Bridal1: Those cookies you buy in roll - Pillsbury, I think, are great.  You can even decorate them and they look like you spent hours.  They have tree shapes in green on the inside, etc.

   You can make your own stencils.  Such as an assortment of leaf shapes, pumpkins, shocks of wheat, cotton bales or otherwise fall designs.  This is the time of the final harvests for most of the country so you might even want to do apple shapes or turkeys.  They don’t have to have lots of detail just silhouette designs will make good patterns.  For Christmas you might want to use Christmas trees, wreaths, and candy canes.  Simple designs for one piece stencils.  Now how to make them.
   Stencils that you want to use repeatedly you can use mylar, heavy duty page protectors, the sheets that come in the back of the bacon packages are great.  Otherwise something that is sturdy enough to use repeadly but is a little flexible.  Draw your pattern on a piece of paper or copy the design from a magazine or clip art.   If you are making a stencil for a 3" cookies the you need a piece of stencil material at least 4" square.   Draw a 3" circle on your stencil material  and then put the clear stencil material over the pattern and trace your pattern to place it on the cookie where you want it.  .  Cut out the pattern with an exacto knife and remove the center pattern.  Don’t throw that away.  Now you actually have two patterns.

Kak decor1: what about the plastic graph paper they use for quilt patterns. I have used it for airbrush stencils. You can "needlepoint" too!
Roca Karen: Pwd, plastic canvas (needlepoint) makes a great patchwork design gingham?
Kak decor1: my favorite are shapes cut from paper doilies
CCChefPwd: Yes those are so lace looking Kak

Here is some brand new products for this type of work Hot off the Press' - There are 33 new designs, 31 of these designs are $ 9.00 per sheet and the  sizes are 9" x 6". 2 designs, traditional lace pieces, are  $12.50 per sheet and the size is the same 9 x 6.    Some of the new designs are: baby bottle, bear, baby bib, baby rattle, bow,   small Xmas tree w/star, large Xmas tree, gingerbread man, large snowflake, small snowflake, snowman, holly leaf, small ivy leaf, large ivy leaf, large maple leaf, small maple leaf, oak leaf, small rose leaf, large rose leaf, small and large musical notes, 3 sizes of heart lace pieces, 4 different lace pieces, wedding bell, cherub, dove, shell and two swans joined to form a heart.  Product codes run from GLMS01 - GLMS33, in the way I listed them above.

   I just received a small package this week from creative cutters and in that surprise package was a delightful maple leaf stencil.  Geraldine has scaled down your stencil (lace point) patterns to a smaller mat so therefore they should be less expensive and she has around 34 new designs.  The maple leaf stencil has about 1 1/2" leaves and my thought at first was this one will work great for stencils on cookies for fall.  Her web page location is at
www.cakeartistry.com and the page that has the information on the mats is ww.cakeartistry.com/cc/newproducts.html
  Here you will find the first 16patterns along with detailed instructions on how to use the mats.  Here is info on the new mats directly from creative cutters.
  There are 33 new designs, 31 of these designs are $ 9.00 per sheet and the sizes are 9" x 6". 2 designs, traditional lace pieces, are $12.50 per sheet and the size is the same 9 x 6.
 
Some of the new designs are: baby bottle, bear, baby bib, baby rattle, bow,  small Xmas tree w/star, large Xmas tree, gingerbread man, large snowflake,  small snowflake, snowman, holly leaf, small ivy leaf, large ivy leaf, large maple leaf, small maple leaf, oak leaf, small rose leaf, large rose leaf, small and large musical notes, 3 sizes of heart lace pieces, 4 different lace pieces, wedding bell, cherub, dove, shell and two swans joined to form a heart.  Product codes run from glms01 - glms33, in the way i listed them above

