Graduation Cookies for Hunter

Some cookiers are bored with graduation caps and diplomas, but that is exactly what grads want for their celebration.  Lately, I have had requests for cookies that represent the college they will be attending in the fall as well as a nod to the high school they are leaving.  Some colors are easier to blend the two worlds, and I was lucky this time with blue and gold and then red and white.

I followed Sweet Sugar Belle's tutorial on confetti cookies http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/blog/2012/06/confetti-graduation-cookies/ to add a festive touch.  I also modified my grad cap based on some I had seen by very talented Alyson of Corner House Cookies  http://www.flickr.com/photos/21446197@N00/7156096787/in/contacts/

When you are in charge of the decorating bag, it is easy to take liberty and modify a few things.  I do not like red cookies.  A touch of red is fine, but I avoid a base of red whenever possible.  (Why invite blotches and bad taste to spoil the party?)  I worried about too much white, so I threw in some athletic gray shirts with the Indiana logo in red. 

Best wishes, Hunter, as you head off to Indiana University!

It's a Cherry Blossom Celebration!

http://www.cookiecrazie.com/2012/04/cherry-blossom-cookie-extravaganza.html

During the month of April, Pam of CookieCrazie posted a tutorial on Cherry Blossom cookies.  I really thought they were pretty and wanted to give her tutorial a try.  I got the perfect chance when I looked at the calendar and realized that after 3 long years of classes, our daughter-in-law was finishing her Administrative Type 75 program and another Masters.  Now, you might be asking, how do cherry blossoms become graduation cookies?  Wave the magic wand . . .

Throw in a diploma and Anna's monogram.

If you are putting them on a platter, listen to that Cookie Artisan inner voice and be sure to have a message cookie and do some planning. 

Ordinarily, that would be the end of it, but I also wanted these to be a gift from her girls.  We don't live close, so it was hard to make them part of the baking and decorating process, so I did the next best thing.

Kendra

Kylie

I brought some blank cookies and the food markers to the girls and let them loose.  Now, perhaps it would have been more eye appealing to limit their colors to my palette, but they are five and three.  More Colors = More Fun = More Love for Mom!  They were so pleased with the results.

Little Kylie almost blabbed our secret to her mom, but we were able to distract her.  We kept the cookies and made a special delivery the next morning to Anna's school.  The girls were so proud to take their special treat to mom.

A special hug goes out to all our children for being dedicated teachers.  We know how hard it is balance your professional and family commitments. 

Off to Mizzou!

Some of the orders for graduation parties were made to feature the college that the graduate would be attending rather than the high school colors . . . Out with the old, and on with the new!

As many cutters as I have, I always discover that I am missing "just the right one."  Erin's mom originally inquired about Tiger cookies for the University of Missouri.  When I researched purchasing various cutters, they were all larger than my usual 3 inch cookie.  I was afraid of just doing the tiger face and having it look more like the Frosted Flakes Tony.  Fortunately, we decided on an alternate approach . . . tiger paw prints and tiger print "M's" for Mizzou.  Actually, I think their guests will be more entertained by the creativity in the platter than if they were actual tigers.

Congrats to Warren Township H.S. grad, Erin, and best wishes as she prepares for her freshman year at Mizzou . . . wear that gold and black proudly!

Grenasauras Preschool Graduation

It's officially graduation season in the months of May and June. I've had orders for one college, one h.s. and two preschool graduations. The Grenasaurus Preschool at Elk Grove High School was my largest order to date. I made 14 dinosaur cookie pops (The only thing better than a cookie is a cookie on a stick.) and 8 dozen jungle animals and graduation caps to match the theme of this year's celebration. I hope the tots and the teens as well as the parents enjoy their treats. Check back soon for a posting of the Class of 2010 with their cookies!

Healthy Graduation Treats

A friend's stepdaughter recently graduated with a B.S. in Food and Nutrition. We wanted to add something to the graduation hats on her cookie platter and decided to include "healthy" cookies. The carrots, peppers, cherries, strawberries and apples add bright and cheerful colors as well as a guaranteed chuckle from guests at Jacy's party. Best Wishes to Jacy as she begins her internships, which will get her one step closer to being a registered dietitian.

Gator Preschool Graduation

Our oldest granddaughter, Kendra, attends preschool at Crystal Lake South, home of the Gators. Her graduation is May 12, so 40 treat bags will be filled with gators and graduation caps in the school colors of green and gold. Hopefully, the little ones will see a smile on the face of these alligators and not be frightened ;-)