Pikachu - Gotta Eat 'em All!

My granddaughter always likes to make cookies when she visits...and eat those cookies too!  I noticed she had a "how to draw" book in her suitcase from home and asked if she thought we might make one of those Pokemon on a cookie?  She thought that was a grand idea.

Because we are so busy going to Schlitterbahn at the Beach (she is a Boogie Bahn addict), the project has taken several days.  I had Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie dough in the freezer because I knew she was going to want to bake.  We rolled out a few cookies together (she now understands that is very hard work).  We cut and baked and waited for the next day.  Then, we made royal icing together (again, "gee Grandma, no wonder it takes so much time to make your cookies" - yep).  I base coated the cookies because she recalled not enjoying that last year.  She did, however, like eating one of the cookies where the base coat fell over the edge.  We ended up with three large 5 inch circles and a few stars to play with.

Today we decided to decorate (is it sad that it took us all morning to finish one big cookie?).  She is so happy with the cookie she is just bouncing up and down wanting to eat it.  I asked if she didn't want to wait and show it to Grandpa when he got home from work.  "Yes, Yes!" she yells and runs back to her Kindle where she is building some incredible roller coaster on her farm in Mine Craft!  There is a plane and an UFO involved as well.  She is very creative!

So, anyway, I'm not great at drawing in general and my hands were particularly shaky today so I printed off a couple of copies of the Pikachu she selected for the design and I used the tissue paper method of tracing the design onto the dry royal iced cookie.  I think I first saw the technique on SweetAmbs' blog and I know I have seen Haniela demonstrate it, as well as others.  The technique is easy to Google.  In a nut-shell, you use white tissue paper (like the kind used in a gift bag) and trace the image onto the tissue paper with a food color marker.  Then, you re-trace (using food color marker of course) on top of the cookie.  The first trace may or may not go through the tissue paper, the second tracing transfers the image to the cookie very easily.

I also thought it would be better to paint the cookie so my granddaughter would have a better chance at participating.  I explained how painting a cookie with food color worked - she thought that was pretty cool and asked how I got the food color on the M&Ms I used on her Paint-Your-Own Easter cookie.  I am enjoying the teaching - she is always so wide-eyed in wonder.  Montreal Confections was the creator of the PYO cookie using the M&Ms...and boy were they a hit!

She and I both painted portions of the cookie and she helped select all of the colors and guided me on any specifics of the Pikachu that I was unfamiliar with.  The we decided to add some of the lightening bolts.  I think Pikachu has some kind of shocking power ... so, of course, that was added.

After she returned to her Mine Craft creation, I outlined everything in black piping consistency royal icing and made up a small amount of red and yellow for a border.  She is very happy with the end result...and can't wait to eat the cookie!

It was fun - and a day I hope she looks back on when she is older and thinks "you know that day we made Pokemon cookies Grandma?  That was so fun".  It's what we live for!

Bon Appetit, Y'all 
- and thanks for reading my blog all these years!