There’s always that one teacher or boss that you will always hold dear.  That one boss for me is Ms. Tiffany. She was, and is, a very kind, understanding and fun manager. Now, she is a long distant friend of 18 years and we have exchanged birthday card ever since our days working in satellite television. I know Tiff loves cookies as I used to make cookies for our creative team for special occasions and holidays. 

So this Fall, I thought Tiff would like some holiday cookies that I planned on making with the Franklin kids this year. With my new “cookie mailing method,” I was positive that her cookies would arrive unbroken and just in time to celebrate one of her favorite holidays, Halloween.

Sugar cookies have always been my favorite cookie but I never considered decorating them. I used to color the dough and cut them into a desired round shape, orange for pumpkin’s and red for a simple Christmas ornament cookie. Slice, bake, easy and good tasting! I tried my hand at icing cookies a while back but they didn’t come out very good. They were okay for eating but not for holiday gifts. 

But four years ago I dabbled in decorating cookies for a Spring charity auction. The icing method was very organic and simplistic but  I was pleasantly surprised how they came out. Four dozen cookies brought in $240. Not bad considering. So, I dove “all in” and gave it my best shot to decorate cookies with royal icing. I wasn’t that bad for my first “go around.” But I kept the decorating simple. I definitely needed a LOT more practice. However, my decorating skills since, have improved a bit and will improvement will remain steady as too many cookies around is hazardous to my heath! So I have to practice, “Moderation” when it come to sweets. No more cookies for breakfast. Sigh…

But! …The holiday season in starting and Halloween is just four days away. That means it’s Sugar Cookie time in my house! I usually make these cookies in three days. Day one is dough making, day two is cutting and baking and day three is making icing and decorating cookies. It’s easier this way so the process isn’t so overwhelming. 

Here’s how this year’s Halloween cookies turned out…

For shipping, I placed the cookies on cardboard that I wrapped in decorative paper for a more appealing look. Then I placed wax paper over the decorative paper to prevent butter stains on the decorative paper. Once I’m happy with the placement of the cookies, I placed shrinkwrap (basket film wrap) film over the cookies and secured the open ends of the shrinkwrap to the back of the cardboard with scotch tape (my hot sealing machine has been ordered!). After the wrap is secured, I ran a very hot hair dryer over film to shrink the wrap tightly over the cookies so they won’t move. . . 

And finally, with a few layers of bubble wrap between each layer of cookies, assuring enough bubble wrap so that they won’t move in the box, the cookies are ready to ship! The shrink wrap film is the key to successful cookie shipping. You can find this shrink wrap at most craft stores. Works every time. I’ve yet to have a cookie break during shipping! But if a couple do break… well, it’s the thought that counts, right?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!