1.  The center design you can place on the top of a dark colored cookie.  Put a quarter or a few flat headed screws upside down. (these are just to hold your pattern in place)  and sprinkle the cookie with powdered sugar.  Now remove the pattern and etc. And you will have the pattern in the center left plain.
   Now take your other pattern and lay it on top of dark colored cookies and sprinkle the center.  You have reverse looks using your one stencil.   That is the simplest way to use a stencil.  Of course you could also use this technique on top of your cakes for simple borders or to just fancy up a little loaf cake for a party.  Simple and quick yet it really dresses up a plain cake.
2.  Make up a recipe of royal icing and color appropriate for your design.  Place your stencil on top of home baked or store bought cookies and with an angled spatula ice over the design.  Using as little icing as possible and smoothing off the excess to use on the next cookie.  Let those iced cookies dry and then you can stack them,  freeze them or place them on a party tray for pretty fun snacks.  Of course you can detail them and really make them time consuming and pretty.  But they are just going to be eaten so don’t put more time into them if you are short on time.
3.
Another way to do some fast and fancy designs on cookies is to use the lace presses.  Roll out the fondant (colored or white) pretty thin and place in the molds.  You can use small sections of the larger molds or even the leaf molds or the complete smaller design molds.  Attach to the top of your cookies with royal icing and then make a glaze with thinned royal icing.  Color that thin royal icing and brush over the lace or leaf or whatever fondant design on the top of your cookie.  The colored royal will go down into the cavities or lower parts of the design and make the design stand out.  Easy and so impressive.  Add tiny royal roses, little leaves and berries for even more impressive designs.  I could really get carried away with these wonderful possibilities in these cookies.  Remember these can be used on store bought cookies as well as home made shaped cookies.

Last year we gave you the directions for making the turkey cookies out of store bought cookies.  I know many of you are new decorators and this is such a fun cookie to make for your family and friends.  So here is a repeat of these directions.

TURKEY COOKIE STEPS (picture)
SUPPLIES NEEDED
1 pkg pinwheel cookies (hytop makes a similar cookie for half the price that works great)
1 pkg. lg firm oatmeal cookies
1 pkg. lg. scalloped coconut cookies (these look like a sugar cookie
with sugar sprinkles on top)
1 recipe of royal icing: using 1 warm egg white,
1/2 t. lemon juice and pwd sugar until desired consistency is reached.
royal icing must be mixed with completely grease free utensils (bowl and fork) brown - approximately 2/3 of the icing colored with paste food color
tip #5 red - approximately 1/6 of the icing colored with paste food color
tip #2 yellow - approximately 1/6 of the icing colored with paste food color
tip #2  place tip in grease free bag and then appropriate color icing. Parchment paper bags are recommended for Royal Icing.
HINT - With Small Tips Use Small Bags, Tips 2, 2 And 5, Parchment Or Small Wilton Bags(Grease Free), Candy Corn, M&M'S or other small candies to decorate the tails - let your imagination have fun here

1. Cut a small amount off of the side of the pinwheel and scalloped coconut cookies to give a straight edge for the cookies to stand on.

2. Using brown royal icing stick the pinwheel cookie (cut side down) on its side on the center back of the oatmeal cookie. With the brown royal icing stick the coconut cookie (cut side down) to the back of the pinwheel (flat side) cookie to form the tail. You should now have the body and tail shape of the turkey stuck to the back of the oatmeal cookie.

3. Decorate the tail with royal colored icing or decorate with candies attaching them with royal icing.

4. With a #5 tip and thick brown royal icing pipe the neck and head of the turkey. Starting in the center of the pinwheel cookie and building and moving up to form the neck and head.

5. With a #2 tip and yellow royal icing pipe the beak by attaching the icing and pulling it to a point. Then pipe two or three small lines at the base of the turkey on either side to form the feet.

6. With a # 2 tip and red royal icing pipe the wattle. Pipe a line around the beak area and down the front of the neck and body 7. The back of the tail can be fully decorated to match the front or write a name on the back and use for place cards and your desert.

