Drop In & Decorate

Design inspiration for basic round cookies

Everyone who has a cookie cutter has a round one. Our favorite round is a Wilton Comfort Grip 4-inch cookie cutter. If you don't have a round cookie cutter, you have something on hand that can make round cookies: you can cut out dough with the rim of a drinking glass, or trace around a small bowl or plate.

Round cookies are incredibly versatile, and if you only can buy one cookie cutter, consider the round. Monsters, flowers, rainbows, even Harry Potter -- anything can be round!

Click on any of these photos to find more information (and, in some cases, a tutorial that shows you how to recreate the design) and links to the sources.

Beautiful cookies inspire and delight

Here in Rhode Island, it's too hot to be decorating cookies in our kitchen, but it's not too hot to surf the Web for inspiration.

Drop In & Decorate® events go on year-round, all across the country. Many people start planning now for their November-December holiday cookie decorating parties, and there's no better time to think about new decorating ideas to try at your next event.

There are so many talented cookie decorators sharing their creations online these days. For instance, in the top photo, I love these beautiful blue-and-white porcelain tea cups, from A qué huele mi cocina.

Elegant seashells from one of my favorite cookie bloggers, Bridget of Bake at 350.

Over-the-top royal wedding cookies from One Tough Cookie.

And how about this iPad cookie, with extra apps, from The Decorated Cookie?

More inspirations to come. If you've found decorated cookies that inspire you, please leave a link in the comments and I'll include them next time.

California church comes together to decorate cookies for local home for boys

The Tehachapi Community Congregational Church kicked off the “First Friday” in June with a Drop in & Decorate® party -- organized in just two days! Julie, a pastry chef who recently relocated to Tehachapi from Charleston, SC, assisted the church by baking 120 large sugar cookies and donating them along with the icing to decorate the cookies for the event. She shared this report and photos:

“We had a wonderful turnout. The ages of the people decorating ranged from 2 to over 80! Even our very own Miss Tehachapi showed up and helped decorate! I think the adults had as much or more fun than the children.”

The decorated cookies were donated to the Tehachapi Mountain Boys Home, serving boys ages 12-17 who need a little extra care and guidance while maneuvering through the foster system.

Please go to Julie's own blog post to read more, see photos, and get a great tip for how to color your icing! And, if you're in the neighborhood, the church will be hosting another Drop in & Decorate event over the Tehachapi Mountain Festival weekend. Open to all.

Julie, you're a star! To organize an event in less than a week, make and donate 120 cookies, and get so many people involved is a super achievement! Good luck with your next Drop In & Decorate event, and thanks to everyone at your church for taking part.