Elmo and the Cookie Monster

Last week, Rin from Delishdelight presented me a challenge. Elmo and the Cookie Monster cookies for her son's 1st birthday. I didn't have the specific cutter for the shapes and neither have I decorated cookies based on existing designs. But I couldn't resist testing unchartered waters (for me that is) and... voila! Not too bad for a first timer, eh?

Getting the colours right was a bit tricky (I still don't think I got the shade quite right). Rin suggested putting some cookie crumbs at the side of the Monster's mouth. Pretty good idea, eh? These 7cm cookies are RM3.50 each. They cost a little more than the usual as I had to put my jigsaw puzzle skills together to get the shape right. Rather tricky as the dough was rather sticky. I'm glad I tried it.

Hearts

These heart cookies embellished with silver balls are perfect as an engagement gift. They kinda look like brooches.

Caterpillars n Butterflies

Butterflies. Beautiful, graceful winged creatures. If not for caterpillars, we won't have butterflies. If only caterpillars didn't look so squirmy (or they look like those cookie caterpillars), I would sing equal praises for them.

My eldest son has this thing for squishing bugs and creepy crawlies. Dang! Some of those bugs smell real bad. I think just because I have a great aversion towards worms and slimy stuff, doesn't mean my sons have to feel the same way. I just tell them to take the garden snail far, far away from me (yeah... like they listen). They somehow have this great perversion to see their mummy run the opposite direction screaming.

Handbags

I like handbags. I'm not crazy over them. I won't sleep in a queue waiting for the doors to open in a Ferragamo handbag up to 80% sale. But I like them just the same. They come in all shapes and sizes. The Dior Hobo. The clutch. The much coveted Kelly bag. The satchel. The LV monogrammed. The Gucci Condotti bag. The tote. The Coach Wristlet. In leather. In metallic. Woven leather. Transparent. Sigh... I can go on forever. But I digress.

The handbag above was cut out from an oval cutter. I attempted to purchase some 'girlie' cutters comprising of handbag, lipstick, dress and shoe cutters but it was out of stock. If you're planning a girls' night in, cute handbag cookies are quite nice to share amongst your girlfriends. Don't care much for the plain chocolate or sugar cookies? Then have them in gingerbread. Or if you don't mind trying green tea and almond, or lemongrass and ginger. I also have a great recipe for dark chocolate and sour cherry cookies. Totally decadent, I say. Perfect for a girls' night in. Sigh...

Oodles of Ribbons

I dunno about you guys out there, but I am ribbon mad. I was at Parkson some time ago and was wandering around the gift area and lo behold! A whole box of ribbons appeared before my eyes. I believe I was rummaging through the box, oohing and aahing (much to the amusement of the salesgirl there) for a good half hour.

Most ribbons are chosen based on the cookie inside the bag. Cookies for a baby boy's aqiqah is usually blue (or yellow). For girls, generally pink. But you can be unconventional and choose purple, green, or plain twine. I like using wool as they look rather rustic and they come in sooo... many colours that I get cross-eyed (and the salesperson gets just plain cross) from choosing.

Ice-cream galore

I had fun making these 'ice-cream' cookies. I think they look pretty real to me.

Awareness Ribbon

I got this Awareness Ribbon cookie cutter from Off The Beaten Path (online). It's around 10cm and I think is most suitable for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month (in October). The cookies can be sold at a premium and the profits be channelled to BCWA (Breast Cancer Welfare Association), The National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Pride Foundation or such.

If you're interested in such a project, let me know. We can work something out. It's for a good cause after all, isn't it?

Mini Teddy

Ha ha. Isn't a teddy a type of lingerie? Well, not this time. I had an order for a mixed bag of gingerbread. As I was given a budget to work within, I decided to stretch it and make lots of minis and mostly just outlined them- teddy bear, star, gingerbread boy, gingerbread girl, hearts, a few 7cm gingerbread boys, and flowers. The picture here show only the teddy bears as right after snapping that pict, my camera battery went flat. I couldn't wait for it to recharge as I had to deliver them pronto, so... That'll teach me to neglect my camera. Sigh...

More Aqiqah Cookies

Linda from Shah Alam ordered gingerbread prams for her son's aqiqah in early November. The theme was blue and yellow. I managed to meet the adorable little guy and his delightful older sister when I delivered the cookies. The cookies were to be placed in a lovely box together with a bar of chocolate, candy and such. Linda also had a beautiful wooden cradle from Cradle n All for the ceremony. Wish I had brought my camera along.

