Summer Tic-Tac-Toe Cookies

Posted on June 15, 2014 by melissajoycookies

HAGS! Or #HAGS. This was written in my 5th grade son’s yearbook, next to his friends’ signatures. What the heck is that? Hags?! All I could picture was a white-haired old lady with bumps on her nose. I figured I would have to inquire once I unloaded the backpacks full of papers, art supplies, and stray locker items.

That being said, summer vacation has arrived! We celebrate the start of our break with cookies. What else, when your mom is a baker? In keeping with my cookie Tic-Tac-Toe thing {I’ve made Halloween, Fall, Holiday, and Valentine’s Day versions), I joyously created this Summer Tic-Tac-Toe to kick it off!

I do get a lot of questions about how I’ve made my cookie tic-tac-toe sets in the past, so thought I would briefly break down a few of the details.

Summer Tic Tac Toe Cookies by Melissa Joy

First, the board. I measure and hand cut the dough with a pastry cutter, 6 inches by 6 inches square. Yes, I use a ruler. My recipe does spread a bit after it’s baked, but I don’t mind. If you are very particular, you can use a microplane grater to make the sides nice and straight. Outline and flood the monster cookie and let it dry overnight. The next day it will be ready for the details.

For this set I wanted the background to resemble a picnic blanket, so decided to paint the pattern on with food coloring (Americolor Super Red) slightly watered down and applied with a food only paint brush.

Tic Tac Toe Cookie Board How-To

To make the sections of the board into nine equal spaces, I use my ruler and mark off the top, bottom and sides of the board at the 2 inch and 4 inch spots. Use a scribe tool or a food writer to do so. This will give you a guide when you line up your ruler again, point to point, to create the straight-ish, grid lines. (This photo was taken at the time of my Valentine board…sorry for the discrepancy in pictures!)

In the past, I would have piped the dividing lines, but for this particular set the ants were marching with a slight squiggle. Most ants do. With this in mind, it seemed more appropriate to get out the FooDoodlers and draw them on. Best invention ever, those FooDoodlers.

I did pipe the ants on with royal icing, because I wanted more of a 3D effect with the little guys, but you could just as easily draw them. Board complete!

Let’s move on to the game pieces…

I had so many options with my ever growing collection of mini cookie cutters, but I settled on 5: an ice cream cone, popsicle, strawberry, watermelon, and sun. They seemed the most like the start of summer fun to me! I typically make six cookies of each design so there are enough to play the game with. Some details are done with the FooDoodlers and some with royal icing. It never hurts to make extra minis if you plan to snack as you participate.

The only shape I had to frankencookie (i.e. squishing two pieces of dough shapes together to get one desired shape) was the popsicle. I used a mini tombstone cookie cutter and the bottom of a mini Christmas bulb cutter. It was a bit tedious, but I only made 12 total. I could deal.

Once the desired cookie game pieces are made and the board ready, it’s time to play! And then eat. A great way to commemorate the start of our summer break!

We are looking forward to no early morning schedules, al fresco dinners, and the prospects of road trips near and far. HAGS! Or as us old people say….Have A Great Summer! 😉

Root Beer Float Cookies

Posted on May 12, 2014 by melissajoycookies

Last week our school celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week with treating the staff to something special in their break room. I volunteered to bring cookies for Root Beer Float day because I was dying to try out this idea…

The staff has received a healthy dose of my creations the past two years and I worry they will grow tired of “that cookie lady”. It seems I’m continually carrying a blue bakery box into school. I tell the teachers they are my Melissa Joy quality control for new designs. They must not mind too much yet because the cookies, regardless of style, seem to disappear rather quickly. These root beer float cookies were no exception. Here’s a brief low down on how it all got done…

I had asked Jill of Custom Cookies by Jill where she had gotten her mug cutter and she sent it to me to borrow. Mind you, I have never met her, only admired and commented on her amazing work via the net. How awesome are cookie people?! Completely awesome! I was doubly thrilled I didn’t have to frankenstein the dough together to get a similar mug shape. Sixty cookies would be a LOT to do that way and I would end up very crabby.

