If you happen to come upon this web site
http://backstage.andersoncooper.com/post/8994352613/anderson-cooper-cookies you’ll see my cookies were published onto Anderson Cooper’s Backstage Blog.
Personalized cookie designs are more detailed and without a $200 Kopykake, can be challenging. Funny thing is, I don’t watch cable news and I’m not really a fan of Anderson Cooper (he sounds too whiny and well, boring) but I saw a commercial for his TV show and with leftover pale white icing and vanilla cookie dough, I made them on a whim.
When I first started baking cookies as a hobby a few years ago, I wanted to do something different and made cookies of CNBC’s Mad Money host, Jim Cramer.
The hardest part was making the stencil. You could cut a round, square, or use any shaped cookie cutter and paint the details on but I like to use the shape of their head. So using a photo, a pencil, and tracing paper, I traced the outline and facial details onto the paper. Then copied it onto thicker stock and cut out 3 or 4 stencils (I always make spare stencils just in case).
I used a good sugar cookie recipes which can be found here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/No-Fail-Sugar-Cookies-108172
Roll out chilled cookie dough and cut out shapes using stencils.
Ragged edges can be smoothed out with a carving knife or crafting tool.
90% of the time this recipe works well and the cookies hold their shape but if they spread, go back over the baked cookies when they’re still very hot (be careful you don’t burn your fingers) with the stencil and trim up the edges.
When the cookies have cooled enough to touch, but still soft. Place the stencil back on top and with a toothpick or pin punch holes along the facial details to mark the design on your cookie.
Let cookies cool completely before decorating. I tried one cookie entirely outlined but didn’t like it.
The salt and pepper effect on the hair was done with an edible writer in black. The eyes, nose, and mouth were outlined with black royal icing.