New Oven

Turning 37 recently, I received a wonderful birthday loan (to be paid back later, of course) from my lovely mother. A brand new oven! Gone are the days when I would receive a handmade dress, a strand of pearls or an embroidered picture from her (altho' diamonds are still welcomed *grin*).
It came just in time for an order for gingerbread prams. The oven is fan-assisted hence shortens the baking process. It is four-tiered and can bake around 60 5cm prams at a go. Yay!

Halloween-themed Cookies

Gosh! Is it already mid-Nov? I am sooo... behind my postings and I do apologise for my tardiness.

I had an order for Halloween-themed cookies for a sweet girl who turned 8 on 31 Oct (hence the theme). The gingerbread cookies were part of the party pack to be given to her classmates on the same day. I wanted to 'flood' the bat and cat with black icing but... it looked too goulish (suitable as it may be) and didn't seem appetizing at all so I just outlined them. The cutters were courtesy of her mom as I didn't have the appropriate ones. Thanks, Juju! I had fun decorating the cookies.

Giant Cookie

My sons' preschool had a Raya celebration last week. I made a giant heart-shaped cookie with chocolate and strawberry chips.
I saved a bit of dough to make some mini cookies for myself. Heh heh. They were pretty nice I'll say.

Lime cookies

As promised, these are the lime cookies which I made for our home Raya celebration. They're soft (easy on the teeth and gums), very subtlely flavoured with lime juice and are bite-sized. Delicately sprinkled with icing sugar, it makes a pretty nice housewarming gift if you like.

Selamat Hari Raya!

I know, I know. Hari Raya was on the 1st of October. But hey! It's never to late to wish all of you a Selamat Hari Raya!

I made a few types of cookies for our home celebration. Not the usual jam tarts, melting moments or such. I'll give that to those who already have years and years of experience baking and making ultra-delicious celebration cookies. I made 3 different types: bittersweet chocolate with sour cherries, lime cookies, and good ol' traditional choc chip cookies.

Pictures? Right. Next post then. Seems like I haven't downloaded them. Sigh...

A Belated Ramadhan Wish

On behalf of Smallhouse Cookies, we would like to wish all those who observe the month of Ramadhan a wonderful and spiritual experience in this holy month. We won't be making any Hari Raya Aidilfitri cookies to sell. However, should you wish to make a special order, i.e. 100-200 cookies, we'll try and fit you in. Just ask.

Cookiewich

I had some leftover flower sugar and chocolate cookies and also icing so I decided to make a cookiewich. I must say that it was quite scrummy. This photo is of my eldest son just before polishing it off. He was actually gloating as he had managed to wrestle the cookiewich away from me. Yes. We do fight over cookies.

Baby Cookies

We had a mini order for baby-themed cookies for a brand new boy's kenduri syukur in mid-August. The gingerbread cookies were in a mix of baby blue and cheery yellow as requested by the proud mom. The cookies were packed in a clear cellophane bag tied with a blue satin ribbon.

Edible Flowers

I've just finished reading "Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen. If any of you have read "Chocolat", then you would love this book.

From the dust cover:
"Business was doing well, because all the locals knew that dishes made from the flowers that grew around the apple tree in the Waverley garden could affect the eater in curious ways. The biscuits with lilac jelly the Ladies Aid ordered for their meetings once a month gave them the ability to keep secrets. The fried dandelion buds over marigold-petal rice, stuffed pumpkin blossoms, and rose-hip soup ensured your company would notice only the beauty of your home and never the flaws..."

Terrific, huh? My fingers are itching to try sugar some rose petals, so I need to hunt around for organic roses. Maybe a trip to Cameron Highlands would be appropriate. I think sugared flower petals would make plain round cookies with white or lavendar royal icing look realllly gorgeous.

Cat-shaped cookies a.k.a. scary cats

My sister got me a cat-shaped cookie cutter from Oz. I made these cats in chocolate. She found them quite cute. Personally, they look pretty scary. Oh well... back to the drawing board for me then.

Ouch!

No picts this time as my broadband connection is displaying characteristics of a sloth.

