Cal Berkeley Sugar Cookies

The month of May heralds the start of commencement season, graduation from high school and college/university.  Can you hear the notes of Pomp and Circumstance in your head?  My friend Bibsy commissioned these Cal Sugar Cookies for a dual celebration in her family: her youngest child's recent acceptance into Berkeley, as well as her oldest's graduation from the esteemed university.  Talk about a smart family!

 

The cookies aren't too hard to make, as long as you have a good stencil.  I got this "Cal" one from U-Stencil.  They have a wide range of college and universities to choose from.  I started with my tried and true vanilla sugar cookie and applied a base coat of royal icing until it was completely dry.  With the aid of the stencil I applied a thin layer of colored royal icing in the shape of the school's logo.  The consistency of the royal icing for the logo is key; it needs to be thick, like toothpaste.  

 

Be forewarned, though, that stenciling can be a messy affair, especially when working with a darker icing color as I was.  After I finished stenciling one cookie I had to thoroughly wipe and dry the stencil before moving on to the next.  But I think the end result makes it worth it.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023!

Monogram Wedding Cookie Favors

One of the best things about being a baker are the gifts that I can make for family and friends, especially for the milestone moments in their lives.   What better way to show you care than with something homemade? 

My gift to Anne Marie and Henning for their wedding today are these cookie favors.  I really love how they turned out.  The monogram on the cookie coordinates so beautifully with the invitation, don't you think?  The betrothed couple had a few options for the cookie shape and I'm so happy they chose a hexagon - definitely atypical, but very elegant.

These cookies will look fantastic at each place setting and I hope the happy couple and their guests enjoy them as much as I had fun making them!

Sugar Cookie Tree

I picked up this Wilton Cookie Tree Cutter Set from a Black Friday sale at Michael's and have been anxiously waiting to use it ever since.   To anyone who's ever said they aren't good at cookie decorating this project is for you.    It's super easy to make and the results are really professional looking.

I made a batch of my favorite sugar cookie recipe and cut out the different sized stars using the  cutters from the set. After the cookies were completely cooled I brushed on white royal icing then sprinkled the tops with clear sanding sugar.   Let the cookies dry overnight and then stack them to form your beautiful tree!  How simple is that?

Bowling Themed Sugar Cookies for Justin's 6th Birthday

For the past few years I've made sugar cookie favors to celebrate Justin C.'s birthday.  Justin is a smart and sweet little boy who just happens to be the son of my very good friend Gracie.  I normally make Justin sugar cookies cut in the shape of his age (e.g, "4", "5"),but this year I decided to make something just a little bit different.  When Gracie told me Justin's 6th birthday party was going to be at a bowling alley I got really excited.  Can it top last year's fantastic party at the indoor water park?  I think it's definitely a contender!  I can't bowl to save my life, and I even took it as a P.E. course in college!, but I do enjoy trying to be the queen of the pins.

I knew I had to make Justin's cookies with a bowling theme so what could be  more fitting than a bowling pin and bowling ball?  I got a hold of a bowling pin shaped cutter and a round cutter  was perfect for the bowling ball.  Used my basic vanilla sugar cookie recipe and iced them with royal icing.   I don't think Justin will miss a "6" cookie this year, do you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!!! 

Love,

Auntie Truc

Platinum Engagement Ring Cookie

 

Recently my friend Jesse commissioned a cookie order to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of her soon-to-be sister-in-law.  I suggested a Platinum Engagement Ring Cookie as the design, selfishly on my part because I haven't made or decorated that shape before.  I bought this cookie cutter set from Amazon and used my favorite sugar cookie and royal icing recipes.  

Aren't the packaged favors so cute?  They would be beautiful for a bachelorette, bridal shower or wedding reception.

Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

My nieces are on break from school and their mom has been taking them on various day trips to local cities and attractions before the start of summer camp.  One such journey was with me to Sausalito, a quaint town just north of San Francisco.  

The kids have been wanting to go on a cruise for some time but since that wasn't in the cards this year my sister-in-law thought the ferry ride from San Francisco would suffice.  The girls seemed to enjoy the ride, but I think they were more interested in the picnic lunch we brought along. 

