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Please enjoy this brief announcement while waiting for your regularly scheduled (HA!!! Best joke ever!) cookie tutorials to return.
Custom cookie orders and I are currently "taking a break" from each other. I just don't have the emotional strength or time to nurture our relationship. But I still **really** love being part of everyone's fun events. I have some serious fear of missing out on cookie joy. I've started offering "Kid Kits" instead of full-blown-all-out-stay-up-until-3am-decorated-cookies. And I'm kind of obsessed with them. My kids are obsessed with them. So I thought I would share the idea in case you ever find yourself with more desire than time.
Kid Kits (I call them Cookie Boxes for adults. Because adults love these too!) are basically a Do-It-Yourself cookie decorating package. Outlined cookies and pre-made icing...it's every decorator's dream.
** I bake the cookies and then outline the designs with black royal icing and a #3 tip. (Don't go smaller or the icing will overflow the sides easier.)
** If you have problems with outline icing falling off your cookie, use a slightly thinner consistency of icing and make sure you are using a #3 tip. I use a 15 second or medium-consistency icing for the outlines.
** I offer two colors of icing in 8 ounce bottles for each dozen cookies. I make the icing slightly thinner than flood consistencies to make it easier for little hands to squeeze out of the bottles. If the bottle has a coupler, I use a #3 plastic or generic metal tip...not my precious PMEs.
** I suggest they use the kits on the day of pick up, or include chopsticks to stir the bottles if they are planning to decorate on a later day.
** I also recommend toothpicks for pushing the icing around. I'm considering adding these to the kits if I can find some cute containers to put them in. Because if its not cute...why bother? Right guys? ....umm...guys?
** Since these usually require significantly less time, I generally charge about half the price of my decorated cookies.
** In addition to the price of the kit, I require a $10 deposit for the bottles. If they return the bottles and tips, they get their deposit back. If they don't... I've succeeded in decreasing my ridiculous bottle stash and I'm $10 richer. But honestly.... at $1.50 a bottle HERE...you could just factor that into the price of the kit and not worry about getting them back.
Want to make some? You can get bottles HERE if you aren't already swimming in bottles you don't use anymore since the wide-mouth Sweet Sugarbelle bottles came out. I like to package the cookies in a bakery box and put everything in a kraft bag with handles. I've been on the look out for a gable box that is tall enough to hold the icing bottles. If anyone sees tall gable boxes - let me know!