My cookie baker is away on a much deserved holiday, so I'm at the helm of the kitchen. Not to worry, she has taught all that I need to know. However, despite ballet classes at the age of 10 ( a short-lived obsession), I am no more graceful than a tree stump in a forest. I must say I have had impressive oven burns on my arms, one actually took the shape of a heart. However, today while taking some aqiqah cookies out of the oven, I managed to burn my four fingers. Not once, but twice. Oven mittens? Of course I was using them. Freaky, huh? I think it's time I invest in boxing gloves. I'll still be clumsy but at least my digits will be safe. Have a good weekend everyone!

p/s Mom. If you're reading this, don't worry. I still have my fingerprints. I think.

Engagement Cookies

My sis-in-law's younger sister got engaged last weekend. I had a field day creating the cookies as she gave me free reign over the designs. The theme was pink so I concentrated on that but added a few other colours for variety. The red ribbon was temporary, to make way for other decorations to match the rest of the hantarans. I placed the cookies on an adorable two-tiered display (from Living Quarters).

I decided to add some flowers for variety (and coz I loooove flowers too).

The lower tier with a variety of hearts. Putting the silver balls on the cookies were quite tricky. Quite similar to picking up a quail's egg in a steamboat with chopsticks. Perserverence always pays. Ha ha.

My favourite in the lot, hearts with ribbons.

Anniversary Cookies

My mom's friend recently celebrated her 44th wedding anniversary and ordered 50 sugar and gingerbread cookies to share with her guests at her anniversary dinner. She let me choose the colour for the cookies and here they are in lavender.

The cookies here are on a cake display which I absolutely adore (got it from Living Quarters by the way). I'll be using the display for an engagement hantaran for my sister-in-law's sister.

Big Pram and Onesies

Hi there! As mentioned earlier, I've just received a larger pram and a onesie which is pretty nice as an aqiqah or baby shower favour. Mind you they're rather large, i.e. 10cm (about the size of your palm). I haven't had the opportunity to properly decorate it but here's a picture of both in sugar just to give you an idea how it looks like. There are endless possibilities on how to decorate them. Apart from the usual blue for boys and pink for girls, the pram would look rather nice in lavender or a mix of blue and yellow. Just to be different, eh?
I'd like to dedicate this post to Dylan Jedi Cumming who said hello to the world on 15 August 2008. May the force be with you, baby.

Wedding cake

I've just received a new batch of cookie cutters and was so excited to try them out. One of the cutters is of a wedding cake which I plan to use on an engagement 'hantaran' this August. Don't be fooled by the size. It's pretty large (4"/10cm). Maybe a bit too large to be given away to guests as door-gifts but then again, hey... why be conventional? I'm still searching for some which are smaller in size tho. I used leftover icing on the cookies in the picts. That's why they look pretty bare (I told you I was excited, didn't I). However, for the actual cookies, I would flood them white and 'draw' white swirlies and dots. Pink is lovely too, with traces of lavender and cream perhaps.

Summer butterflies

In July we celebrated the birthdays of a few summer-born girls whose chose butterflies to share with their friends.

Also included were flowers, hearts and cupcakes for a girly tea party. Happy birthday Sophia, Alia and Salia!!

Cookies to Taman Negara

A close friend of mine ordered letter cookies in gingerbread and sugar for a Taman Negara guide. As the cookies were for a grown-up, I just outlined the cookies and did not flood them (i.e. cover the whole cookie with icing), lest the cookies be too sweet. Since the cookies would have to brave a journey by bus and boat, I couldn't go overboard in the designs as the cookies were placed in a plastic container with extra padding.

We reduce the sugar in all our cookies as the royal icing will make up for the sweetness. However, if you're interested in just ordering the cookies without icing or just outlines on the cookies, it's no problem. Personally, 1 flooded cookie for me is just nice.

Aqiqah cookies

In Mid-July, I had an order for cookies for the aqiqah of a very lovely boy. His mom ordered 50 baby bottles and 50 prams.


The cookies were later placed in a beautiful box (courtesy of Cradle and All) and distributed to guests).

The pram and bottle here is 7cm (3"). I've also just received a new batch of cookie cutters from USA which includes a 9cm (4") pram. With a larger cookie, more details can be included as opposed to a smaller one. I'll post a few picts of the new pram soon.

Ikea cookie tins

A couple of weekends ago, I managed to squeeze myself through the Ikea crowd and purchase a few sets of the lovely cookie tins. I think they're perfect for keeping cookies.


This is 16cm (6") in diameter. It can roughly fill around 15 pieces of 7cm cookies.


This is 17x17x9cm (7x7x4") and can fill about 25 pieces of 7cm cookies.


Measuring 27x18x10cm (11x7x4"), this is the largest tin in the set. It can fill around 56 pieces of 7cm cookies.

