Thanks Coach!

Basketball season is coming to a close.  At our house, Reader R., who LOVES basketball, played on a team for the first time this year.  She played with a great league called Upward.  We have LOVED Upward!  It was a wonderful, non-competitive, all positive experience for my young basketball player!

The Upward Magnet - The Inspiration

At the beginning of the season, she was given this magnet.  I thought that it would make a really cool cookie.  It took quiet a bit of cookie engineering and used several different techniques to pull it off but I am REALLY pleased with the results.  (This was by FAR the most complicated cookie I have tried to date.)  First, I used the magnet as a template to hand cut the dough.  

The Upward Logo: Cookie-d

Thanks Coach!

Then, I made and colored the royal icing.  I didn't realize how tricky it could be to get just the right color when you are copying a real object.  (It doesn't really matter what color green you make your Christmas trees, but you don't want to butcher a logo.)  

Next, I created a royal icing transfer of the star and the lettering. (I figured that way, if I messed it up it would be easier to do it over.)  I stuck the magnet to the back of a cookie sheet and covered it with baking parchment, so I could "trace" the shape, since it was not symmetrical.

The "Boo-Boo Stick" 
Purchase 3 today at Karen's Cookies
(www.karenscookies.net) for only $0.69  each!

The next step was to outline and flood the outer stripes.  I used a wet-on-wet technique to do this.  I had some trouble getting the light blue stripe to vary consistently from thin to thick and not to spread where I didn't want it to.  I also have a hard time working out exactly how much flood to use to fill the space, so sometimes I have some overflow issues.  Then I use another FANCY technique called "Cookie SCRAPING."  For this technique, I use an amazing tool - THE BOO BOO STICK!  I have several of these and could not cookie without them.  Basically, I use the flat edge to scrap the icing off the cookie in the places where it didn't go where I wanted it to and start over.  (It is also helpful in lifting your cookie from the decorating tray when you have over-flooded and overflowed and you didn't realize it until the cookie is dry and STUCK to the tray.)  I also use it to poke out my frosting air bubbles and the pointy end is handy for cleaning out decorating tips.

After that I outlined the basketball and then flooded the navy field and the light blue ball and then after that was dry, I went back and top dressed the ball.  Finally, after it had dried some, I used a thin coat of royal icing to "glue" the transfer on.  I put it in a box with a half-dozen basketball cookies, and I think it makes a nice "Thank You" gift for my daughter's coach.
 

One of the moms from another team in the league, ordered celebration cookies for her son and daughter's teams.  I made a few extra cookie for their coaches, too!  Thanks Angie!

New"In-Motion" Basketballs...
look more like the real thing
(compare to the basketballs in the 1st photo).

Do you know of a basketball team that is celebrating a fun season or a coach that should be thanked for his or her time, encouragement, and hard work?  Or do you need cookies to help celebrate March Madness?  Call or e-mail Sarah today to place your order!

Thanks!
Sarah