The Cookie process

Picture this: a delicious, handcrafted sugar cookie meticulously designed and decorated to your specifications. It starts with a design for your event - be it a wedding, a themed birthday party, or simply a desire to cheer up a friend with some super special cookies personalized just for them. Colors can be matched to your bridesmaid dresses, your invitations or to a special plate you love. Unique designs can be tailored to your particular preferences or those of a lucky recipient of your generosity!

 I take great pride in designing my cookies to be edible works of art. I truly believe that love is in the details and I am passionate about delivering cookie art customized for you.

Nothing makes my heart sing as when someone exclaims, “these are far too beautiful to eat, but I’m going to anyway!” My business name, “Heart Baked In” was carefully chosen and really sums it all up for me. 

Making specialty sugar cookies is a very labor-intensive craft. It starts with designing the cookie set and color scheme; next comes the mixing, rolling, cutting, chilling, baking and decorating. Decorating itself involves numerous steps: mixing the royal icing, tinting & coordinating all the colors, tweaking icing consistencies for various design components, filling piping bags, gathering tips, edible paints, sprays, adornments to be added at specific points in the process, making fondant accents and royal icing transfers, airbrushing stenciled designs, and the list goes on…  

What many people don’t realize is that a decorated cookie must be done in time-sensitive stages. Depending on the design, each layer of detail requires drying time before the next step is executed. This means that a single cookie can take several days to actually finish!

And so, cookie prices reflect the intricacies of design and the amount of time & effort they take to create. Thank you so much for appreciating the value of these custom handmade items! 

a note on freshness

When people hear that it may take several days to finish a cookie, some ask the question, “doesn’t the cookie lose its freshness?” No! The royal icing used essentially “seals” in the freshness for much longer than an ordinary cookie. In addition, the heavy resealable bags I use further extend that cookie life. Cookies will remain fresh for 2 weeks or more and can be frozen for longer storage. Do NOT place or store in the refrigerator! To freeze, place bagged cookies in a sealed container and place in freezer. When ready to use, remove the container from the freezer, keeping the lid on, and let it come completely to room temp (a few hours) before opening. Defrosting decorated cookies in this manner minimizes condensation…and moisture is what may cause colors to bleed or mar the beautiful finish.

Packaging

All my decorated sugar cookies are individually packaged in heavy, resealable crystal-clear bags and then boxed. This presentation makes them ideal for favors, gifts and dessert tables. I feel it protects and keeps them at their freshest longer and I therefore include that in the cost.