Cross-Stitch or Needle Work Cookie

Giant Cross-Stitch / Needle Work Rose Pattern Cookie

Hi, thanks for stopping by.                                                        

Cross Stitch Rose Pattern Cookie

What you are looking at here is an 8 inch heart cookie decorated with Cross stitch/ Needlework Rose pattern. This was my first cookie made at this magnitude.  I spent hours and hours searching for an easy cross-stitch pattern that would look nice on cookie and I don't have to count too many dots or stitches. 

I settled on this easy one,that's on the cookie. However, it was too simple so I had to add more color by adding the sun to the cookie. The cookie just looked to plain, too naked. 

So first I baked an 8 inch cookie (recipe is here) at 1/4 inch thickness. I forgot to roll out the dough thicker then 1/4 inch...so I took my chances and baked it anyway.  I made sure I let the cookie cool off on the cookie sheet, to prevent it from breaking. 

Next, I used white flood consistency royal icing to flood the cookie. I left the cookie dry overnight. 

After that I used piping consistency royal icing in white to make the Cross-Stitch Grid.  That's a lengthy process. When you make the grid, make sure your elbow of your arm where the piping bag is resting on the table and the other hand is guiding the arm with the bag in hand. 

I had to concentrate and I had to make sure no one came into the kitchen to distract me.  The grid requires crucial concentration. If you are at the second level of the grid and you mess one up, it is super hard to fix it. So, kick everyone out of the kitchen, get comfortable, and proceed. On the end you will feel a great accomplishment. 

Next, I used red piping consistency royal icing to create the rose. It took me some time to figure out where to put the rose, since it was an oddly shaped patter that was going on a heart. Pre-planning your design is highly recommended. What I mean, draw it out on a piece of paper, don't wing it. I did the winging and it took me a lot of time to get this cookie going, make the rose fit and fill in the gaps. 

After the rose was done, I continued with the green piping consistency royal icing to create the stem and the leaves. This part was fairly easy and quick.  

This is where I saw how naked, plain my cookie looked. So, I doodled, I drew a bunch of stuff around to see what would go. I didn't want to make it look too busy, since the dots already make the cookie look busy.  I settled for the sun. So I winged that too. But hey, it turned out OK. Right?

Now the big decision came. Should I fill in the white spots or leave them alone. I jumped on the opportunity to see what it would look like if I totally fill the dots in. Warning, if you have little patients, leave your cookie as is. Otherwise, proceed with the white piping consistency royal icing to fill every single white square in. 

It is very important to pipe every other dot first....to prevent the dots from running together and look like a mess. The key to beautiful  dots on your cross stitch pattern is to have the right consistency royal icing - not too soft, not too stiff. This will take some practice. If you have lots of practice, you will definitely be able to create beautiful cookies.

Even though, I worked on this cookie for 3 days, the actual work was a total of 3 hours.

I hope you will try making your own cookie.  If not for yourself, maybe for someone who needs a smile on their face. If you do make one, please post it either on this blog or on my Facebook page. 

I appreciate you reading my blog and wish you an awesome day!

Mother's Day Heart Lace - Cross Stitch Cookies

Hi there.                                               

Thanks for stopping by. What you'll find here is a short video tutorial for the Heart Lace-Cross Stitch inspired cookies that were made for a Mother's Day cerebration. 

Hungarians like red, hearts, and things that are made by hand. Or at least I do. So, what is a better gift than these Red Heart Cookies?

These cookies are not necessarily for Mother's Day only.  You can give one to your neighbor, to your friend, to a stranger, or to anyone who could use a smile.

A smile is contagious and I love to get it spread the joy with a sweet surprise.

So let's get started.

You will need:

- 3 1/2 inch heart sugar cookies (or your choice of size)
- Red flood consistency Royal Icing
- White piping or medium consistency Royal Icing
- Disposable decorating bags or tipless bags
- Size 1 Wilton decorating tip (optional)
- Scribe tool or toothpick
- Table top fan or regular fan [helps give a shine to the icing (optional)]

Step 1: 

Outline and flood the cookie with red flood consistency royal icing. Use the scribe tool or the toothpick to even out the icing and to remove the bubbles.

Step 2:

(Before laying the lacework, the surface will need to harden/dry enough to prevent the lacework from sinking in and blending with the flooded area.)  In open air, allow the icing to dry ~2-4 hours, or, with the fan blowing directly on them, you can get the process down to about half an hour.

Step 3:

Use white medium consistency royal icing to create a grid on the cookie. First lay 6 lines diagonally across the heart. Then, place lines across them to create a grid.

Step 4:

Use the same white medium consistency royal icing to fill individual squares in the pattern within the grid. Create your own cross-stitch pattern or refer to the diagram below as a guide.

Step 5:

Decorate the edges of the Cross-Stitch grid using the pattern of your choice, (refer to pictures for examples), and finish the edges of the cookies with dots or another style of border.

Step 6:

Let the cookies dry thoroughly overnight.

Step7:

Now, wrap your creations in cello bags, sealing them with a twist-tie or... for a fancy finish, decorate the bag with a ribbon tied in a bow!

Have fun making these cookies...

And remember: give someone an awesome day. (By the way, I borrowed this saying from Casey Eberhart.)



Check out other Heart Cookie Ideas (some were inspiration from the "Gingerbread artist", "Julia Usher", Pinterest)