Saturday, August 10, 2013

Decorated Bicycle Sugar Cookies to benefit Bike MS

When my friend Regina asked if I would create bike-themed cookies to
benefit her considerable efforts to support this year's BIKE MS bake sale
at work, I immediately agreed. I didn't know how I would deliver nearly
400 bike-themed cookies wearing a leg cast, but I knew it had to happen!
Now, creating 400 decorated cookies requires a lot of sugar! Fortunately, the
amazing Imperial Sugar ladies I met at Mixed last year took my call! Not only
did they donate enough sugar for my cookies, there was enough so that I could
share with the lady baking the pies, cakes and cupcakes for the bake sale too!
It's all about teamwork! Speaking of teamwork... Since I'm off my
feet for a few more weeks, Army dad has been doing everything that
requires standing up. Things like sifting forty pounds of powdered sugar!
I haven't made royal icing since publishing my recipe for you here but
now that I'm mixing up more than I've ever mixed up for a single project
before, it might be the perfect time to answer some of your questions!
First of all, I meant what I said... Sifting your powdered sugar is not optional!
What comes out of the mixer is what I call piping consistency. And, this is
also the point where I color my royal icing if I'm going to color it. A reader
asked if I use white coloring or if my icing comes out of the mixer this brilliant
white. It doesn't, I use Americolor white and believe it makes a big difference!
In terms of how I fill my squeeze bottles without making a huge mess...
I first transfer my icing to a large
disposable pastry bag and secure the top!
This makes it easier for me to portion icing
out into bowls for tinting it into different colors!
After my icing is tinted I load it into another disposable
pastry bag and use that bag to fill my squeeze bottles!
In this case I'm using all white icing and tinted it while it was
mixing so all that's left is to thin what I need to flood-consistency!
Adding just a little water at a time and stirring between
each addition of water, I eventually get to this stage...
Where a line drawn with a knife disappears after counting to ten!
And, it falls like a ribbon into my bag or bowl!
Now I'm ready to load the icing into my
squeeze bottles and begin decorating!
Snip the end of my pastry bag and away we go - No fuss. No muss!
This is the best way I know to load squeeze bottles!
After the bottle is filled, I pinch off the end and wrap it with
a damp paper towel to keep the icing from forming a crust!
Ready to create bike cookies?
Me too!
By the way, CopperGifts.com came through for me in a big way on
this project... As they always do. Because while they offer a bike cutter, it
points to the right and I wanted my bike cookies to point left. Fortunately, all
I had to do was ask because Beth and Ray made sure my bikes were going west!
Although I've seen bike cookies done before, the only design that would
do for my bike cookies was the one created by Dani Fiori of Sweet Dani B
cookies. The only problem is that Dani is a celebrity illustrator. I'm not only
a non-celebrity, I have tremendous difficulty drawing basic stick figures!
Of course, in true Dani fashion, she not only sent me a few photos of
her bike cookies to refer to, she also coached me on which elements
of her design to draw first to make it a little less difficult for me!
However, even with Dani's coaching and her visual inspiration close at hand...
Drawing on cookies like Dani does made me feel like this inside!
But I did it! Not as perfectly as Dani did but I'm only 32 bikes into this...
So who knows? By the time I'm done...
I may just get the hang of drawing on cookies!


Sending big love and my thanks to Imperial Sugar for their generous gift of Dixie Crystals sugar, CopperGifts.com for the wonderful west-facing bicycle copper cookie cutter... And, to the incomparable Dani Fiori, for her friendship, inspiration and guidance! xo

9 comments:

  1. Fabulous, whimsical cookies, Janet! Even with all those who lent a hand, it was your generous spirit that made these truly possible. I am so in awe of you!

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  2. Janet, these are wonderful as always, I am afraid that my vocabulary does not have any more words, but you know how I feel about your work.

    Bravo to your helpers and supporters who have made these cookies possible too! Army Dad is a hero to do all that sifting and shifting for you.

    Keep on getting better.

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  3. Wow, those turned out so cute! :) They should be a big hit!

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  4. Janet! You're amazing! You are such a good soul, making and creating all of these yourself. I have to say, I would have had a mini breakdown by now. I'd love to say I am graceful under pressure, but I am not when it comes to decorating (as you know). I can't WAIT to come help you! Tuesday can't get here fast enough!

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  5. Awesome job! Yours look adorable!

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  6. What a monumental job, Janet! I adore your bike cookies so much! You're awesome!

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  7. These are truly amazing... You can see the love that went in to them! It was an honor to be a small part of your MS bike cookie adventure! Xo

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  8. Janet, did you use icing or food color markers to draw on the bicycles? Thanks so much! I am baking bicycle cookies for my daughter's wedding.

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  9. I used an edible marker (available for sale at my etsy.com store!) to draw the bikes onto dry royal icing. I hope this helps!

    Congratulations on your daughter's wedding!

    xo

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Readers who comment ROCK!

xo