Cookie Con Orlan-dough!
I have heard that Orlando is the happiest place on earth and this weekend, it surely was! After two years of staying away from each...
- Mar 12, 2021
- 1 min
Why do my Cookies Look Cracked on the Top?
I get a lot of questions about how this texture is produced and I am amused by the way it is described! "It looks like dry, cracked,...
- Mar 5, 2021
- 3 min
Why do my cookies look like this?
I get all kinds of texts from all kinds of people wanting me to troubleshoot cookie failures. I am happy to help.This question is...
- Nov 11, 2020
- 2 min
When Baking is Rehabilitation
Everyone who mixes butter and sugar together will usually admit that baking is therapy. But, could it have an even higher calling? One...
- Jul 18, 2020
- 3 min
A Recipe for Bakers Who Have Something to Prove
Remember Mall Cookies? Back when we could spend an entire day in the mall shopping, we would undoubtedly meander through the common area...
- Jun 13, 2020
- 3 min
Problem Solving via Cookie Dough
It is no secret that Gowans are not handy. Academic, perhaps; fixers of broken things, never. All the tools in this house will fit in a...
- May 27, 2020
- 4 min
Tale of the Keto Cookie
I hear you squawking! Everybody is wanting a Keto cookie! By looking at me you can tell I don' t know much about the latest diet...
- Jul 25, 2019
- 8 min
Lessons from the Cookie Nip Summer Tour
Well the Cookie Nip Summer Tour is complete and I while I could regale you with details of the celebrities we encountered, the amazing...
- Mar 12, 2019
- 5 min
Musings from the Dark Side
If you have sent me a message in the past few weeks that I seemingly ignored, please forgive me. It is not that I ignored anyone, just...
- Jan 24, 2019
- 1 min
Hey would you send me that recipe you posted a couple months back? I lost it.
Hello friends, I love sharing recipes with you. It is my goal to send one every week but let's be honest; sometimes life or work...
- Sep 18, 2018
- 5 min
What Happens at Cookie Con.....
What happens at Cookie Con comes right on back home with you! After thirty years in education, I have enjoyed my share of conferences and...
- Aug 31, 2018
- 2 min
Rough Around the Edges
No matter how carefully we roll and cut and bake, at some point we will get a cookie that is a little rough around the edges. Sometimes...
- Aug 24, 2018
- 2 min
The Struggle is REAL
Those of us who bake cookies probably have a good mixer with a sturdy engine. Many of us have KitchenAid mixers. The KitchenAid comes in...
- Aug 23, 2018
- 2 min
The THINGS You Learn at Cookie School!
So last weekend I was at Cookie School with a guest from Pittsburg. She was very friendly but we all could immediately tell by her accent...
- Jun 30, 2018
- 3 min
The Great Debate on Glitter
I have told you before that Pinterest is not your friend. Styled food photo shoots are so trendy and popular because we love to look at...
- Jun 17, 2018
- 3 min
Happily Ever After
When I started on this journey of concocting a signature flavor, I had a certain blend in mind. I will admit it is just a little bit...
- May 29, 2018
- 2 min
How Can I Stop My Colors from Bleeding?
One of the most maddening challenges we face as cookie bakers is color bleed. I have tried to completely dry colors before introducing...
- May 2, 2018
- 3 min
It's a Sweet Life!
It has been an exciting couple of weeks for The Cookie School. About this time last year I began dreaming of creating a signature flavor...
- Apr 2, 2018
- 3 min
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
I am not a numbers person. That's why when I struck off to create a signature flavor for The Cookie School, I recruited a higher level...
- Mar 27, 2018
- 5 min
Lessons I learned at the Post Office
It is a good thing I am a lifelong learner! The same day I defended my dissertation, my committee told me, "Congratulations! You can now...
- Mar 6, 2018
- 2 min
All Cookie Cutters Are Not Created Equal
The addiction begins with the vision for a beautifully crafted cookie and one stinkin adorable cookie cutter. That works out so well, you...
- Feb 23, 2018
- 1 min
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss
Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox? Everybody involved with an elementary school knows that the high holy holiday...
- Jan 31, 2018
- 1 min
Got Groundhogs?
Meteorologists are not the only ones who love groundhogs. If you know any elementary learners, chances are, they will be celebrating some...
- Jan 30, 2018
- 1 min
The Online Store is LIVE!
The Cookie School's online store is up and running. Especially if you are a distance learner, that is an easy way to purchase supplies...
- Jan 11, 2018
- 2 min
What is the Shelf-Life of these Cookies?
People are always asking me this question and I typically say, "A week!" I need to rethink that answer. Don't be ridiculous. These...
