Hi

Cookie bouquets are pretty much an unknown thing here in the UK.

But I've been dying to try one for my son's teachers for the last couple of years... and I've actually got some spare time today and tomorrow.

I've bought 3 mini flower pots that I've painted a pretty colour.

I'm going to get some oasis from the florist, to secure the cookie sticks.

My questions are:

a) I only have 6 cookie sticks - couldn't get any more (like I said, it's not something the cake supply shop carries because they're not well known. They had some in, in error, a while ago, so I bought them!!) So will it look ridiculous with just 2 cookies in each?

b) HOW DO YOU SECURE THE STICKS? Do you roll the cookie dough thickly and insert the stick into the middle? Or do you secure it on the back? Or do you bake the cookies first and then secure them on the back somehow, when cool???

Many thanks.

Suzanne x

Hi.

If your pots are mini, two cookies will probably be enough. Be sure when you get your floral foam, it is the dry kind. The oasis you wet to put fresh flowers in is too soft to support the sticks IMHO. You can also use some filler (I use nylon net, see my spring things bouquet), just be sure your cookies are the highlight. Can you get wood skewers? Some folks use those for cookie bouquets, in place of sticks.

I attach my sticks with royal icing. There are a couple of pros and cons to doing it this way. The pros are you don't have to bake the stick or worry with handling the cookies right out of the oven to put a stick in. You don't have to work around the stick when you are decorating the cookie and you can choose the best looking cookies for your bouquet. I have never had a cookie fall off the stick doing it this way.

The cons are it doesn't look quite as nice on the back and you have to wait for the icing to dry before handling the cookies to make the bouquet.

I feel like the pros outweigh the cons on this and so that is why I use this technique. It is all a matter of personal preference.

I use a tip 21, lay a line of royal down on the cookie, starting above half way on the cookie, this gives the cookie good support. Lay the stick in the royal, flip the cookie over and place it face up on a flat firm surface. Then LEAVE IT ALONE (this is the hardest part) to dry. When dry arrange in your bouquet. I usually let mine dry about 8 hours.

Hope this helps

Thank you, Linedancer.

I promise to post a picture when they're done!



Suzanne x

I like to bake the sticks into the cookie. I lay the stick on the baking sheet and then cover with the cookie cut-out. (I roll my dough to 1/4" thickness). Gently press around the stick. Bake. Other decorators insert the stick as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. I agree with linedancer that 2 cookies won't look silly. You can fill in with other things (like lollipops) if it looks too bare. Can't wait to see your results!

I bake the stick in the cookie. I just slide it into the dough with my hand on top of hte cookie to feel where the stick is going. If it happens to get off center and the stick is exposed on the backside, I just take a small bit of cookie dough and apply it over the exposed stick ... like a bandaid!! Once the sticks are in the dough shapes, I gently press down on the cookie to make the sure dough is secured around the stick.

Using these two tricks (band-aid dough and pushing the dough on the stick) I've never had a cookie slide off or break off of a stick.

I also decorate the backside. This is a nice and perfectly flat surface that to me just makes the cookie look better. One drawback, though, is if I am baking words or numbers, then I have to bake the letters upside down ... so when I decorate the back side of the cookie, the finished cookies are facing the right direction!

I forgot to add...couldn't you use dowels for the sticks? I think some decorators on CC do.

what about popsicle sticks?

how about bbq skewers?

i use them for rose sticks and they are so cheap...like 1 penny each.

I lay my sticks on the top of the cookie and gently push the stick part way in.
I then cover the stick with a patch of dough. Depending on the size of the sticks and the size of the cookies, you could put 2-3 cookies on a stick

I use bamboo skewers and put them in right after they come out of the oven...so you can see that it is definitely your preference. When I arrange the bouquet, I use a 5 in. by 5 in. or so piece of colored tissue paper on the skewer (under the cookie) and this serves as filler and looks nice. Hope this helps!