tips on making a cookie pennant banner

Okay...so you're going to make a cookie banner. I mean...you are, right? Okay, look, I get it. Not everyone wants to eat their party decorations. That's cool. I totally understand. But, let's just suspend reality for a minute and pretend that everyone in the world wants to make a cookie banner. And that you care what I think. And that you are willing to let me offer you some advice.

1. The cookie recipe matters. Probably. You need a pretty sturdy cookie for this. My chocolate cookie recipe makes a soft cookie. So you should omit the shortening, roll the cookies a little thinner and bake them a little longer. Or use gingerbread. Or some fabulous vanilla cookie recipe you have that makes cookies with just a bit of a crunch.

2. Don't make heavy cookies. That's just asking for trouble.

3. Be careful where you place the holes. I used a drinking straw to poke holes in the cookie before baking them. On my test run, the ribbon broke through on two of the cookies because the hole was placed too near the edge. Try to place the holes at least 1/4" from the edge.

4. Use a ribbon or twine instead of string or fishing line. The thinner the line, the more pressure there will be on that small area of the cookie between the hole and the edge. It's like they always say -- a woman in high heels weighs more than an elephant. Actually... I'm pretty sure that's not it. But its something like that. And the point is that you should use ribbon. Or an elephant will eat your cookies. Oh, and don't pull the ribbon too tight on the back of the cookies. Or the world will end. Maybe.

5. Another great option would be to bag the cookies and run ribbon through the top of the bags. Then you don't have to worry about soft, thick, heavy, chewy cookie goodness falling off of your banner. Unless, that's one of your party games. You know, if you happen to be standing under the giant cookie of delight when it falls and you have your mouth open -- then the prize is all yours!

Really, I don't want to scare anyone off. I only had those two cookies from the test run break, even with a softer cookie recipe and extreme humidity. Everything else went according to plan. And there might be something wrong inside of me...but I seriously cannot wait to make a Halloween cookie banner!