Bridal1: Do you have a pix on your website of this ChefPwd?
CCChefPwd: I think there is a picture and we will get a link for you in the archived info.
JTWdirect: These would be darling  inserted in a Thanksgiving theme cake...gobble, gobble!
CCChefPwd: They really are easy since you are using ready made cookies and just some royal icing.
This is one the kids would love to help you make
CarolA5238: I mablized different color fall color candy melts and that made great fall colored leaves,

THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT IDEA THAT WAS SHARED ON THAT EARLIER CHAT
Have the kids trace their hands on rolled out sugar cookie dough. The thumb is the head of the turkey and the fingers are the feathers.  Fun for them with some simple decorating and of course their names so everyone will know they made them.

THE OCTOBER FAMILY CIRCLE MAGAZINE HAD SOME REALLY CUTE FALL AND HALLOWEEN
Cookies on the front for a visual reference .  I wish i had seen these several weeks ago.  I hope you can still find a copy.   On page 162  they gave the recipes and where to order the cutters.  Then on the next page was an add for cool whip with some really cute spider cookies you might check out for a next year’s Halloween design.  It is really a good idea for you to keep a notebook with page protectors in it and slip these visual references in for future orders.  These spiders are adorable.  A simple round cookie with red hots for eyes, sprinkles over the body and licorice legs.  So cute.

Roca Karen: I saw the Gingerbread kits in Walgreens today, which is best?
CCChefPwd: Which is the best kit? I haven't seen them yet
Cakestmper: Wiltons ready baked is pretty easy to do. I personally like to make my own gingerbread, and use the Wilton gingerbread house cutters
Roca Karen: I want to get the kit so my 9 yr old can do her own! There're so many diff. kinds.....houses, santas, trees, all with pre-made cookies
CCChefPwd: Gingerbread is pretty easy - is it that much easier to make it worth paying for the ready-baked gingerbread
Cakestmper: Roca, start with the pre-made, maybe one of the ornaments. Child will love it.
MamawTenn: premade takes all the aroma away...
CCChefPwd: Sure would save you some time.  But you would loose that wonderful baking aroma

Themecakes: How long can cookies stay in the freezer?
CCChefPwd: I would think months without any ill effects.
Bridal1: Long time on freezing
CCChefPwd: If you make a triple receipe one receipe might make it into the freezer.   LOL
P Rena 29: Thanks.  I wanted to start exchanging recipes online with it instead of retyping them.
Themecakes: Have a cookie swap in 4 weeks - they better not get eaten!
Cakestmper: I have cookie swap too, they usually go from oven to the swap!
JTWdirect: Maybe we could start a "cookie swap" favorite recipe
CCChefPwd: Hey would you like to do a cookie swap in the Chat time in December
Kak decor1: that would be great
CarolA5238: Paint the edges of cookie cutter and stamp your pattern on the cookies is a good idea.
CCChefPwd: If we do it the first week then you should have time to bake before Christmas
CCChefPwd: You will have to share some recipes with us to.
Kak decor1: you can also do paint brush cookies and save time
JWGPKG: Boy, have we got a great "stamper" person in the room for these kinds of hints!
Cakestmper: Cookie stamps work pretty good
JTWdirect: Victoria Livingston, from Ohio, has great royal icing cookie ideas.
Kak decor1: you can make "paint" with egg yolks and water, color and brush on before baking
Themecakes: Kak - can you freeze if you use egg yolk?
Kak decor1: the egg yolk is baked on the cookie will leave a glossy look
CCChefPwd: Really makes them pretty Kak
CarolA5238: How about dipping cookies in variegated icing colors or candy melts.
Bridal1: Chef, my daughter made the spiders for Halloween pre-school party - we made out of half egg pans (small ones) iced black and the M&M eyes - and licorice legs.   Cute! We took the thick licorice and cut it as she couldn't find the strings either
Kak decor1: anyone know where I can get black licorice strings?

