OK - I had this big idea to make cookie bouquets for my son's preschool teachers for Teacher Appreciation week. I want to make butterfly cookies. I made the dough last night and rolled it out. Started baking them this morning. But when I tried to put the cookie sticks in them, I found that I had rolled them way too thin. So I re-rolled the extra dough but made them thicker. But the sticks kept going thru the back of the cookies or splitting them in half... no matter how careful I was.
So I made another batch of dough and rolled it. Tonight after dinner I tried baking them with the sticks in beforehand. Still, many of them split in half... grrrrrrrrrrr. So at this point I figure I'll just have to go with what I have and they won't all be on sticks because I just can't figure it out. So I bake one more tray and freeze the rest of the dough. As I go to put away the sticks - I pick up another package of them and look closer at them - they are about half the diameter of the sticks I had been using!! I was fuming! 
So now - I have some cookies... but haven't iced them yet as I spent so darn much time baking. I wanted to bring them in on Tuesday, but I have to work all day tomorrow and take my son to Tball tomorrow night. Don't think that is going to happen now... 
Boooooooo 
Don't you absolutely hate that??
I hope you can get them done, but don't beat yourself up too hard over that. Things happen I guess hey?! And just think, they don't know they are coming - so at least you aren't dissapointing anyone except for yourself.
Don't you wish you could add more time in a day? Some days are too short and too much to do. Others go on forever. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope you can finish them and present them to the teachers.
And just think, they don't know they are coming - so at least you aren't dissapointing anyone except for yourself.
Thanks for your thoughts. The teachers don't know... but my son does. He is so excited about it. He kept asking when I will decorate the cookies and make them pretty. So, they may end up being very simple decorations if I run out of time and not the way I envisioned them to look, but I will get something done for him.
doescakestoo... thank you 
I was able to get the afternoon off today, so hopefully I can get them done tonight!
I haven't tried to make the cookie bouquets yet but now I'm scared. I was thinking about making them for mother's day gifts but my anniversary is Wednesday and I have 2 cakes on Friday due. I think I'll wait to experiment another day. Ouch! Maybe you'll laugh later about it and I'm sure the teachers will still appreciate them.
I'm not sure if this link will work, but give it a try. (seems really long)
http://www.marthastewartliving.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=fcdbce908332f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=5391281a117ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=articlecontent&page=3&lastnavigatedchannel=5391281a117ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD
If not, here's everything I clicked on to find them...
It's for marthastewartliving.com - under weddings, then favors and gifts, then cookies. Scroll through, think they're referred to as elegant cookie cubes.
Sorry - guess I should explain why I sent that link!
Figured if you're having such a hard time with the sticks, why not just eliminate them and do up something like these? I thought they were a great idea - and because they would be going to teachers, you could use school related clip art instead of a monogram?
Just a thought...
How did the cookies go? I am glad that you got some extra time to work on them. Did you take any pictures?
Sorry you had such a hard time! Here's a GREAT trick our Wilton teacher taught us!!!! You take dowel rods the same size as the thickness you want (ie. 1/8 of an inch) and lay them along side of your dough (they don't have to touch it). Then roll over the dough with your rolling pin resting on the dowels. That way they are the perfect thickness everytime! It works wonderful! I was so impressed and dumbfounded that I had never thought of anything like that before. Also, she told us to put the cookies on the cookie sheet and then gently lay one hand on top of the cookie (sort of as a guide) and then gently twist the stick up into the cookie, almost to the top. Usually works great! Hope this helps the next time!!!
I too lay my hand ontop of the cookie as a 'guide' and i have yet to have one break on me *runs around looking for wood to knock on, ah theres some* i guesss you just have to try what works for you... good luck on them!!!
One more Idea that worked really well for me. Get some candy melts or other chocolate coating. and melt, put in a pastry bag and pipe about the size of a quarter or a little smaller then lay the stick on the chocolate and twirl the stick around to get it coated then let dry.. you mite have to let the sticks rest on each of the other cookies so they will lay flat on the cookie until the chocolate sets up. not very long. you can also use the white chocolate . I hope this helps.. I was like you and didint have any luck the other way Its very quick. I used it on my "Birthday forrest cake in my gallery" it worked great and the kids like the littl button of chocolate on the back. don't give up..The cookies are great to incorporate into your cakes also I do it quite often...$$$ of the cake goes way up and the results are spectacular!
I'm sorry for all your frustrations! I'm sure they will still be appreciated even without the sticks
I made these once using a recipe from allrecipes.com. (It's for Valentines cookies if you want to search for it there.)
What I did was roll out the dough a bit thinner than usual, then sandwich a popsicle stick in between two cookies before baking them. They do end up quite thick, but still good.
I then dipped them in white candy melts, and my DD sprinkled them with decors, sprinkles, coloured sugar, etc...
They made nice Valentines for her class, and were quite easy...relatively speaking.. 
I know how long it takes to decorate all those cookies!
Good Luck!
Dianna
Thanks for alll of the great information and ideas everyone!! I appreciate it. I did manage to get sticks in some of them without breaking and once I found that the other sticks were thinner I got them in 8 cookies. I will do some on sticks and some just in bags.
I will finish them up tonight. I covered with a layer of white royal icing last night and then after several failed attempts to figure how I wanted to decorate them - I found something that I was happy with. It's fun to experiment and try things like that. But breaking all those cookies just pissed me off... hahaha
I will be sure to take pics and probably upload them tomorrow. Thanks again!
The bouquets are now delivered!! The teachers liked them, although one teacher is out all week. I'll post pics tonight when I get home.
I am looking forward to getting to bed early tonight! The last 3 nights have been very late nights... and I am a nite owl. Just happy they are finally done and that they came out ok in the end.
gabbenmom... thank you - the teachers were very happy with them. Yes, the cross is made from the melted jolly ranchers. Was trial and error to get it done, but I was pleased how it turned out. Thank you for noticing it. By the way, I do plan on getting the dowel rods as you suggested before. I have the rings to go on the rolling pin... but they don't all fit my pin correctly, plus I think if you push down really hard, the dough would still get thinner than what you expected it to.
chaptlps... that is a good idea. I never thought of it while I was working with the first batch of dough. I just ended up re-rolling it thicker. Once I found the thinner sticks though... I didn't have a problem. I also think that the butterfly shape may have been more prone to cracking because the cookie is narrower in the middle. Just a theory though from my limited experience.
Thanks.
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