Ikea also has lovely glass jars which are pretty airtight for storing cookies. Incidentally, those jars are on sale right now so now is a great time to grab a few.

Icing on the cookie

There are many methods to decorate a cookie. One way is by using fondant which is a broadly used term referring to confections made from sugar syrup. It's super easy to use, just like Play Doh, and makes cookies look really beautiful and vibrant. However, I find the substance bland and its sugary taste and chewy texture a bit off-putting.



I use royal icing to decorate the cookies. Royal icing is basically made using egg whites, icing sugar, water and flavourings (lemon juice, vanilla essence or almond essence). In the early days of decorating cookies, I used raw egg whites. However, I ended up with jars of egg yolk with no homes, so I've switched to egg white powder or meringue powder. Incidentally, this also reduces the risk of salmonella poisoning from the raw egg whites. Egg white powder and meringue powder are pretty pricey but well the worth.

Cookie boxes

I experimented in making my own cookie boxes as it was pretty hard to find boxes which fit the cookies exactly. Too large and the cookie will be 'floating' in the box. Too small, well...

It wasn't that difficult to make the boxes, tho getting the material right was important. However, I cannot imagine making 100 boxes in a short time frame, so, I'll keep on looking. Therefore, at the moment, our cookies only come in clear cellophane bags tied with a satin ribbon. The cookies can also be packed in an Ikea cookie tin which would be lovely as a gift. Also, I think that cookies placed on a white plate wrapped in cellophane and a beautiful ribbon would be lovely as a housewarming gift. I'll post some picts soon.

More baby cookies

Here are a few more samples of baby cookies.

Other shapes suitable for baby showers, aqiqahs and christenings would be a bunny, baby footprint and baby handprint. I'll be getting more baby themed cutters albeit not too soon as it's quite difficult to find such shapes in Klang Valley. Many of the ones I have are from specialist stores and from Australia. I'm hoping to order many more cutters from US shaped like a handbag, shoe, snowman, bulldozer, airplane and many more. Of course, you'll be able to see them when they're here.

My sister was in Melbourne recently and got me a big bag of wonderful cookie cutters. Amongst them were cutters for a t-rex, a triceratops and a stegasaurus. Also there was a kangaroo cutter (not surprising since it's from Aussie), butterfly and many other whimsical shapes. I made a few chocolate t-rex but my two sons gobbled them up (a la dinosaur) before I could snap any picts. I know better what to do the next time.

Girly beach party

My girlfriend had a girly beach party for her gal pal last weekend. We delightedly packed a bag of four cookies in the shapes of a heart, a sunbeam, a handbag and a foot in flip flops. We wish her gal pal a wonderful birthday!

Baby cookies

Last Saturday, I went to a family friend's twins' aqiqah (ceremony to celebrate the birth of a child). So, I packed a mixed bag of baby themed cookies and gave them to the proud parents. Cookies which are suitable for baby showers and such would be teddy bears, prams, umbrellas, gingerbread babies, bibs, baby bottles and whatever your imagination can conjure.

I have an order in July for another aqiqah. The baby's mother has requested for a single cookie in a gift box with window to be given to guests. I'm very sure her guests will be delighted with her choice.

More baby cookie picts coming soon!

Teacher's Day cookies

My girlfriends' kids wanted to give something to their teachers for Teacher's Day, so we made a mixed bag of cookies with teacher-appreciation-themed cookies for them.

Introducing Smallhouse Cookies!

Hi! This is Smallhouse Cookies' first introduction to the Klang Valley crowd.

We specialise in decorated cookies in various shapes and sizes. My mother makes the cookies and I hand-decorate them. I tried baking the cookies myself but they were only worthy as door stoppers and paper weights, so I'll leave it to my mom, who's affair with the oven spans over 4 decades.

Our homebaked sugar, chocolate or gingerbread cookies are the base of our decorations. However, if you have any specific preference (eg. lime cookies), we'll try and work something out. Cookies are generally presented in a cellophane bag tied with a satin ribbon. We also have gift boxes, porcelain plates and Ikea cookie tins if you prefer.

Our decorated cookies are perfect for baby shower/aqiqah favours, wedding favours, children's birthday party treats, special occasions like Teacher's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day. We also have cookie shapes which go great as Halloween treats and Christmas too!

We'll be back with more cookie picts, and also prices of the cookies and how to go about ordering them. In the meantime, watch this space!