Cookie Commerce

Ever since I started blogging about cookies my friends and family have been telling me to start a cookie business. Sure it sounds good, but I'm not sure it's something I want to do on a full-time basis. Sometimes hobbies are just hobbies. I'm afraid that if I'm forced to bake cookies it won't be fun any longer and I'm not sure I want to risk it. But on the other hand, I enjoy baking and that should count for something, right?

When my friend Ali asked me to make angel cut out cookies for her son's baptism this weekend I thought it might be a good time to test my theory. Can I bake cookies, deliver on time, make some money, and still have fun doing it? The answer to these questions are yes, yes, yes, and maybe. Let me explain.

After Ali and I decided on angel cookies I asked, "how many do you need?" After a slight hesitation she said, "Um, how about fifty?" Her voice raised a few octaves when she said fifty. I said "sure," no problem. The voice inside my head screamed "PROBLEM!" I had never made fifty, hand-cut, hand-iced cookies before. Ever. I had no idea how long it would take or how much ingredients I would need. But I had a few weeks to figure the details out and I was up for the challenge. I made a test batch using a new sugar cookie recipe but didn't like how the cookies puffed up, essentially taking most of the detail out of the design. My sister-in-law Tammy suggested using her no-fail Martha recipe which I tried and was pleased with the results. I calculated that I would need to make three batches of dough.

Over the course of two days I rolled dough and cut the cookies individually around a cardboard angel template which my mom drew many years ago. I carefully placed each angel on the cookie sheet and made last minute adjustments to the head or wing as needed. I was obsessing about each cookie. After all, this was my first foray into cookie making for profit.

Next I iced a few just to test my skills. For the wings, I decided on white icing sprinkled with white sanding sugar. For the body, a baby blue. For the hair, a light brown. I tried peach colored icing for the face, but decided it looked like the angel had a bad spray tan. It was best to not ice the face at all. I dabbed a spot of blue icing for the eye and tried bit of brown icing for the lips which ended up looking like a mustache. In the end I went with a pink icing for the lips, keeping the face details to a minimum.

Tammy also recommended that I use plastic squeeze bottles to apply the royal icing which I did and which worked beautifully. Once I got going, the process moved along and I enjoyed being a human assembly line. My angels began to multiply like rabbits in springtime and soon my counters and table were brimming with angel cookies.

Finished Cookies















Mother nature threw in a challenge of her own by turning up the humidity which caused the cookies to absorb the moisture in the air. The result was very soft cookies which were good for eating, but not good for icing and transporting. I cranked up the A/C and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, a few of the angels succumbed to the humidity and lost their heads as I picked them up to put the finishing touches on them. But fortunately, I had made extras and had just enough.

Headless Angels













The last challenge was getting the delicate cookies packed and delivered to Ali's apartment on the east side of Manhattan. I packed the cookies in various department store boxes since they were sturdy enough to carry the weight of the cookies. With the cookies carefully packed and layered with wax paper, I set off to Ali's apartment on East 45th Street. I was carrying two canvas bags, one needed to be kept flat and which I set on my lap during the subway ride. The other was held by my free hand. Just as the train pulled into Times Square it jerked unexpectedly and the man standing near me fell onto the man sitting two people away from me. The fall wasn't just a slip or a bump. It was a full-fledged, flat on your face, head first, ass over teakettle (to quote my mom) kind of fall. The six foot tall man landed squarely and firmly onto the guy near me with enough force to knock off his glasses. Had I been sitting there, just three feet to my left, the cookies would have been destroyed. Whew. That was close. I transferred to the shuttle over to Grand Central and then hauled the cookies through the masses of commuters. I was bobbing and weaving like a prizefighter. I reached my destination with the cookies intact.

Ali was delighted with the cookies as was her son, Vincenzo.

And so ends the story of my first professional cookie baking project. Stressful? Somewhat. Rewarding? Certainly. Would I do it again? You bet.

Here are the recipes I used for the sugar cookies and icing as well as a few tips when working with royal icing.

Sugar Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, unsalted
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture, mixing on low until thoroughly combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, separating into two equal sized pieces. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into desired shapes and transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until edges brown slightly. Cool on wire racks.

Royal Icing

3 tablespoons meringue powder (available at baking supply stores or at Michael's Crafts)
1 lb sifted confectioners' sugar (it's important to sift the sugar!)
5 - 6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon flavoring such as vanilla, lemon, orange, or almond extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients and mix with an electric mixer 5 to 6 minutes on low speed. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary. Divide icing into smaller bowls an add food coloring one drop at a time until desired color is reached.

Keep icing covered with a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the icing so it doesn't dry out.

The goal is to make the consistency thin for making outlines but not too thin so it runs (like a glaze). It should be firm enough to hold its shape. Add water or additional confectioners' sugar to thin or thicken. Fill plastic squeeze bottle or pastry bag fitted with #2 tip and outline the cookie.

To fill inside the outline, add water to existing icing or make a new batch, adding water as needed to create a glaze-like icing (it should be a little on the thick side). Again, fill pastry bag or squeeze bottle with icing and fill in the outlines. Add sanding sugar or decorations as desired. Icing will spread and fill in any empty holes.

Tips for Success:

1. Use a toothpick to scrap any extra icing off of the cookie. This works well to smooth out the area where your outline begins and ends. You can also wet your finger and gently press to close the seam.

2. Use a toothpick to apply small icing details.

3. Always keep icing covered when not using. Any dried pieces will clog the pastry bag tip.

4. When creating the outline, hold the tip slightly above the cookie and let it fall gently.

5. The squeeze bottles are easier to use than the pastry bag and tip.

6. Allow outlines to fully dry before flooding.

7. Practice makes perfect.