Sophie was anxious to tuck in to the huge sugar cookie she got as her dessert from the deli.   I admit, it was a pretty good cookie.  But being the baker that I am, and a competitive person at that, I wasn't going to let some store bought version outdo me.

This Cook's Illustrated recipe for chewy sugar cookies is one I've been wanting to make for a while, but I wasn't motivated until I saw Sophie enjoying her cookie.  I made a variation of the recipe by adding lime zest and lime juice which gives the cookie a nice twist.   When Sophie tried these they got the thumbs up.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

One of my all-time favorite things to make for Christmas are hand iced sugar cookies.   Don't get me wrong, I make them all year round for gifts and commissioned orders, but there's something about the holidays that make them seem even more special.   

This year I tested out two new cookie cutters, the mitten and the snowman.  Both cookies were embellished with sanding sugar to get a shimmery texture. The technique is pretty simple but the results are quite stunning.  After applying royal icing to the cookie sanding sugar is sprinkled over the still wet icing.  Once the icing has dried the excess sugar is shaken off.   

These cookies are just begging for a hot mug of cocoa, don't you think?

Pink Daisy Cookies

 

Apologies in advance to all flower lovers since these daisies aren't botanically correct, but you'll forgive me won't you?  The Barefoot Contessa featured these cookies on her show a while ago, in white and yellow, and I knew immediately I wanted to make a pink version.

Perhaps I went a bit overboard with the abundance of pink tones in the cookie and packaging, but I can't help myself, it's one of my favorite colors.  How cute would these be as the favor at a birthday party, baby shower or bridal shower?  

Watermelon Sugar Cookies

 

There's nothing better on a hot summer day than a slice of refreshing, cool watermelon, am I right?  Wouldn't it be even cuter in cookie form?  When I found myself recently with some leftover royal icing and I thought I would use it to make these Watermelon Sugar Cookies.  I absolutely love how they turned out and they couldn't be easier to make.

 

 

Using my favorite vanilla sugar cookie recipe I simply cut out shapes using a large round circle cutter and sharp knife.  As for decorating the cookies there's no special skill involved but it definitely helps if you have a decorating bag and small round decorating tip.  How fun are these cookies plated next to their real life doppelgänger?  I'll definitely be bringing these cookies to my next summer party.

 

 

Batter Up! Baseball Sugar Cookies

America's favorite pastime is in full swing so to celebrate I made these baseball sugar cookies.   These treats will be given to Justin, who at 7 years old is already a keen enthusiast.  Am I a fan of baseball?  Not really, not at all actually, LOL! 

My favorite sports to watch are tennis and college basketball.  Wimbledon or the World Series? Not a difficult question...I'd choose Wimbledon every time.  But I do understand baseball's appeal.  Sitting in a beautiful ballpark, the sun on your face, sipping a cold one and enjoying a hot dog.  Oh yeah, and I guess watching the game too! 

The design on these cookies is really simple so it's perfect for the beginning baker.  You take a round cookie and apply a base coat of white royal icing (flooding consistency).  Let this dry for 24 hours.  Tint a thicker consistency of the frosting red and use this to pipe the seams of the baseball onto the white cookie.  You can also create a basketball, tennis or golf ball with a similar icing technique. 

I'll be making several different kinds of iced sugar cookies over the next few weeks so I hope you check back to see what they are. 

Lemon Tea Cookies

My work had a team meeting at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco recently.  It's an annual conference that's also one of the most anticipated events on my office calendar.  I always look forward to it because it's a chance to connect face to face with global colleagues who are based in North America, Europe and Asia. 

The catering at the hotel over the course of the three days was your typical fare, good but not spectacular.  However, the one thing I and many others absolutely loved were the lemon tea cookies the Hyatt served during a coffee break.  As soon as I took a bite of the soft, tender cookie topped with a thin layer of lemon glaze I knew I had to replicate it at home.  

 

Success all came down to getting the actual cookie, without the glaze, right.  The cookie itself reminded me a lot of a black and white in that it's texture was more cake-like.   I tried googling "Hyatt lemon tea cookie" in the hopes that someone may have posted the hotel's recipe online, but alas, no such luck and I was left to my own devices.

