my story

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My love for baking was sparked at a very young age by my mother and grandmother, who were both incredibly talented cooks with adventuresome instincts. I passionately tackled complex recipes for cakes, cupcakes, candies, cookies, bars and pastries. Though I made many desserts over the years, sugar cookies was not one of them . . .  until my grandson’s  fiancé  sent me a picture from Pinterest of a bride dress sugar cookie, decorated with the names of the bride and groom, asking, “Nanny, do you think you could make these for my shower?” I responded with my usual answer anytime my grandchildren ask for something: “Sure!” And then I began my quest for intel: 

• What is the best sugar cookie recipe? 
• What is the best way to decorate a sugar cookie? Fondant or icing?
• How do you get writing and other embellishments to be uniform on all cookies? 

The result was The Leanne – the cookie that started it all!I loved the project cradle to grave: 

• Select a cookie cutter that best fits the person/occasion; 
• Bake the cookie; 
• Make the fondant, attach the fondant to the cookie and stamp it; 
• Add the royal icing; 
• Airbrush the cookie; 
• Bag the cookie and tie with color coordinated ribbon. 

The love became an obsession. I looked for opportunities to add a special touch to a personal celebration. After three wedding dresses, an engagement ring, a fish (signifying their meeting on a dating site), a cross (for a baptism), a megaphone (for a cheer team), softballs (with players’ names and numbers) and assorted Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas cookies, I decided to blend passion with enterprise and start A Beautiful Cookie.