- Jan 4, 2018
- 2 min
Happy New Year!
Have you had enough of cookies to last you until next Christmas? Me neither. I have found that creating art out of butter and sugar only...
- Dec 21, 2017
- 3 min
How do I know if my stone is good for baking cookies?
Stones were invented for pizzas, not for cookies. It must have been some serendipitous discovery that it even works for something with...
- Dec 19, 2017
- 2 min
The GOSPEL of Christmas Cookies
Joyce Payne, one of the holiest ladies I know, came up to me at church and gave me some rules regarding Christmas Cookies. I have to...
- Nov 28, 2017
- 4 min
Cookie School Gone Wild!
Wow! I have a lot that has been going on the past few weeks and I am just now catching up. Every day I get at least a dozen messages...
- Oct 12, 2017
- 1 min
How Are You Spending Your Fall Break?
Everybody I know is either at the Georgia National Fair or at Disney World. I spent my fall break teaching Cookie School. I may not be in...
- Oct 10, 2017
- 2 min
I Need Creative Help!
Lots of great things are shaking at The Cookie School. Every week I meet great new friends who share my passion for baking artwork. I...
- Oct 8, 2017
- 3 min
Science Fair at Cookie School
There ought to be a 12 step program for what is wrong with me! All I set out to do was bake cookies. So, how did I get here, trying to...
- Sep 26, 2017
- 1 min
How long will these cookies last in the freezer?
A long time! Often when we are finished rolling out all the cookies we need, we have a bit of dough left over. If you know of an event...
- Sep 20, 2017
- 1 min
But What If I'm NOT Artistic?
Neither am I. Fortunately, you don't have to be artistic to create these cookies. If you learned to hold a pencil or a paintbrush, you...
- Sep 14, 2017
- 4 min
The teacher is preachin'
Everyone who is a teacher fully understands that it is not a giant leap to preach! Preachin' is just teaching punctuated with passion....
- Sep 14, 2017
- 2 min
Dam frosting
When I was a beginning cookie baker/decorator, there were two consistencies of frosting for every cookie; dam frosting and flood...
- Sep 7, 2017
- 3 min
I love this thing!
With 17 first cousins, guess who ended up with this treasure that I am convinced, made my Grandmother one of the finest bakers in the...
- Sep 6, 2017
- 2 min
The Struggle is REAL
If the struggle that is ADHD is not yours, I offer you a frame of reference for your own gratitude. Tonight I ran in to Kroger to pick up...
- Aug 30, 2017
- 1 min
How can I tell when my frosting consistency is perfect?
For frosting cookies, you need more than a recipe. You not only need to know how much of each ingredient to put in the bowl, you need to...
- Aug 29, 2017
- 3 min
What if I HATE to clean up this mess?
Let's get real. When you pay someone to make your cookies or your cakes, you are not paying them for their delicious ingredients or...
- Aug 23, 2017
- 1 min
Help! I made a mess of my frosting. Can this be fixed?
If you work with frosting long enough, you are going to mis-mix some. A few of the Americolor brand colors are ones that get really...
- Aug 21, 2017
- 2 min
How long can I keep leftover frosting?
If you come into my kitchen on any given day, you will find a bunch of snap top bowls containing bits of colored frosting. If you know...
- Aug 16, 2017
- 4 min
Marginal Moguls
I am raising a couple of enterprising teenagers. The entrepreneurial gene begins developing the minute you won’t buy something they want....
- Aug 16, 2017
- 2 min
Can I keep this leftover dough or do I have to bake it all up now?
Yes. Keep it. Bake it. Do whatever you want with it except throw it out. This is a baker's recipe so naturally, it is going to make more...
- Aug 15, 2017
- 0 min
- Aug 15, 2017
- 2 min
When you have 2,000 cookie cutters, how do you find that one that you need?
I'm not gonna lie. There is a 12 step program for people who hoard cookie cutters. I am unapologetic. I love cutters; tin, plastic,...
- Aug 14, 2017
- 2 min
Can you fix a broken cookie before it is baked?
Yes. Especially if the cookie is still in its dough state. Every baker has struggled with custom designs with little bitty appendages...
- Aug 9, 2017
- 3 min
Defying the laws of baking
My mama used to have a recipe she affectionately called a "dump cake," duly named because you just dump everything in the bowl and mix....
- Aug 8, 2017
- 2 min
What are you baking on and what difference does it make?
My mama was a big believer in the Airbake cookie pans. She probably baked a half million cookies on them. But, I, on the other hand, have...
- Aug 8, 2017
- 2 min
How can I soften butter fast?
Most all cookie recipes begin with softened butter. But let's just suppose that you didn't think about getting out your butter last night...