Sugar Cookie Favors

[akw94]

Hi everyone,
I''ve been thinking about different favors and not even sure if I will have them but if so, want them edible. I was thinking of either the chocolate bars w/the personalized label or making iced sugar cookies.. maybe heart shapes or simple circles and writing in the date in icing or something like that. Has anyone actually done this? I heard that you can make the cookies well in advance and wondered how true that is. How far in advance? They can be iced in advance too? I wouldn''t want to add this to the list of things to do days before but wouldn''t want cookies that just taste horrible either.

Any thoughts?

 

[aprilcait]

Maybe if you store the cookies in the freezer they wouldn''t taste stale (that''s what I would be concerned bout anway...them tasting stale)? You can also order personalized cookies from a vendor. There are a lot of vendors online.

 

[aquarius_ser]

Would you be making these cookies yourself? If so, I think it seems like a lot of work for you so close to your wedding! You could order them from a bakery and pick them up the day before??? Sounds like a nice idea though....

 

[Jas12]

Hi Dixie

I have had lots of experience with cookie making and yes, you can do these well ahead of time. Sugar cookie dough is very hardy and the uncooked dough will freeze well (so you can make all the dough one day) the baked cookies will last a couple weeks in a air tight container (you can do all the baking another day) and if you ice with Royal decorator''s icing (meringue powder version) these should last for couple of weeks.
You can find recipes on google.
Royal Decorator''s icing dries hard, but goes on kinda runny. I find using a small craft glue bottle with a thin nozzle is the best way to handle this type of icing--the piping bags get messy and sloppy. You can find them at craft stores or even dollar stores in the kid''s section.
You may have to play around with the consistency adding more liquid gradually to get the consistency that is easiest to apply--it will eventually all dry hard.
You can tint the icing with some gel-based food coloring (a little goes a long way). Make all the icing first (it is pure white) then tint separate bowls...
Here''s a good technique for applying the icing:
1) outline the cookie with the base-color first, then squiggle some icing all over within the border--use the tip of the nozzle or something like a chopstick to push the icing around and evenly cover the entire surface of the cookie--let dry
2) Using another color, ice your initials or a pattern onto the base color--let dry--the colors will not run this way
3)If you want to swirl colors, or create a mixed effect, apply the other colors shortly after the base color--they will sort of blend in and dry with one another, instead of the more two-dimensional effect mentioned above

Also, I have made my own labeled chocolate bars--a big hit at a major charity event! I bought foiled covered bars (like Hershey’s) and removed the paper label (so only the foil wrap is remaining) and using a print program on a Mac computer made my own labels, that were much trendier and better looking than anything I could buy, not to mention really personalized. I cut them out and affixed them with a little clear glue. People asked me where I had them made!

Hope that helps let me know if you need any other help.

 

[candctroll]

We are doing the personalized chocolate wrappers for out BM''s bags and out OOT guest bags. I think they are soooo cute.

 

[njc]

We did sugar cookies in the shape of L''s for our last name... they were a HUGE hit. The original plan was to make them ourselves, but my mom decided to find someone to do it instead. They were wonderful and had a thick, soft icing on them, but i have no clue what kind. I dont know how long they took her to make 250 of them, but they sat at my parents for a week in the basement (cool and dry) and then I even froze 2 left overs for DH and I to enjoy with our cake top... still tasty! We put them in clear bags and sealed them with a twist tie and little tag with names and table #s. Couples got 2 cookies, but both were tied with one tag.

I dont have a pic with me, but will try and remember to post one this weekend... it was a block type letter L and the icing was piped on with a flat tip so that it was a cursive L. I tried to draw it!

HTH!

 

[akw94]

Aprilcait, I was thinking of doing them myself primarily to save $ but I think I will at least check out cost from other vendors.

Aquarius, I think you are right! If I have to do it too close to the wedding, I''m not up for it. I plan to do my own flowers too so I don''t want any other project too close to the big day!

Jas, thanks so much for all the tips! I will definitely have to do a test run on this but it sounds doable to me. So I could make the dough about a month in advance and then cook cookies and ice them about a week or two before? Can I also go ahead and wrap them in the little bags or whatever wrapping I use and then put them in the airtight container? I''m not sure what sort of container I''ll find to hold all those cookies but I''ll think of something.
And once they''re cooked, does the airtight container stay out of the frig or in the frig?
Actually, the Hershey bars sound easier to make but the cookies still sound fun!

Candctroll, that''s a neat idea for the OOT guest bags too. I hadn''t thought of that. I haven''t decided if I will do those but I always thought they were a cute idea.

Njc, thanks for the pic! That''s great that your mom took over the project. It''s great that they will last for a week or two after being made. That will take away a lot of the stress. Maybe I will alternate between letters and our date so I don''t get bored while icing my many, many cookies!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

[Miranda]

I love edible favors! I did frosted bell shaped sugar cookies for a wedding shower I hosted for my SIL. If I were doing this for my wedding I''d have a bakery take care of it.

 

[akw94]

Miranda,
Did you make the cookies yourself for the shower? Any tips?

 

[Miranda]

Yes, I made the cookies myself using a simple sugar cookie recipe and powdered sugar icing. I only made 30ish though. I''d use a different icing because this one took a long time to set up and was still dentable. I wrapped them in cellophane and tied with a tulle ribbon.

 

[akw94]

Thanks Miranda, I think I will go w/the cellophane wrapping too. I''ll definitely do a test run plenty of time in advance to make sure this is manageable.