Good Things by David

As a cookie decorator I find that the best cookies are those I create to surprise someone.  That's exactly what I did the other day to a dear cousin of mine who is expecting her firstborn.  Our family was going to give her a baby shower this month with baby deer as the theme, so I planned my surprise a couple of weeks ago. Baby Deer for a Baby Shower Years ago I acquired a large collection of cookie cutters from my dear friend, Janet Bridge, and since then I have made sure to do justice to them.  The majority of the cookie cutters are American made copper cutters from the venerable coppersmiths of Copper Gifts.  A small fawn cutter that I fell in love with the moment I saw it was THE perfect cookie cutter for this project. How adorable is this fawn? Having rolled, cut and baked my cookie shapes, I took some delicious royal icing and tinted three batches to match the fawns I see on a yearly basis around the property.  A rich chocolate brown, a neutral-warm taupe ...

Do you know an avid fisherman or golfer who is celebrating a birthday this year?  If you do and you happen to be a little crafty with cookies, consider making that individual some iced sugar cookies which depict putting greens and perhaps a fishing rod complete with hook and/or lure.  They make fantastic party favors. At the request of a dear neighbor whose husband was turning sixty, a set of sporty cookies were created for a milestone celebration.  The cookies were a snap to make.  Golfing & Fishing Sugar Cookies My neighbor Elfie even thought of a clever way to celebrate her husband's birthday during quarantine.  I'll show you what she did! Putting Green Sugar Cookies Putting Green Sugar Cookies :  using a game controller-shaped cookie cutter, cut out and bake as many of these shapes as needed.  Using leaf green royal icing and a #3 piping tip, outline and flood the inner shape of the putting green and let dry completely. ...

One of the nice things about crafting decorated sugar cookies is thinking about how the recipient is going to react when they behold their treats.  Whether I'm creating cookies for a friend, a family member or for customers, I like to know what colors people like, what shapes they adore and what will make them smile if given one or two of my cookies.  It's all about designing the right mood and look.   A dear neighbor of mine whose daughter is going to be two years old this week, asked if I would make her some acorn cookies to celebrate.  What you must understand is that little Lillian has a fascination with acorns.  Most mornings, you will find her coming into the cafe with a small bucket of them that she's collected on her walk with her mother.  Naturally, a few acorn sugar cookies seemed to be the right thing for her second birthday.  For this birthday project, I knew which cookie cutters I wanted to use.  A set of graduated acor...

I was commissioned to make a set of Downton Abbey inspired, tea-themed cookies for a local event in my town.  With a set of cookie cutters in the shapes of a teapot, a teacup, a teabag, a cupcake, a scalloped round and a plaque, I quickly iced cookies worthy of any tea party. These cookies were made with a specific color palette at the request of a friend.  A deep turquoise, a soft pink, a dark lavender and some jet black (not to mention white, of course) is what you will need to make these specific cookie designs.  You may also want to add a bit of gilded touches to your cookies if you want to make them stand out even more. I don't know if Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, would ever have had a reason to own a  black and white bone china teapot, but this one works.  It almost resembles a piece of Wedgwood.  I do know that she probably would never have eaten a frilly cupcake like the ones you see here.  That's OK, though.   ...

For those of you who have been following the blog for some time, you know how much I cherish my only niece.  In honor of a special life celebration that we are throwing her this month to celebrate her childhood cancer remission, I chose to make dozens upon dozens of leukemia ribbon sugar cookies for the 100 plus guests that we're expecting.   I don't think I've ever made any cancer ribbon cookies for anyone, so who better than for my special niece?  Ribbon cookie cutters can be found in several sizes and styles, so it's up to you how large or how small you want your ribbon cookies to be, and if you want them to have the centers cut out or left intact.  I chose the former. My west coast affiliate cookie crafter, who happens to be my cousin, is also helping out with the sugar cookie favors.  Johanna is becoming extremely adept at making phenomenal sugar cookies, so I am beyond thrilled that she is assisting the family. Armed with baked and cooled...

Are you thinking of surprising someone with a homemade birthday cake this year?  Try making a layer cake decorated with iced sugar cookies in whatever shapes the recipient may like, but go the extra mile and add their nickname in cookie form as well.  Whenever I hear the term, "cookie cake", I think of either a layer cake or sheet cake with cookies attached to it.  A flat chocolate chip cookie 'pizza' iced and decorated to look like a cake is not a cake in my opinion.   Having alphabet cookie cutters in one's pantry is a must if you are a cookie crafter, cookie baker and cake decorator.  They allow you to spell out a person's name, a greeting or even their nickname.  They come in various fonts and sizes, so pick and choose whatever you like, and then create personalized cookies or cakes. This past week I baked a delicious chocolate layer cake and iced it in delicate Swiss meringue buttercream.  To this I attached royal icing cookies in the sh...

Creating sugar cookies for my friend Jayne (a British expat) is always a pleasure because she gives me so much creative license.  She has been a big supporter of my sugar cookie craft for almost a decade now, and I have her to thank for prompting me to pick up the pace and churn out cookies by the dozen each and every season.   Her request this time around was simple: "design a set of Easter cookies for my family in England and make them pretty."  After going through my archive of past cookies, and perusing the cookie cutters in my pantry, I decided on a few shapes and designs for these special U.K. bound cookies. A large Easter egg cookie cutter, a large five inch plain-round cutter, and some very special cookie cutters from the former Martha by Mail catalog were all gathered on my large kitchen counter. I then quickly began to plan Jayne's cookies. Have a set of baked and cooled egg-shaped cookies and several large round ones as well.  Batches o...