I first started the cookies like this, with separate brown segments on the mug. I do like this version, but realized with letting the icing set between sections, it would take longer and I was short on time. I decided to do the rest in one solid section, vowing to use an food marker for details later, and that version looks like this.

Regardless the way you choose, the next few steps remain the same.

Can I just say, I LOVE paper straws. The excuse to use them with a cookie is always a bonus. I cut the ones I purchased into 4 equal lengths.

With a squirt of ivory icing, adhere the straw onto the cookie.

With that same ivory icing, fill in your “ice cream”, leaving it sort of bumpy.

Immediately add a sour cherry ball. Oh my, they are like the red jelly beans with a twist and may be a new favorite candy of mine. They also make the cutest cherry on top!

Once the ice cream part sets up, it’s time to add the “froth”. With the ivory icing, go squiggly along the edge of the mug and ice cream. Add sanding sugar for sparkle and contrast.

Let the whole cookie sit overnight if you make the drawn mug version. I used a brown FooDoodler to make the lines on mine. They are the best at making detailing a breeze.

Because I had to create around 100 cookies for the staff, I decided to balance out the floats with a simple cherry cookie. These were made using a raindrop cutter and could not have been easier to add to the set!

Cookies completed and teachers appreciated! I am not ashamed to say that I love the way these root beer float cookies turned out. I am itching to make them again and thinking that a family picnic or a neighborhood BBQ would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Summertime is fast approaching and with these cookies, I’ll be ready!

This post linked to: Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, Tidy Mom & featured on the Cookie Connection Saturday Spotlight

Jelly Bean Jar Cookies

Posted on April 9, 2014 by melissajoycookies

How can Easter be less than two weeks away and I’ve only made ONE new-to-me cookie design for it?! Yikes. Life has been busy.

I made these for my monthly blog stint on the website Bake It Up a Notch. I am assuming you have a few jelly beans in your cupboard right now and perhaps dough in the fridge, in which case you should be able to squeeze in time to make these jelly bean jar cookies. It’s a simple design without a lot of steps. This is always a bonus when it’s a race against the calendar. The hardest part will be not eating all the jelly beans before they get on to the cookie.

And speaking of jelly beans, here is a tiny tutorial on how I made them in cookie form:

Like I mention on the blog, minis are a great accent cookie to the big guys. For the complete tutorial, check out my post on Bake It Up a Notch by clicking here: Jelly Bean Jar Cookies.

I’m hoping to get in at least a few egg and bunny cookies yet, but if not, I will be more than satisfied just sharing these. Happy Spring!

Easy Bird Nest Cookies for Spring

Posted on April 1, 2014 by melissajoycookies

It feels like an eternity since I’ve posted something new on the blog. The last few weeks have been a flurry of school obligations, home life, and Cookie Con. The latter being the most fun and most exhausting. I think I have finally recovered from talking cookies for 3 days straight, yet the loot I amassed from the trip still lies in a pile on my table. I’ll get to organizing it. Eventually.

For now, I bring you the easiest bird nest cookies ever. Want to see how easy? I’ll show you…let’s begin! First we need a round cookie. One of my favorite cookie cutter shapes to use is this scalloped one, but a simple circle would work too. Bake and ice like so.

After about 20 minutes, you’re ready for the next two steps.

I made my icing a bit on the thicker side, so it would hold its shape once the sprinkles were added.

Now we can’t leave the nest empty! I go to my personal favorite this time of year…the Cadbury Mini Egg.

They are THE perfect colors, with those sweet little speckles, not to mention being super delicious and very addicting. Make sure to buy the big bag. Unless you have more self control than me. So finally…

Bird Nest Cookie with Cadbury Eggs by Melissa Joy.jpg

While the center icing is still soft, squish a few chocolate eggs in the middle of the nest. That’s it. You’re done!

