Sunday, August 7, 2011

Cristin's COOKIE CHALLENGE 1

Okay so lets try something really fun! We have found each other through Facebook or Blogging because of a common interest in decorating cookies. How many of us "cookiers" wish that we lived close to each other to bake together, chat together and you know it, to share our cookie decorating obsession together! Well here's our chance...

I am proposing a COOKIE CHALLENGE.  Lets work on a project together! The theme of this first cookie challenge will be HELLO KITTY. For those that want to play along, all you have to do is make Hello Kitty cookies this week. When your cookies are ready (anytime this week), post them on your Facebook page and tag me (@Cristin's Cookies) so that I can see your creations too. On Friday, August 19th, I will post some of the pictures of your cookies on my blog with credit to you. We will have our own virtual Hello Kitty party this week!

I know a lot of you have recently purchased a Hello Kitty cookie cutter. For those that haven't, there are several places that are selling them now, including CopperGifts.com. For those that haven't purchased a Hello Kitty cookie cutter, YOU CAN STILL PLAY ALONG!

I have created two 4" images below. Please feel free to size them to whatever size works for you. You can print the image and laminate it or use clear heavy duty tape or whatever works for you to use the image to hand-cut your cookies. You can also Google Hello Kitty and come up with tons of other designs. You can also use a regular cat head and add a bow. Be creative however you wish.

So start baking and share your designs and have fun! This is NOT a contest. There is no pressure, it's simply to have fun together so don't leave me hanging. Join in the fun! I've invited 2 little girls over to my house to be my baking assistants on Monday. They are very excited to make their very own Hello Kitty cookies. Click on the images below to print them out for your use.

If you have any questions, contact me. Have fun baking! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

34 comments:

  1. Ok you have me encouraged that I may just learn cookie decorating by being challenged. :) I've only made sugar cookies once and they were tasty and 'sort of' cute. LOL. Here is my first try:
    http://susies1955.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-1st-time-trying-decorated-sugar.html
    I can just make a ROUND cookie and use a food marker to trace right?
    If I use your idea, what do I use to cute around the shape?
    Excited,
    Susie
    PS.....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog. Found out about the challenge on your facebook page. :)

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  2. Super cool idea, Cristin!! :) LOVE it!!! I'm in!! I think I'm more excited to do these Hello Kitty cookies than I am about the Captain Rex cake I'm making tonight! lol

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  3. I'm in! What a fun idea, Cristin! I have my HELLO KITTY cookie cutter (recently purchased), but haven't used it yet. Thanks for the push!

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  4. @susies1955 Susie your turkeys look fantastic! Yes, you can use a food marker to trace a design on a round cookie. WHATEVER you want to do will work great! If you decide to cut the design in your cookies, just use a knife and then soften the edges with your finger before baking. Whatever works for you will be great! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  5. @KaraMe too Kara! I think this will be so fun! When I went to bed at 1:30 this morning, I thought "what if no one wants to play along?" it was pretty fun to wake up to such fun excitement of others wanting to join in the fun! I'm excited to see the creations from everyone!

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  6. @Sue Sue welcome aboard! I figured a lot of people had the new Hello Kitty cookie cutter and yet I haven't seen many pictures of them, so I thought this would be a fun first challenge. I actually didn't buy that set that everyone has, but I have one that came in from Hong Kong ;-) I can't wait to see your cookies! Thanks for playing along!

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  7. Cristin,
    Thanks for the compliment. :)
    It will probably take me forever. LOL.
    Susie

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  8. This sounds like fun, I hope to have some time to bake this week would love to be a part of it.

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  9. @Haniela Awesome Hani! It will be super fun to have you involved in this fun project! Can't wait to see your cookies!

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  10. What a fun thing to do! I won't have time to bake Hello Kitty this week. Would it be alright to post a pic and tag you in Hello Kitty cookies I've already done?

    Michelle @ FROSTING ~ Cakes & Cookies
    on Facebook

    (sorry, I don't know how to comment properly!)

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  11. Thanks so much ! I just found your challenge and page via Munchkin Munchies. I would love to participate in the challenge. I recently purchased the cutter too! Lorraine @ Lorraines cookies

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  12. @Anonymous Hi Michelle, we'd love to have you play along. Go ahead and upload your Hello Kitty cookie photo your Facebook page and tag me sometime during this week. Thanks for joining in!

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  13. @Lorraine Lorraine I feel like I know you already because I saw your picture on the CopperGifts.com site! Glad you're able to join in the fun! I can't wait to see your Hello Kitty cookies!

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  14. What a great idea!! I made a Hello Kitty cookie platter last weekend and I have been wanting to try them again, this gives me a good reason. I would love to join the challenge!


    Carsedra - Sweet Tooth Desserts
    http://sweets4yourtooth.blogspot.com/

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  15. @Sweet Tooth Desserts Wonderful Carsedra! Glad to have you join in. I also read your blog and your Hello Kitty cookies on there are adorable! Thanks for playing along!

