These fly agaric mushroom cookies were inspired by the gorgeous paper mushrooms of artist Ann Wood. The realism and intricacy of Ann’s paper mushrooms and other flora are nothing short of...
One day toward the end of July, my daughter looked at me and said, “I can’t wait for Halloween.” I was in complete agreement. Is three months too long to count down? My daughter is...
Around this time last year, I made a treasure chest cookie and declared pirates to be my new favorite theme. This year, I'm sticking with the theme and tapping into pirate lore. What can strike fear in the hearts of the most hardened pirates? What can snap a ship in two like a twig?...
School is finally out. The days are long, and the nights are warm. Let’s go camping...
When I made the unicorn royal icing transfer for this cookie, I didn’t have a firm plan for the background. A fairytale setting seemed fitting, but...
While working on this cookie, I came to the realization that this will be my fourth tutorial featuring butterflies. I was so surprised! Don’t get me wrong...
While creating last month’s bamboo tutorial, I stumbled upon the idea of painting wafer paper with royal icing. This month, I was eager to explore the idea a little further...
I’ve been watching reels of artisans hand-building ceramic teapots, and I’m absolutely hooked. There’s something so calming about seeing the artists smooth the clay to a silky, flawless finish. It seems impossible to...
When I was growing up, our silverware drawer was always filled with a hodgepodge of cutlery patterns. Some were modern and streamlined, others vintage and ornate. I was known to...
The other day I came across Craftsy’s gelatin bubble tutorial by Erin Gardner. The tutorial details a really simple technique using small balloons and gelatin to create whimsical bubbles to decorate a cake. It seemed like an easy jump to go from...
Oftentimes, working through the process of one cookie project will spur an idea for another. Last month when I was gluing loads of little pieces of wafer paper to my vulture, it inspired another project in which I could...
In 2018, I bought a pack of 100 sheets of wafer paper to make a teeny tiny greeting card for a Mother’s Day cookie. Since then, I’ve used wafer paper in one other project to make a couple of small oak leaves. Between the two projects, I’ve...
My husband and I have birthdays just three days apart. While we would be content to share the occasion, my children have always insisted that we...
I may have mentioned once or twice that Halloween cookies are my favorite. I pretty much wait all year for that one month. But it’s peak summer right now - time for sun and seashells, not ghosts and ghouls. So...
In my last tutorial, I lauded rice paper as an incredibly versatile medium and listed off some of the different ways I've put it to use. Here, I have yet another example for you. This jellyfish design plays to...
To my surprise, rice paper has become one of my favorite elements to incorporate into new designs. It’s such a versatile material. Rice paper can be molded (to create a balloon), imprinted (with the veining of a bumblebee wing), or kept flat (like the windows of a tiny cabin). It can be...
Judging by online searches and tutorials, the cookie community adores puffy royal icing. I, too, love that soft, pillowy look. But with puffy icing also comes sloped, rounded edges. Sometimes I don’t...
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...
Like so many others, I’m smitten with the golden and crimson hues of autumn leaves. But they shouldn’t get all the love. On close inspection, the leaves of each season have their own unique beauty...
The holidays are right around the corner, and I’m feeling mixed emotions. On the one hand, I have all of the joyful anticipation of family gatherings and delicious food. On the other hand, there’s the shopping. In real life, I haven’t even started. But in my cookie fantasies, everyone wants a...
When I was younger, my sister and I used to scramble to grab the newspaper to read our horoscopes. I’m a Virgo. My horoscope was always predictably mundane - “Today you will clean the house . . .” or something equally boring. The symbol for my zodiac sign is a...
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...
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...
Over the last two months, the hills around our house have transitioned from a lively green to a sad brown to a lovely gold. Summer has definitely arrived. When my children were younger, this time of year we would always visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium never...
With Father’s Day coming soon, I’ve been thinking a lot about my dad. He was the kind of person who made every moment feel like an experience. Every errand was an opportunity to get lost and discover something magical. Every day was a chance to...
Meet my muse for this cookie: my Great Dane, Atlas. Atlas is a giant goofball, literally and figuratively. He jumps like he’s on a pogo stick, he flings slobber to unfathomable heights, and he sleeps folded in half like a pocketknife.
These delicate floral Easter cookies were inspired by a lovely (free!) vintage graphic from an old greeting card. The image depicts a cluster of daisies forming an egg shape, framed by a spray of dark greenery. I was immediately...
The internet is a vast and strange place full of endless inspirational imagery and ridiculous tripe. Every once in a rare while, I find something that is somehow both at the same time. The other day I came across...
In my elementary school years, Valentine’s Day was always one of my favorite events. I remember sitting amongst a pile of craft supplies with my friends, transforming shoeboxes into...
We’re in the thick of the holiday frenzy now. Logically, I should be choosing more streamlined cookie projects this time of year to free up time for holiday meal planning, decorating, and gift buying. Yet, I seem to...
When I was experimenting with different materials to create the spiderweb in my Black Widow Spider Cookie tutorial, I was pleasantly surprised by edible glue. The glue was transparent, shiny, flexible, repairable, lightweight, and relatively forgiving. I’ve since come up with all kinds of ideas to make use of this new product in my decorating toolbox. First up...
About five years ago, we planted a California Black Oak tree in our front yard. We affectionately named it “Twiggy” because it was little more than a vertical branch sticking out of the ground. I can’t wait for the day when...
Years ago, my husband and I decided to bring in a sofa that we’d been storing in our garage. After lugging in the unwieldy piece of furniture, we plopped down on it in triumph. I turned to look at my husband, and my smile melted into horror. Perched on his neck was a...
There are so many reasons to love sunflowers. Their cheerful, sunny yellow petals always brighten my mood, and their late-summer blooms are a welcome reminder that autumn is just around the corner. But perhaps the best thing about sunflowers is...
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...
This cookie and I have some history. If you’ve been reading my tutorials for a while, you might remember my struggles approximately a year ago. I tried an island concept, but with water made of royal icing, and waves created from white gel coloring...
Every week we get a delivery of produce from a small, local farm. The box is filled with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, but the exact contents are always a surprise. When my kids are...
My husband gifts me a new orchid every year for our wedding anniversary. Needless to say, I’ve amassed quite a collection. This time of year as I...
A couple of years ago my childhood friend decided she’d had enough of the Silicon Valley rat race. She packed up her family and...
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...
When I was in kindergarten, one of my “assignments” was to draw a Valentine’s Day card for my mom. We worked on it in class for days, adding...
With winter now in full effect, I've been thrilled to catch a rare glimpse of snow on the far hills across the valley. Snow angels are an iconic and joyful celebration of the winter season. I imagine happy children thrashing in...
When I was a small child, we had a family friend who was very old and well-travelled. I loved to visit her house because she kept a display of souvenirs from the various countries she’d visited. There were...
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...
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’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...