I bake purely as a hobby, but a few months ago a family friend insisted on āhiring meā to make sugar cookies for her daughterās bridal shower. She told me the theme was lemon and let me know what colors she wanted, but beyond that told me I could do whatever I liked. I recommended she hire a local bakery near us for the job, but she was very excited and wouldnāt take no for an answer, so I hesitantly agreed. The party is tomorrow and I made the cookies in the first picture two days ago so the icing would have plenty of time to set, but itās been nearly 100 degrees and humid every day this week and we live in an old house with bad air circulation. I used the same icing recipe I always do (normal results in the second photo) but either I royally (š) fucked up or the temperature is ruining the texture. Either way, please send help. Sheās coming to pick up tomorrow and I spent several days making, baking, and decorating 5 dozen cookies for her that look like this and Iām so embarrassed š I donāt think I have time to scrape and redo them all at my crappy amateur decorating level, but if I pulled an all nighter and gave it a hail mary would they set? Or if heat/humidity are the problem would that be even worse? For reference, my partner did a test for quality control and said theyāre very yummy, but I am still freaked out. Any advice appreciated.
by beatrice_arbor_day
37 Comments
Not a baker, but a cookie lover and all of these look delicious!
Don’t be too hard on yourself – they look pretty and you set expectations accordingly with your friend. If they really aren’t drying, your problem is probably that the icing itself is overmixed. If you push a finger onto it, does it feel spongy? That, plus the slightly pitted look, are usually signs of overmixing. If you scrape and re-do, I would try it with a fresh batch of icing. (As somebody who does a lot of decorated sugar cookies and has had my fair share of last minute oopsies, I’m sending hugs your way!!)
Hereās the thing, you let your family friend know you werenāt 100% confident AND the weather is effecting your bakes. My immediate thought when I saw them was āHumidityā.
I wish I had more advice but sugar cookies arenāt my wheelhouse. Iām going to do some quick research and see if I find anything about troubleshooting. If thereās anything I think would be helpful, Iāll report back.
Donāt be so hard on yourself! They look good despite their irregularities and most importantly taste good.
I think they look fine. You were very forward about your comfort level for this project and think you did everything in good faith to deliver. Donāt be so hard on yourself.
They look good. Everyone knows it’s hot, they shouldn’t expect a miracle. Also, may I suggest that you work on saying “no” and sticking to it?
My first reaction was; Oh how cute!!!!! I want those now!!!
I saw the first picture in the feed and came here expecting to find a second “after” picture in which they’re ruined!
They look good! Sure , do what you can to help them set but If they aren’t fully set that’s still fine.
Nah you good
This will sound hokey, but if I saw these and heard that they’d been made by a family friend, I would find the slight imperfections endearing. They’re genuinely beautiful, and clearly a lot of skill went into them. But even pros get a hiccup now and then. They still look mouth-watering! And knowing they were made with love only makes them more delicious, truly.
They look so cute and the most important factor is tasteā¦ donāt be so hard on yourself!
Looks great!!! If they are sticky could you put them in the fridge?
How do they taste?
First, they look fine. Just call them whimsical. Second, cookie storage. One assumes you could not fit them in your fridge, correct? A cheap ice chest and some ice and ziplock bags, layering them between wax paper would work. Just a thought though probably too late now. Good luck. Youāre definitely a good person no matter the outcome.
Try placing them into a warm oven, not hot, it’ll finish drying them out. When I first started doing cookies I was in an apt with no circulation and my icing was always like yours. It was either from over beating the icing or my apt being too humid. The oven trick was taught to me by the cookie elders.
I think those look delicious! Don’t be hard on yourself OP, I think you did really well. ā¤ļø
I remember seeing another post where a baker had trouble with humidity messing with royal icing and someone had suggested using a dehydrator. The comment said that: “Typically people buy these to make jerky or dried fruits at home, but I read this tip on a cookie blog and I love my dehydrator! Not only does it keep the cookies crisp and fresh, but it also helps your icing dry faster and more evenly.”