I ended up tweaking Cook's Country's Black and White Cookie and the results were fantastic.  By adding more flour to the recipe I got the thicker cookies I was looking for.  I also substituted lemon juice for the vanilla extract, but next time I think I'll use some lemon extract along with grated lemon peel to give it a real citrus punch.  The glaze couldn't be simpler, powdered sugar mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice.   I don't think I'm bragging when I say I have a legitimate replica...eat your heart out Hyatt!

Onesie Cookie Favors for a Baby Shower

A work colleague recently commissioned iced sugar cookie favors for an upcoming baby shower she's hosting. She doesn't know if the baby is a boy or a girl so I suggested a white onesie with a little yellow duckie on the front. I'd seen the idea online using a lamb and cherries. I think the cookies turned out really cute. These are the extras I had, which have a different color ribbon than the ones used for the order. For those I used ivory satin ribbon with "le bébé" (French for baby) printed on it.

The cookie is a vanilla sugar cookie frosted with royal icing. Royal icing is made with powdered sugar, meringue powder and water mixed together really well. I used a thicker consistency to outline the cookie and a thinner frosting to "flood" (or fill) inside the lines. The funny thing about royal icing is you have to keep it covered in the mixing bowl with a damp paper towel otherwise it dries really quickly, but as soon as you put it on a cookie it takes at least 24 hours to dry completely.

I'm not much of an artist but I'm quite happy with how the little duckie turned out. I think royal icing is a much more forgiving medium to draw with than a pen or pencil.

Gnome Sugar Cookie

The holiday season doesn't start for me until I decorate the Christmas tree and bring out my beloved collection of Scandinavian gnomes.  I first fell in love with these adorable felt figures many, many years ago when they festooned my honorary Norwegian mamma's cabin in the mountains outside of Oslo.  Mamma G (aka "MG") loves to decorate at Christmas, no one can hold a candle to her in this regard, and the gnomes are the star centerpieces.  

How ecstatic was I last Christmas when she gifted me with an entire family of white and grey gnomes of my very own!  Little did she know at the time that her generous gift was the start of my ever growing gnome collection.  You might say I have a slight obsession, but I can't help it, they are just so darn cute! I've found some great ones at Zara Home, Swedish Inspirations, IKEA and Heath Ceramics.

So when I happened upon Sweet Sugarbelle's gnome cookies I knew I had to make them.  They were literally screaming my name.  Callye is such a baking inspiration for me and her creativity has no bounds.  She ingeniously used one of her brand's ghost cookie cutters and transformed it in to the gnome.  Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to buy her Halloween cutter collection when it was in stores but I found this great alternative at Truly Mad Plastics.

I just love how the gnomes turned out.  In fact, I love them so much I'm using "gnomes" as the theme for the holiday treats that I'll be gifting this year.

Cherry Blossom Cookies

Went to Washington, D.C. last month on a family vacation, right at the height of cherry blossom season.  I was excited because I'd heard so much about how gorgeous the trees surrounding the Tidal Basin were when in full bloom.  Just my luck all the trees, save for one, had  shed their blossoms three days before I arrived in town.  Darn!  But hope was not lost; there were  plenty of cherry blossom trees found throughout town that still had beautiful blooms on them.  

While watching the annual parade on Constitution Avenue I spotted a little kid eating a blossom shaped cookie.  Being the avid baker that I am, of course I became obsessed with trying to find it.  I scoured museums and gift shops in search of that cookie, but with no luck.  Double darn!

 

When I got back to San Francisco that cookie was still top of mind.  I googled cherry blossom cookies and came upon some really cute ones by Katie of  Good Things Catered.   I love how her design almost resembles a fine china pattern.  Beautiful!  I hope she doesn't mind that I replicated her creation.  As the saying goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Pineapple Sugar Cookies

Ananas, piñas, trái thơm....it goes by many names but my friends and family know that pineapples are my absolute favorite fruit in the whole world.  I like to make a summer-themed sugar cookie that I gift to family and friends and when I found this fantastic pineapple cutter at Williams-Sonoma I knew what I was doing for this year's theme.  Here's my homage to the "ananas comosus" and I'm loving how they turned out. 

