

Maybe making RI transfers. I don't love having to be so organized to actually start decorating the day before.

Hi, I'm very happy to attend CookieCon, I'm looking forward to meeting you and seeing your wonderful work.

Yeay!! I can't wait to meet you!!

I've never seen this...but when I made cakes people would paint with piping gel, and I think it is similar. It takes a bit longer for it to dry and might stay tacky in humid weather. I bet you could try it with corn syrup and get similar results! Hmmm... I sense a new experiment coming up! Thanks for asking!

Dear Julia, enjoying this chat!!

Thanks - me too! G is great and so informative!

Oh my goodness. Yes and no. I would absolutely love to work for an existing tin cutter company and give them all the ideas that I think are pretty much genius and hope that they agree with me. But as far as actually creating the cutters myself, I don't see that happening. I'm just awful at retail businesses of any kind.

Hi Georganne, You've been at this along time, and I imagine with the baby you will be on something like maternity leave a little this summer. Long term, do you still see yourself cookie-ing and blogging into the next year or so. And if you are planning on quitting ever, don't haha!!! We all couldn't bear it.

Rebecca -- Maternity Leave? I've never heard of such a thing! Seriously, I can't imagine NOT making cookies. I've tried to quit in the past. It never works. I can't stop thinking about cookies and colors and designs. And for your well being... I'll let you know that I've actually planned ahead and have a few posts ready to go for April. Can you believe it? I'm not going anywhere.

I just extended the chat a bit, so we don't get cut off suddenly. We'll still try to wrap up close to 1 pm central so G can carry on with her weekend. Please get in any remaining questions as soon as possible.

I have used your all of your sugar cookie recipes and love each one of them. I recently found out my parents ate one of my cookies that had been heat sealed for 3 months!! They said it still tasted great. (they are a little crazy). What kind of shelf life do you usually recommend on your cookie recipes?

What a great chat! Love every minute!

I usually tell people that the cookies are good for 2-3 weeks if they are kept in a sealed container. But between you and me... my husband was supposed to give some cookies to a friend before Christmas last year, and I found them in his car around this time. He had forgotten and was eating one every day at lunch. And they still tasted fine! Crazy, huh?

I think they lose that super "fresh" taste after about 2 weeks though.

Good question. Can't wait for the answer to this one.

Phew!!!!! I was imagining some sort of post-baby cookie apocalypse...should have known better. I too can't stop seeing cookies everywhere.

I'd like to try all of them. I just have a very curious mind and an unhealthy lack of fear of trying new things. I think that is part of what I love about decorating cookies. I see each design as a challenge and I enjoy figure out how to get pieces to fit together. And... I do have some fun experiments planned for the future. I'm going to try and do all the things you "shouldn't" with cookie decorating to see how many of our tips are truth or legend. For example... grease in the mixing bowl before making royal icing. I'm pretty much planning to slather it with butter and see what happens.

If the royal icing underneath isn't completely flat, you won't get a good "seal" between the two. Also, I find that if I use *thick* icing to adhere RI transfers or sugar paste pieces, they are more likely to pop off. Try using a slightly softer icing.

Pricing is tricky because different markets will support different prices. Basically though, you should price your cookies at what they are worth for YOU to create. If you're happy practically giving away your cookies, that's fine. People adjust and will come to expect whatever prices you charge. I know that a lot of decorators charge roughly $1 per inch of cookie... so a 3 inch cookie would cost $3. I think that's a great rule to start with and then adjust to your own preferences.

Just a word of caution about using others' pricing (esp. in different markets) as the basis for yours: There are many variables, not the least of which are cookie complexity, your cookie decorating speed, and your overhead cost structure - which should form the basis for more cost-driven pricing (if you want to make money, that is). Aymee VanDyke is in the middle of a great series about cookie pricing here on Cookie Connection. You might want to check it out: http://cookieconnection.juliau....com/blog/from-dough

Thank you Julia! Pricing really IS a lot more complicated than just making up a number and going with it!

