Celebrating Life and Friends with Cookies

May 2, 2014 | 19 Comments »

Have I ever told y’all that I’m always late?  Seriously.  I will probably be late to my own funeral.  Anywho, as indicated by the photo below, you should have been reading this on April 19th, but here it is, the beginning of May, and I am finally getting around to it.

Luckily, the people who deal with me on a daily basis embrace this quality {or at least pretend to} and patiently wait for me to catch up.  The next challenge is keeping this short.  I can only promise I’ll try.

Celebrate LifeA few years ago, I was surfing the web and I came across the most adorable set of bird cookies.  This was how I “met” Anita, the face behind Sweet Hope Cookies.

I soon learned that Anita was much more than a talented cookie artist.  She established Sweet Hope Cookies to raise funds and awareness for ALS in honor of her brother Randy, who lost his battle with the disease in 2011.

Little did I know that within the year I would not only meet Anita {in the real life way} I would also be a guest in her home.  My trip was one I’ll never forget and I was blessed to encounter one of the most thoughtful, selfless, giving individuals I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

Since Anita gives so much of herself to others, a group of friends and I wanted to do something to celebrate her sweet spirit.  So we came up with the idea of honoring the Anitas in our lives. Our heroes…the people who have inspired us, uplifted us, and more.

Anita and RandyI’ve been blessed to meet many amazing people in my life, but when I think back to the people who’ve had the greatest impact, my friend Stephanie {and her husband Danny} are the first that come to mind.

I met Stephanie over fourteen years ago during the darkest time of my life.  I was young, stupid, and in desperate need of guidance.  For some reason, Stephanie, my boss, adopted me.  All these years later, I will never forget the friendship, advice, support, honesty, and hope she gave to me.

Callye, Stephanie, and DannyTo honor the person who gave me so much when I had nothing to give in return, I decided to cookie one of her most favorite things in the world…her dog, Bella.

Boxer DogHere’s Bella the Boxer, cookie-fied.

How to Make Boxer CookiesBella started out as a simple baby onesie.  You can buy the exact cutter here, but any onesie will work.  Simply trim the leg opening and use your fingers to round out the edges.

Dog Face Cookie CutterTo make these cookies you will need:

Begin by piping the top portion of the snout.  If you’re not comfortable winging it, use a food color marker to sketch the design on the cookie before you begin.

After adding the snout, use flood icing to add the eyes and mouth.  Quickly drop in sugar pearl eyes with tweezers.

Boxer Dog CookiesOnce the eyes have set, use reddish brown 20-second icing to pipe the head.  After a bit of drying time add dark brown ears and fill the snout.

Boxer CookiesLet the cookie dry, then add the final details.

  1. Add eyebrows
  2. Use white icing to accent the eye {optional, I only did this because I already had white icing on hand}
  3. Add a nose and “whisker dots”

Decorated Boxer CookieThe Wilton bear and Karen’s baby cutter are great alternatives if you’re interested in making more than just a face.

Puppy CookieThere really aren’t words to express the love and gratitude I have for Stephanie.  Instead, I try my hardest to be the kind of person that she taught me to be…encouraging, positive, and kind.

Boxer Dog Cookie Platter 2In honor of all of the Anitas and Stephanies of the world, I invite to check out the cookies and stories below, and maybe even share your own.

Image Map

To see more of my favorite dog cookies, be sure to check out the following links:

Animal Cookies, Cookies, Sweet Sugar Belle
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