Cookie-ing for a Cause

If you follow me on Facebook, then you’ve probably seen these cookies before. And ever since I posted them, I’ve gotten tons of questions about how I made them, whether they’re handpainted or not, how I made the pendant, etc. which I’m super excited to talk about because I was already planning on writing a post about them. But before I dive into the making of the cookies, I want to talk a little bit about the wonderful cause they’re going to. These cookies (along with another, unpictured set) were design just for the GO BO! Foundation’s 3rd annual bake sale. If you haven’t heard of the GO BO! Foundation before, it was inspired by the last wish of Bo Johnson, who was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia at age 12. Despite the heavy toll the disease took on him, Bo used his time to help and inspire others, and it was his final wish that we continue to pay it forward, to help those in need. The GO BO! Foundation was created to carry on that dream by supporting cutting edge research and treatment, both locally and nationally, and helping families with children battling life-threatening medical conditions in financial need.

This year, for the third year in a row, the GO BO! Foundation, with the help of the wonderful Jill of the Funky Cookie Studio, is putting on it’s annual bake sale to raise money. The bake sale will be held in Sister Bay, WI from Saturday, October 18th to Sunday, October 19th. If you can’t make it to the actual event, there are lots of other ways you can support this wonderful cause! Check out the GO BO! Foundation website for more information, and while you’re at it, check out the GO BO! bake sale Facebook page to see all of the awesome cookies making their way to the event. The work of over 400 cookie artists from 17 countries and all 50 states will be at this bake sale!

Now, onto the cookie tutorial!

I want to talk about these cookies in two parts because I used both a rubber stamp and a fondant mold to make these, and I want to talk about each technique separately.

For the stamped cookies:
Cookies iced with white royal icing
Black food coloring
A stamp with script writing
A food safe brush

To create the background for these cookies, I used a rubber stamp with script text (that’s a cursive-like text) on it. If you don’t have a rubber stamp, you could also do it by hand with an edible food marker, but having a rubber stamp to work with makes things quick and easy. I picked up this particular stamp at JoAnn’s. When stamping cookies, it’s important to get a nice, even coverage on the design of your stamp with your food coloring. Because of this, I like to use a food safe brush to brush my food coloring onto the stamp, allowing me to control exactly how much food coloring is applied and where.

So, using your brush, give your stamp a nice, light coat of food coloring and gently press it onto your cookie. Rock it back and forth very gently to make sure you get even coverage. For these cookies, I didn’t worry too much about getting text all over the cookie because that was part of the effect.

Let your food coloring dry before continuing to decorate. If your food coloring stays sticky, brush it with a light coat of powder sugar or corn starch to dry it out.

For the fondant pendant:
White fondant
Black food coloring OR black fondant
Corn starch
A small, sharp knife
A fondant mold

To make the pendants for these cookies, I used two fondant molds (you didn’t think I did that by hand, did you? That’s crazy talk!): a 40mm cameo mold and a cabochon frame setting mold.

Start by tinting some of your fondant black if you didn’t already purchase the black fondant. For me, these particular molds did not need to be dusted with corn starch to keep the fondant from sticking to them, but it’s always a good idea to test that to make sure (my fingers, on the other hand, definitely needed a corn starch dusting!). For the pendant, gently press some of your white fondant into the indent of the silhouette. I cannot stress enough that you only need a little for this! Try to stretch the fondant as far as you can in that indent, because any excess with spread out the sides and into the body of the pendant area.

Once you’re satisfied with your silhouette, gently brush it with a little water and press your black fondant into the area that creates the bulk of the pendant. Using a small knife dusted with corn starch, cut away any excess fondant using small sawing motions (you want to minimize pulling on the fondant so it doesn’t pop out of the mold).

Pop the pendant out (gently) and set it aside. To make the the setting, press your black fondant into the mold, cut away the excess, and pop it out. Use a little bit of water to “glue” the pendant and setting together.

And there you have it, the basics of this cookie! I attached my pendants to the cookies with a little black royal icing, and then used that to create the chains on the necklaces. The crow design was hand drawn, and the chandelier was made using a stencil.

Happy baking!