I thought it would never ever ever arrive. I waited outside by the mailbox for days. It is gorgeous and funny and instructive. The book is called the coolest cookies on the planet and it's by our own Mari Pfeiffer, with photos by her husband Wolf. Here are just a few of my favorite parts:
Did you notice? I always use electric colors:
electric blue, hot pink, lemon yellow, bright orange, electric green and fire engine red. It's a personal preference, obviously, and you may not want your decorated cookies to look as zany as mine. That's okay. We can still be friends.
When I started baking on a regular basis, the most common mistakes I made were: not carefully reading the recipe ahead of time, not having all of my ingredients or not having all of them in the required amounts, and not understanding the equipment necessary. Because I have this insane belief that I'm so clever, I substituted ingredients here and there. And then I cried when I didn't get the results I wanted.
My friends – and especially my right-brained friends – baking is a science! You really need to follow the directions carefully and do as you're told. I know. Hearing that just makes ya wanna holla. But trust me. As much as I hate to listen to orders and follow rules and regulations, I learned that:
When it comes to baking, do what you're told.
But when it comes to decorating, do whatever you want.
And here are just a few nice little tips to ensure that your cookies will come out just right:
• Always use butter that's at room temperature.
• Always fluff up your flour before measuring.
• Always mix your ingredients until just combined.
• Always measure your ingredients carefully.
• Always add ingredients in the order the recipe tells you to.
• Always bake when you're in a good mood. This ensures that love goes into what you're making.