Themecakes: Did anyone see the adorable big stocking cookie in Family Circle?
Bridal1: Yes, theme
Themecakes: Looks simple enough - I think the neighbors would get a kick out of it..
JTWdirect: How big was the stocking  Themecakes?
Themecakes: I think about as big as a cookie sheet.

Icing Wiz: I have a hard time deciding when cookies are ready to take out of oven. It seems I want to over bake them
Bridal1: Before they are hardly brown Icing
Kak decor1: get the air bake cookie sheets
Thinkchoc: I take them out slightly before they are done, we like them soft and chewy
CCChefPwd: But they don't get to brown on the bottom
GOOO8: Can you use parchment paper to bake more than once?
Kak decor1: i love my air bake sheets
Bridal1: Don't like them brown on bottom anyway
Icing Wiz: I have those, Kak. I guess I am afraid of under-baking and not sure since the recipes are
Bridal1: They are softer this way usually  little off. Cakes are so much easier. Bake a batch Icing and you will see - then you won't be afraid
CCChefPwd: I haven't used the parchment paper - can someone help GOOO8
JWGPKG: GOOO, I have done that before.  No problem.
Kak decor1: most cookies are baked in 10 mins or less
GOOO8: thanks.  one of my airbakes got scratched
CCChefPwd: Sometimes the air bake sheets take a little more than 10 min.
JTWdirect: You can always bake a "test" cookie and time it.
Icing Wiz: I bake cookies all the time, but they are too crucnhy usually
Bridal1: Maybe you just need a new recipe Icing

CarolA5238: Pwd did you see my candy idea, they'd be great on a small round cookie instead of a candy kiss
CCChefPwd: Yes Carol -  Good idea
CCChefPwd: Several chips of color on a hot cookie would melt into a fun pattern

P Rena 29: Anyone here use Micro Kitchen Companion?  A recipe software?
JWGPKG: Yes, Rena, I have it, but has been some time since I've used it.

JTWdirect: ChefPwd:  only my second week...what's your web site?
CCChefPwd: http://hometown.aol.com/pwdsugar/index.html
CCChefPwd: You can go to Sugarcraft.com and click on the AOL Chats and find the chat and print it or copy it to your word processor in a couple of days

PHa6346247: where could I find a tube cake pan larger than 12 inches?
CCChefPwd: How tall do you want the tube pan.
Bridal1: Use a dishpan with a core in the center PH
JTWdirect: Never seen one larger than 12".....have you tried restaurant supply?
NOVAKJOE: where can i find a loaf pan  4 x 4 13  approx
Bridal1: Dishpan works fine - my Mother used to do that - a new aluminum dishpan with core in center
CCChefPwd: I know some of the gals use one pan inside another weighted down with beans and make large rings with that method
JTWdirect: Wilton makes two small loaf pans, look in the yearbook.
CCChefPwd: You could always do two layers .

Thinkchoc: did anyone here enter the cookie contest at Walmart?
HBadges: I did the contest. How many were at your store if you entered?
JTWdirect: Thinkchoc: I'll be teaching cake dec. at my Wal-Mart and they only had 3 entries (they were employees) I didn't think it was right for me to enter???
Thinkchoc: JTW where are you from?
CHedgesp: there were 3 entries and I had 2 of them
HBadges: We had 14 entries but I wasn't too impressed.
JTWdirect: Thinkchoc: I'm from Oxford, Ohio (same as ChefDol)

CCChefPwd: If you would like to do a cookie exchange chat I will have Dee put it in next months schedule
You will need to be prepared to put your recipes on the chat or send them to Dee or myself to put them on for you.
GOOO8: I am new to the cookie world of decorating so will just have to "listen" and learn from you
CarolA5238: I have a great chocolate cookie I wanted to give I 'll have to wait next week okay.
CCChefPwd: OK