Once the bird nest cookies were complete, I couldn’t help but think how charming they would be as place setting for an Easter or Mother’s Day table. A personal detail to make yearly occasions a little more special.

Spring is taking its sweet time arriving in my neck of the woods. By creating these easy nest cookies, it makes it seem like the grass is getting greener, my garden is on the verge of coming to life and I will soon be able to shed my down coat…someday soon. I hope.

This post linked to: Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

St. Patrick’s Day Cookie Pops

Posted on March 10, 2014 by melissajoycookies

March is here! Finally! The winter may actually end now!!! I feel like time is a wastin’ for St. Patrick’s Day treats, so let’s get right to it.

Once I found these adorable paper straws in the dollar bin at Target, I knew what I had to do…

That whole photo booth prop thing we all can’t get enough of, and don’t even get me started on mustaches. They are everywhere and on every thing. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, eh? I’m all about fun, easy cookies for kids (both big and small) so these seem to fit the bill.

The hat and beard were made using these cookie cutters and a little creative trimming to get them just right. The mustache and bow tie shaped cutters I already owned, so no fuss there!

This is the base of the festive St. Patty’s Day hat. Leave each step of frosting to dry a bit before moving on to the next. Add the details of a buckle and clover when ready.

I did a similar step by step for the bow ties, to give the knot some definition.

I added a beard to the mix, and kept it simple by using only orange royal icing and sanding sugar. These would all be fine as they are, but who doesn’t love a cookie on a stick?

I had never worked with paper straws, so I took the method of “glueing” the stick to the cookie with royal icing from those decorators that have done it before. I did give the straws on the hats a bit of an angle, so it would have the proper placement when later used as a prop. Once fully dried, they were much sturdier than I thought they would be.

The kiddies are sure to have a blast with these, when everybody’s Irish on March 17th….

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Truffula Tree Cookies

Posted on February 22, 2014 by melissajoycookies

Anyone who decorates cookies knows the difficulties in making a character cookie. You get those eyes or ears just the slightest bit off and it can look like some deranged mutant, as opposed to the sweet creature it was supposed to resemble. Some people are super good at characters and way more brave than I to tackle it. I choose to take the less stressful route. There can always be something in a theme that can get the point across, and I am pretty eager to find it!

When I was first asked to bring cookies for our niece’s baby shower that was Dr. Seuss themed, my first thought was to make The Cat in the Hat. Or Thing 1 and Thing 2. They all have eyeballs. That was out. The invite had images from The Lorax, so I brainstormed. Maybe the Lorax himself? More eyeballs…but the trees. The Truffula Trees! No facial features. Fun colors. Still Seussical. That I could handle.

Armed with our copy of The Lorax and the invite by my side, I started by freehand piping the black lines of the tops of the trees on a round cookie.

Next I flooded them with the distinctive Truffula Tree colors. The trunks were made by shaping rectangles with a little curve before baking. Again, I lined them with black icing and filled in with yellow frosting. After they had dried overnight, I added the details with a FooDoodler marker. These food markers are the best and couldn’t be easier or more perfect for Dr. Seuss Truffula Tree cookies!

Then taking a slightly different route, I made some royal icing transfers. Basically, you pipe the icing design on wax paper, let it dry overnight, peel off, and place on your cookie. This is a great method if you are worried about screw-ups when piping directly on a cookie. You can make bunches of transfers, use the best ones, and move them around your blank canvas until you get a design you like. Simply “glue” the transfers in place with a dab of icing.

I forgot to make tree trunk transfers, so piped them on, let them dry, and added the details with the food writer. That little dot of icing at the top will give height to the tree tuft transfer. Wow, more tongue twisters. Must be all this Seuss talk…

Transfers give the cookies fun dimension too!