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  16. Well Cristin,
    I ended up taking an empty plastic powder creamer container and cutting a strip and then forming it around the printed out Hello Kitty photo you gave us. It looks ok but don't know if it will keep it's shape while cutting the dough. I found it formed better than the soda can I tried first. :)
    I won't be baking until it cools. How long can the dough stay chilling in the fridge before you cut and bake??????? Thanks,
    Susie

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  17. @susies1955Great idea Susie! Very resourceful thinking! I usually make my cookie dough the day before I'm going to roll it, but I've had it in the fridge for a couple days before and it's perfectly fine. I would think you should be fine with leaving it in the fridge til you're ready to bake. I know a lot of people bake at night so that it doesn't warm up the house too much in the summer. Good luck!

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  18. I'm up at 2 to 3 am to workout with my husband before he leaves for work so staying up later at night doesn't work for me.
    I check to see when the coldest night is and get the fans in the windows when I get up. It is suppose to go down to mid 50's Wedsday night and only up to 70 to 75 on Thursday so I will make the dough Wednesday and bake Thursday.
    I've GOT TO STOP baking so much. LOL.
    Susie

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  19. Hi, I would love to play along but I have so many orders to do! (which is good, don't get me wrong)
    I got a Kitty cutter from Hong kong too last year some time and one of the very first cookie bouquets I ever did was a Kitty Bouquet, I can tag you in that if you would like to see?
    Hopefully I can join in with your next challenges :)

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  20. @beckybiscuitHi Becky, I completely understand if you're too busy this week. With the overwhelming response, I'm sure we'll have more Cristin's COOKIE CHALLENGES! Please also feel free to post the picture of your past Hello Kitty cookies to play along this week if you'd like.

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  21. @SweetSugarBelle Thanks Callye! I hope you'll play along! I know you recently made adorable Hello Kitty cookies and you could post the pictures of those. I already have a printed copy of yours in my idea book! Join the challenge!

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  22. Cristin, I am going to start the challenge cookies tomorrow. I have only done sugar cookies once and that was years ago. So you put an outline around the whole cookie and around the bow, eyes and nose. Then do I flood it with say white but not the bow, eyes and nose and do those next?
    I'm really not sure how long to bake them either.
    Thanks,
    Susie

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  23. @susies1955Hi Susie, I'm excited that you are going to give baking a try again! As far as how long to bake, that depends on your recipe. I bake mine for 12 minutes. I would say just until the edges start to brown. As far as how to decorate, that's up to you. You can not outline at all and do the entire cookie white and then ice the bow and details a different color on top of the white or you can outline the whole thing separately. You can also try a few different ways and see which you prefer best. I'm hoping to bake mine today, but have been swamped with a work project so it's not likely. Just have fun with them Susie. I can't wait to see them!

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  24. Cristin,
    Thanks a lot for the help.
    They might not be pretty but everyone has to start somewhere. LOL.
    Susie

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  25. Cristen,
    I made the cookie dough and cut them out with my HOME-MADE Hello Kitty cutter and baked them. Took me forever. ;)
    I then made the Royal Icing. I covered them all in white but they look a tad lumpy ........... um could it be that it was too thick so the icing couldn't lay flat?
    Am I right that I have to wait about 3 or 4 hours before I can put the eyes, nose and bows on?
    I hope to be more organized the more I keep trying.
    Thanks a bunch,
    Susie

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  26. @susies1955Great job Susie! How exciting to come back to baking! I'm not a Royal Icing expert in the slightest, but yes, it sounds like maybe it was a bit too thick or maybe you didn't spread it quickly enough. Either way it will be perfectly fine. I try to wait about 8 hours to add colors to white, but I won't have that option today either since I haven't even started on my cookies yet! Wait long enough for the color to set and then decorate on. When your cookies are all done, take a photo just in case tomorrow the colors start to bleed. Either way, it's all a learning process and we're having fun doing it together!

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  27. Cristin,
    Well what do you use if you don't use Royal Icing? I thought everyone did.
    Yup you are right that it is ALL a learning process.
    Thanks, maybe I will wait and attack them first thing tomorrow. I'm the last person in the world who should draw anything. My writing and artistic abilities are ZERO. Oh well. They will be tasty.
    Susie

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  28. I'm just not a royal icing expert by any means... Your cookies will be fantastic! Can't wait to see them.

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  29. Can I ask what you use?
    Sorry to bug you but your cookies are SO perfect. :)
    Susie

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  30. @susies1955I'm a glaze gal. If you do a search on google for glaze icing, you can find several and choose one from there. Personally I would recommend you stick with the Royal Icing. It's MUCH easier to work with because glaze does not stay where you tell it to stay or go where you want it to go. Royal does what you tell it to do ;-) I use a glaze icing because it's what I've done for 15 years and my kids won't have it any other way otherwise, believe me, I would make the switch.

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  31. Thanks for letting me know. :)
    Appreciate all of your help. Now if I can keep my husband from eating them all before I get a chance to decorate them I'll be doing good. He has had five already and they aren't that great. I think I over baked them. LOL
    Susie

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  32. @susies1955Susie they MUST be pretty great if your hubby has already had 5 of them!!!! ;-)

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I love hearing from you! Cristin