My love of the pineapple probably borders on the obsessive.  If there's a pineapple in or on something you can pretty much guarantee I'll buy it.  We're talking iPhone cases, wallpaper, necklace, shoes - bought them, received them, love them, done!  

Did you know that the pineapple is a symbol of welcome and hospitality?  Maybe that's why I'm so drawn to this fruit.   Colonial sea captains returning from the Caribbean would spear a pineapple on their fence post to let friends know they had arrived home safely and serve as an invitation to come and visit.  How cool is that? 

LONG LIVE THE PINEAPPLE!

Under the Sea Sugar Cookies

 

I'm not much of a fan of snorkeling which is ironic because I love to swim, especially in the ocean.  I've gone a couple of times in Hawaii and the first few minutes were great, then came the onslaught of hyperventilation and after that it was game over.

My niece was hosting a Nemo birthday party for her daughter and asked if I could make the cookie favors.  In my imagination these Under the Sea cookie creatures are what I may have come across had I managed to stay under water longer than ten minutes.  Don't the cookies' vibrant colors just scream the tropics and crystal clear waters? Yeah, I know they aren't necessarily anatomically correct but these are just cookies, people! 

Conversation Heart Cookies

 

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to replicate, in a sugar cookie, NECCO's conversation hearts?  Chocolate is nice but there's something about these tiny hearts with their catchy phrases that always make me laugh.   Remember when you were a kid in elementary school and you handed out those boxed cards to all your classmates?   The  most prized Valentine's were the ones that had a few conversation hearts stuffed in the envelope.  

Back in the day the flavors didn't taste all that great.  I do recall some, I think  the green ones especially, that tasted like medicine.  But the flavors took a back seat to the imprinted words.   True, most of them were really cheesy, remember So Cute and Lover Boy?  You couldn't help but chuckle.  This year is the first time in their 145 years of production that the company that makes the candies, NECCO, decided to go a bit more modern with the sayings....My Boo being a perfect example.   On top of that they updated the flavors and they  all taste really good  (Strawberry, Green Apple, Lemon, Grape, Orange and Blue Raspberry)..trust me, I've sampled!  

Housewarming Cookie

Just came back from a great housewarming party hosted by some friends who recently bought their first place.  The house was decorated beautifully, like out of a Pottery Barn catalog, and I was very impressed with all the improvements they've made.   I brought these cookies along to celebrate the momentous occasion.  Each cookie had their address printed on it, but I've blurred part of it out since you don't need to know where they live..hehehe.  (I'm still learning the photo editing software so excuse my clumsy job.)  

I'm no where near buying a  place of my own anytime soon, what with the San Francisco real estate market being so inflated, but I'm really in awe of those who take that plunge.   Maybe one day.  Until  then I'm just fine hanging tight in my  flat.  All I can say is thank god for rent control!

Rainbow Flag Cookies

As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community I wanted to show my support during Pride Month by making these Rainbow Flag Cookies.  While they may look complicated to make they really aren't.  These cookies are essentially a slice and bake cookie.  I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and divided the dough into six equal portions which were tinted the colors of the rainbow.  Here's an easy acronym to remember what the colors are and the order they're placed in: ROYGBV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet).

 

To shape the I dough into a flag I used a long, rectangular box that was 12" L x 2 3/4" W x 2" D in size. Each portion of color tinted dough was spread into the box and flattened as evenly as possible before adding the next layer.   An hour-long chill in the fridge ensured that I could easily slice the dough before baking.  I just love how the rainbow flag cookies turned out.  The colors are so vibrant and cheerful.  

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

 

Walnut Snowballs and Coconut Pyramids

If there were ever two cookies that heralded the holiday season it's these two, walnut snowballs and coconut pyramids.   I only make them in December - any other time and it wouldn't seem right.

Walnut snowballs go by many different names: Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, noel nut balls, etc.  Whatever their name they taste delicious and are my absolute favorite holiday cookie.  They're super simple to make and despite the generous coating of powdered sugar they aren't too sweet.

The coconut pyramids are just shaped macaroons.  For the first time in a year I'm making a macaroon that isn't of the French variety and this version is a lot more forgiving!  Like the snowballs, these macaroons are lightly sweetened.  To shape the cookies in to pyramids I used a silicone mold but you can easily do it by hand or with a bench scraper.