Toolbox Talk: Food Coloring
Food coloring is arguably the second most important element in cookie decorating after the royal icing itself. The art of choosing colors and/or mixing the exact shade are the subjects of many blog posts...
Food coloring is arguably the second most important element in cookie decorating after the royal icing itself. The art of choosing colors and/or mixing the exact shade are the subjects of many blog posts...
What a delight it was to return from vacation - nearly two weeks without a cookie in sight - to discover the many magnificent creations posted here on Cookie Connection in that short time!
Just a few days ago, I had the pleasure of touring Stencil Ease, the country's largest manufacturer of household and industrial stencils. Conveniently for me, it's located in Old Saybrook, Connecticut which is mere minutes from my family homestead in Guilford...
Welcome to the latest Practice Bakes Perfect challenge! This time around we are going to work on a specific, and very versatile and useful technique - stenciling. And, I must confess, this challenge is challenging for ME!
Creating dimensional royal icing designs on my cookies is one of my favourite techniques. I especially love the more complex designs that make cookies a thrilling challenge.
Roses, roses, EVERYWHERE! I don't think I have been surrounded by this many roses since my wedding. In 1993. Seriously, people! You shattered the Practice Bakes Perfect participation record, with a whopping 76 entries for Challenge #16!
This month, I’m interviewing our May site artist, someone many of you have come to know and love through your involvement in her bimonthly Practice Bakes Perfect challenges. Yes, it’s none other than the woman who works hard to push you to new cookie decorating heights...
This month, we speak with April site artists, Allegra Crea, who, for the longest time, I thought was one person! But as it turns out, “Allegra Crea” means “create cheerfully” in Italian and is the online moniker for the cookie decorating duo of Ivana Parisi and Giusi Urso...
Well, after a brief nod to St. Paddy's day a couple of weeks ago, you all pretty much hippity-hopped right on over to Easter, as confirmed by the abundance of eggs and bunnies hitting our hot list* this week.
Say hello to Stefania Onano of Sweets_by_me in Cagliari, Italy, another of our recent and talented Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #13 honorees! In recognition of her winning March entry, Stefania’s rose cookies are featured in our site’s banner and backdrop...
Next up in our site artists series is Marie Elgaard of Lille Kage Hus in Randers, Denmark. Marie, as you may recall, won top honors in Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #13 for the banner and backdrop she designed for the month of February, which are now beautifying our site.
I know, I know, you've all been waiting with bated breath for this announcement! Yes, the nominations for the 2015 Cookiers' Choice Awards have been cast and tallied! Hurrah!
It used to be, not long ago, that cookiers hopped from Halloween to Christmas, bypassing turkeys, pilgrims, and all other Thanksgiving themes without skipping a beat. But with the explosive interest in cookie decorating as of late, Cookie...
Hi, everyone! Boy, do I have exciting news! Remember how I told you that Cookie Connection is getting revamped with a new responsive web design. Well, the time is nearly here for the big reveal of our new site!
Whether you attended CookieCon this year or simply read about the happenings here on Cookie Connection, cookiers near and far have gone through some form of withdrawal since its ending! This month, I hope to ease the withdrawal symptoms...
Well, hello, cookie people! I know it has been an extremely busy time in the cookie world - from back-to-school to CookieCon, to the GO BO Foundation Bake Sale, to the beginning of the holiday baking season . . . And so, I am extra appreciative that...
Hi, all! I'm back with our "usual" Spotlight after a whirlwind week of triaging the vast amount of CookieCon coverage generated by our talented team of correspondents ! Congrats again to Barb Florin, Beverly Parker, Jen Wagman, and...
With a mild fear of flying, I knew that it might not be easy to get on a plane to Salt Lake City . . . but as I come from New Jersey, driving was not an option for me. Problem #1 - My flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 am, so wake-up time...
T-minus eight days until my official arrival at my first ever CookieCon in Salt Lake City, Utah. My husband swears it's called "CookieCon" because he's being conned into taking care of our four kids for four (okay, almost five) days. I endeavor to...
I know this is supposed to be a tale of opening a storefront bakery, but what if I were to tell you it has really been about a journey of pursuing dreams?! I don't know about you, but my dreams and goals change, a lot. Not because I am an...
Wow! Last month, we had one of the liveliest chats in recent history with Dotty Raleigh of Sugar Dot Cookies, another fabulous CookieCon 2015 instructor. The chat room was buzzing! People came craving solid, practical advice about how to launch...
They're breeding like rabbits - the Easter cookies on this site, that is! And the rabbit theme is even more prolific! (Only one of this week's top ten Easter cookies doesn't have one, or a part of one.) Turns out, bunnies can be cute as...