It may not fix the icing but it sounds like it may help to keep the humidity from affecting the cookies. Hope this helps a bit!
Send helpā¦ to eat them? You want help eating right? Because they look bomb as heck to me!
The first couple of batches I did had that same texture. My mistake was to continue adding water to try to thin the icing out but then using my mixer to incorporate. I finally figured out I had to mix by hand with a spatula to get the proper consistency
To be clear, use a mixer to do the initial mixing, but then when youāre ready to thin to flooding consistency, use a spatula
Itās always easier to be critical of your own work. I personally think these are beautiful and look delicious! šAs a close friend, Iād be blown away and so grateful for your hard work!
Humidity is definitely working against you. Three options.
First: prep icings into bags. Allow to chill before, and immediately after. Keep chilled until service if possible.
Second: remove humidity in your work place. Homemade swamp cooler with a paint bucket, a fan, and dry ice.
Third: say fuck it. Try to ice on fly after it’s chilled to a point. I’ve got about a decade of experience, and I even find this one hard.
Are there other decorative elements you could add to the ones that you think need the most work, like edible glitter or pearl sprinkles? Candied lemon peel! Candied lemon slices (ultra-thin) would cover the top of one of these wonderfully. White chocolate drizzle.
If a family friend made these for my shower Iād eat them all. And be so appreciative. Iād eat anything my friends made for my shower, but these look delicious.
Honestly, your pics made me happy – like a little bit of sunshine to brighten anyone’s mood. So pretty.
I’m not a baker, but I am a chocolatier, and if you want to talk about having temperature issues look no further than me making my own chocolates and displays for my wedding in July. I had to block off the 2 doors into the dining room area in our old house with mattresses and had two A/C units running full blast just so the chocolate would set.
They both look amazing! I live in Arizona and I would buy the second set in a heartbeat. Donāt expect everything to be perfect! Thatās whatās wrong today, everything has to be Martha Stewart! Remember, Iām sure she is amazing, but she also has a staff. The lemon ones with afternoon tea absolutely
I honestly think they look great. Perfect? no. But seriously, they look really good. I get it though; itās easy to get in your head about it and start spiraling. BUT if these cookies were made for my party, Iād absolutely love them and Iād appreciate it š©µ Make peace with yourself (and the cookies š), and get a good nightās rest for the party! xoxo
I would be over the moon to receive these.
My mom bakes sugar cookies around holidays, but mainly during the cooler part of the year because the humidity here DEFINITELY messes with them. If I were you, I wouldnt scrap the work youve done, especially if it will take you not sleeping to be able to redo them.
They are super cute and have a homemade charm about them. Be proud of your work!
Compared to my efforts those are amazing
they’re so pretty!
They look cute, but I can understand why you’re not happy with them, because they aren’t up to your normal standards. If you aren’t able to fix them or redo them, don’t beat yourself up over it, things happen.
Just be transparent, contact the customer (friend) and let them know what happened. Provide pictures and ask them how they want to proceed, they may choose to cancel the order, ask for a discount or just be happy with what they get.
Make sure you let them know that you’re ok with whatever option they choose, you may lose out on time and money, but you’ve gained experience and that’s how businesses work.
BTW the second photo looks amazing and I know you can get right back into making them properly again, don’t let this negatively affect your confidence!
I think the cookies look good. I was thinking they look very cute for a non professional baker
Serve them! They still look really cute!
I think they look super cute! You did a great job!
So creative and pretty! I love them! š
My impression when I saw them was those look nice bet they taste good.
I’m so sorry this happened! Your cookies are beautiful, and you went above and beyond for your family. Don’t beat yourself up. Severe humidity is rough!
I promise you the cookies still look 1000 times better than my hair in humid weather. š«
Well they are absolutely beautiful to me
I think these are awesome! Sure there’s room for improvement but these look fab.
I love these! I soon as I saw the picture I wanted to know if I could buy some. There is nothing wrong with them.