Basically I agree with G that you should price your cookies at what they're worth for YOU to create. We're saying the same thing; G's just doing it more succinctly!

Can you give us an idea of what cookie project we can expect to see on your blog and Cookie Connection in the coming months?

Ha ha ha... I wish I knew. When inspiration strikes for a cookie set, I just go for it. And then...wait for it to happen again. You can expect to see a lot more "tips" on my blog in the upcoming months though since that is part of my presentation and I've been in Cookie Tip Thinking Mode for the last few months!

If you're also asking about Cookie Connection, I'm in the middle of finishing the two remaining CookieCon speaker Close-ups.

And the last installation in Aymee's costing series should post this week.

When I first create an entirely new recipe, I will look at 5-7 recipes for a similar product. I pay attention to what is similar about them and what is different. That gives you an idea of the BASIC part of the recipe and how you can change it from there. And I've kind of read a lot of baking science books, so I have a good idea what will happen if I add more/less sugar or whatever to the basic ingredients.

I look forward to more of your great tips! Thanks!

Luz -- good luck!!

Yes, Luz - good luck. I'm a big proponent of having fewer customers paying what the product is worth. You'll find you make more money with much less burnout.

Sherry -- I have actually made a surprising amount of wedding cakes since coming back to the United States. That being said though... I AM IN LOVE WITH COOKIES!!! I'll probably never make cakes "for real" again. Only for people I love more than sleeping. Cakes stress me out now. I love how easy it is to big up a piping bag and then lay it down again when the doorbell rings or when I'm just lazy and need a break.

Heads up: we have one more question in the queue from Sugar Pearls Cakes and Bakes. That's the last one we'll be able to take since we've gone over time.

Fresh AND undamaged.... I think that heat sealing them in individual packages keeps them the best. But... if I can tell you a secret... keeping them all together in one container or bag actually keeps them freshest longest. Weird, isn't it? But for selling cookies, heat sealed would be my suggestion.

I use light brown sugar. While I absolutely LOVE molasses and dark brown sugar, I know that flavor isn't for everybody. I think the light brown sugar is the perfect compromise without startling anyone. And... it doesn't make a difference as far as baking chemistry goes. Just flavor.

OK, one more Q from SusieQ after this one.

Thanks for being here Sherry!

Thank u!!

Ahh! That's my dream come true! I love having a theme and designing around it! Let's say it's a tropical birthday them... I will get online and look at tropical birthday parties. I will go to a party store and look at colors and favors and cards and wrapping paper. I look at tropical island locations... and then start to get a little jealous that I'm not there... finally come back to reality and pull out a bunch of birthday shapes and trace them on some paper and then start filling in all the empty cookie spaces with the colors and shapes and textures that I've just been looking at and thinking about.

Hi, Georganne, I am so proud to call you my friend.  However, I must confess when I started making cookies a few years back, your blog was one to the main tools I used and continued to use to better the quality, taste and design to better myself and offer the best products to my customer. So thank you so much for thanking the time to help those of us beginning and those like me ready to open a shop.  BTW, your chocolate cookie recipe is the best one yet!!

Jeanette! I ADORE you!! Thanks for coming over! You make lovely cookies yourself!

Well, I hate to say this, but we're out of questions and time with the lovely LilaLoa. A big round of applause (can you hear it?) for her help today!

Thanks for joining us, and I can't wait to FINALLY meet you at CookieCon!

Yes- Your blog launched my "cookie career" too- you are a rock star!  Thanks for letting us all chat with you!

This was SO SO much fun!! It makes me even more excited to meet so many of you at CookieCon in a few weeks. (And hopefully all the rest of you at some point as well!!!)

THANK YOU ladies!! (and gentlemen if you are here!)

XO - closing the chat now! Thanks, everyone, for the terrific questions. Your active participation is what makes these chats most useful!

Thank u! Love yr blog and keep posting them!!