Hello Everyone. Happy Memorial Day and congrats to the class of 2016! I’m super proud of my little sister Nicole who just graduated from college this month. For this weekend’s party I broke out my brand-spanking-new graduation cookie cutters and gave them a whirl.
Couple things, off the bat. See these delightful little tassels on the caps? I hate them and I love them. Every single one broke off at some point in the baking/decorating process. During the cutting phase, transferring to the cooling rack phase, and decorating phases. I was not a happy decorator! The little piece of cookie that attaches them to the cap is too skinny. Either that or they could have used another minute in the oven to harden up a bit more. That would make me sad though. What I like best about these sugar cookies is the fact that they are soft under the icing. So let me tell you, icing makes great glue. Thankfully I was able to “glue” them all back together then frost over it. The icing is a little thicker over that part to create a stronger bridge to keep them together, not really noticeable unless you are me and see every flaw in your work.
As annoying as the tassels were, I still love them. Look at how cute and sparkly they are! If you didn’t know already, it’s done with luster dust. I used the Wilton gold dust here. The package says to mix it with lemon extract, but I didn’t want to add that flavor. Instead I used vanilla vodka. Better right?? That’s what I thought. The vodka evaporates pretty quickly once the dust is painted on leaving just the shimmer. I can’t say that the vanilla flavor from the vodka stayed, since the whole cookie has a vanilla/almond taste, but there is no trace of the alcohol at all. It took two coats of the dust to get it dark enough. Make sure you let the icing dry completely before painting on the dust. The details of the tassels and the border on the plaque would have been melted if the icing wasn’t completely dried first.
Congrats again to all grads, especially Nicole!
Love and cookies,
Sherry
Frosted Bear Bakery 