I wanted to make these a little more personal for the baby shower, so I added the baby’s name. Lucky for me, the parents-to-be have her name picked out and aren’t afraid to share it with the world before she arrives! Here are a few options I have for displaying the cookies for the party.

Coincidentally, we celebrate the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel every March 2nd, his birthday, as Read Across America Day. These cookies couldn’t have come at a better time for a tribute to him as well.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! I love your thick, black lined illustrations, your bright yet muted colors, and your crazy made up names that have become part of our everyday language. But mostly, I love your messages. Honest, simple, and true, for youngsters and for those adults who read to them. Thank you, Dr. Seuss!

This post linked to: Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

Olympic Cookies

Posted on February 7, 2014 by melissajoycookies

While I am not a big sporting event type of person, I am completely obsessed with the Olympics. I’ve been counting down the days for this year’s winter games to start. I hear the theme song and get goosebumps. Scour the web looking for event start times. Making plans for what to eat for the opening ceremonies. The next two weeks are like my Super Bowl.

For a few days during the games I will be hanging with my besties and catching some of the action on cable. Yeah, that’s right…we’re old school over here. We have an antenna and about 10 channels. We still have a land line too. *GASP! Anyway, I wanted to bring cookies and an Olympic theme seemed like the right thing to do. Lacking a great, creative break though, I made some rings.

Did you know that a donut cutter is the perfect tool for such a thing? I may have gotten carried away in the amount rings produced, but it was so easy, I couldn’t help myself.

Keeping it simple, I busted out the paintbrushes and had a bit of fun. By watering down food coloring, you can paint on cookies that are frosted and dried over night. The splattering makes a mess, but it’s my favorite to do.

It doesn’t really matter to me who wins gold, but I will admit to always cheering the loudest for one country in particular; the country of Slovenia. My grandparents immigrated to the United States from this beautiful place after they were married. I was thrilled to visit their homeland several years ago, able to meet family still living there for the first time. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget. So for Olympic events with Slovenians participating, I say, GO SLO!

I have trained and run a half marathon. It was a ton of work, took a lot of dedication and I only did it once. So when the Olympics happen, I am in complete awe at the amount of effort, drive and perseverance it takes to be a competing athlete. Add that to the fact the entire world comes together to play, all focused on a common goal, and it makes it that much more incredible to witness. I can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” -Olympic Charter

I scream, you scream, for Valentine Ice Cream!!!

Posted on February 2, 2014 by melissajoycookies

A mom/son date night with my 11 year old will most likely involve ice cream. Never mind the temperature outside is in the negative digits. If there is a big bowl of frozen goodness with all you can eat toppings out there, he’s in!

Maybe next time I can talk him into a warm movie theater and these ice cream cookies? Hey, they’ve got two scoops!

Here’s a quick how to for a little ice cream love, using an ice cream cone cookie cutter and a couple hearts, starting with the dough like this:

Then do some cutting and pasting to put them together, like so:

Once baked, they are ready to frost! I decorated them in this order: Middle scoop first with sprinkles…

After that’s dried a bit, add top scoop and base of the cone…

While the top scoop is still wet you can add a candy heart garnish.

I bought these large heart sprinkles, but you can always make your own with royal icing. I pipe mine using a #2 or #3 tip on a piece of wax paper, letting them dry overnight on a cooling rack. Works like a charm and it’s a great way to use up left over icing!

Finish up with details to the cone and an ice cream scoop drip.

Of course I had to add extra sweetness with a few smiles…

These could be either one scoop or two, but who wouldn’t want a bit more love?

I don’t think ice cream is quite as satisfying in the middle of winter as it is at the height of summer, but spending time with my boy is what our date night is all about anyway. I at least make sure to heat up the car a bit first before we go.

Melissa Joy Cookies

Pretty cookies with organic ingredients, and the stories behind them.

Summer Tic-Tac-Toe Cookies

Olympic Cookies

Pretty cookies with organic ingredients, and the stories behind them.

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