I was completely floored when I caught sight of these “mix tapes” created by Danielle Lind of Dany's Cakes on Instagram. I mean, look at them! I was also stumped! Were they cookies? Were they edible? Were they real cassette...
Well, well, the nominations for the 2014 Cookiers' Choice Awards are all in, and they have finally been tallied! But before I spill the beans, thank you to those who cast votes in celebration of the accomplishments of their fellow cookiers. It's...
Ooh, I love giveaways, and there's nothing better than one that comes close to Christmas time! I'm not sure I could ever part with the contents of this giveaway if I were to win, but they sure would make wonderful Christmas gifts for anyone who loves...
Well, I've been aching to spill the beans for nearly two weeks now, and I finally can! Earlier tonight, the winners of the 2014 Cake Masters Magazine Awards were announced live in Birmingham, England at Cake International , the world's...
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 –...
Yes, this month we’re talking to the Queen of Wafer Paper in Italy – if not the whole wide world! And that queen would be Lucia Simeone, owner of DolceLulù , a cake artist from Rome known the globe over for her magnificently...
National Cookie Month has been a blast, hasn't it? And just when you thought it was about to fade into distant memory, I'm bringing it all back with another giveaway! While definitely fun, this giveaway has actually got a very serious component...
Chalk it up to jack-o-lantern or phantom fatigue, or whatever you want, but this week I'm tossing seasonal convention to the wind with another "Best of Category" roundup! Here are the hottest cookies* of the week in no particular order...
Let’s wrap up this texture challenge so that we can all start brainstorming the " frankencookie" challenge !! I don’t know about you, but I love a good frankencookie . . . First of all, thank you so much to Rebecca for allowing me to play...
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...
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? ...
Happy weekend, everyone! To celebrate the diversity of cookies on this site, it's time, once again, for a "Best in Category" spotlight. For newbies to this feature, this means that, rather than showcasing the top 10 cookies on the site or the top 10...
Wow, it's been another great week of cookie photos here on Cookie Connection ! Many clips have been sporting rust, teal, and peacock blue in keeping with the ongoing Practice Bakes Perfect color challenge . (BTW, if you haven't yet entered, there's...
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...
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...
Phew! It's pretty fair to say I'm on Mothers' Day overload - with my own cookies, that is. I just completed another day-long video shoot, and several weeks of the usual nose-to-the-grindstone, head-in-the-sand prep that precedes these...
Easter may be a bit later than usual this year, but that's given me plenty of time to come up with a new design to share with you. I'm particularly fond of these little fellows. They're such solemn owls, with an important job of caring for those eggs,...
Who needs chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps when Easter can be cookie'ed in so many wondrous ways?! Doubtful? Well then, just take a look at this week's Top 10 Easter Hot List*, and you'll doubt no more. It's got everything from 3-D...
Couldn't make it to CookieCon this year? I know, I know, I too would have been sorely disappointed if in the same boat . . . But chin up! There's no reason to cry over dropped cookies (cookier-speak for "spilled milk")! I've got something...
Wow, it's been a whirlwind of hugs and kisses and hellos here at CookieCon, as cookiers from around the globe assembled for the kick-off of this long awaited cookie event! Since tomorrow is a busy day of presentations and vendor booths (opening at 8...
[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)...
This week, our CookieCon 2014 series continues with the talented and oh-so-entrepreneurial Susan Schmitt of The Painted Cookie. As it turns out, Susan harks from Wilton, Connecticut, not far from my...
I don't know about you, but Valentine's Day has got to be my all-time favorite cookie decorating holiday. The very shape of a heart allows for so much design versatility, and there's no shortage of pithy puns ("Bee mine", "I love ewe", "My...
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...
Thank you for this opportunity to share a fun Christmas gingerbread collaboration project. For me, it started when I found the cookie community, nearly a year ago now, and just fell in love! I loved the art, the clear camaraderie of everyone blogging...
Fellow cookiepreneurs, the holidays are upon us, and I hope this month’s post finds you in high spirits and looking forward to the coming days. Before I begin, I wanted to share that I recently received feedback that some of you would be...
In our ongoing celebration of gingerbread this month, we turn from the fabulous 3-D creations of last week's Spotlight to honor 2-D gingerbread treats. Though certainly shorter and flatter than last week's honorees, this week's hot list* continues to...
In honor of Gingerbread Month here on Cookie Connection, this week's Saturday Spotlight features nothing other than . . . gingerbread, naturally! More specifically though, I've cast the spotlight on 3-D projects, as opposed to classic...