Packaging Ideas and Industry Trends

Featured Customer: Studio Duponchel

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

DIY Customizable Graduation Cookie Favors

Friday, May 18, 2018

Nothing goes with our packaging better than sweet, sweet cookies! Big thanks to Lisa at Asildine Creations for putting together this beautiful DIY to share with you all!

Graduation is a time for celebrating the wonderful accomplishment of your beloved honoree. Your graduate has worked so very hard to be able to walk down the line to shake hands and get their diplomas. We as a society celebrate graduations on so many different levels: Pre-school, Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, Undergrad, Masters and Doctorate. That is quite a lot of knowledge learned over time. These occasions definitely call for a special gift!

I want to share with you the easy steps to making a delicious graduation cookie. There are a lot of good recipes that can be found online. I have done my research by comparing many different recipes and then added my own twist, to get the taste that I loved as a child.

There are 4 parts to this Graduation gift: making and baking the cookies, creating the royal icing, decorating the Cookie and lastly, packaging the final product!

Part One - Making and Baking the cookie:

Recipe: (Makes 2 dozen 3-4” cookies)

Ingredients Needed:

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, unsalted
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg, whole
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Baking power
½ tsp salt
2.5 -3 lbs flour

Other Supplies needed:

Rolling pin and rolling guides for thickness
Parchment Paper
Baking sheets
Graduation cookie cutters (I chose one that can be used time and again.)

Directions:

1. Place butter in mixer and cream. Add sugar and all the other ingredients except flour. Make sure all is mixed well. Add flour one cup at a time. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Using your rolling pin and guides, roll out the dough. Once all even, use your cutters.

3. Place your cut dough onto a baking sheet also covered with parchment paper.

4. Place one cookie sheet at a time in the oven for 11-13 mins, depending on how big your cookie is.

5. Once baked, let it cool down completely. Remember to turn your oven completely off.

Part Two – Making the Royal Icing:

*Recipe makes about 8 cups of Royal Icing.

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Meringue Powder
½ Cup plus 2 TBSPs Water
1 TBSP Extract of your choice (I like lemon.)
1 TBSP Light Corn Syrup
6 Cups (2 lbs) Powdered Sugar
Gel Food Coloring

Supplies Needed:

Whisk
Mini Spatulas or butter knives
Tipless (or decorating) bags
Mini rubber bands
A tall, stable glass
Bowls

Directions:

1. Add meringue powder and ½ cup water to mixer bowl. Using a whisk, whisk until frothy.

2. Add extract and corn syrup then mix.

3. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time. Then add 2 TBSPs of water.

4. Turn mixer to medium speed until the royal icing is of toothpaste consistency.

5. Pour 1 cup of icing into a bowl. Add ½ tsp of gel food coloring and stir.

6. Once you have the color you desire, add 1 tsp of water to thin out the icing for decorating.

7. Place a decorating bag open in the cup. The cup serves as a holder.

8. Pour the icing into the bag in the cup.

9. Once the bowl is emptied, lift the bag and twist. Add a mini rubber band to keep it closed.

10. Repeat steps 5 through 9 for each desired color. If you know you only need a small amount of color, do half the amounts for step 5.

Part Three – Decorating The Cookie

Supplies Needed:

Scissors
Toothpicks/ styilus/ boo boo sticks
Paper Towels
Parchment

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 150F.

2. Pick your cookie to decorate and place it on your parchment paper. The paper will act like your table.

3. Chose the color you will start with. Cut a small hole so the icing can flow easily.

4. Outline the design area with your color, let dry a few seconds and then outline the rest of the areas.

5. Once done, fill in each color.

6. To get the icing to fall flat, slightly and very carefully, shake the cookie on the parchment table.

7. Once your cookie is completely decorated, place it in your oven for 15 mins for quick drying.

8. After the oven, place the cookies under a fan to help cool them down. The longer the better! Ideally overnight, but at least 3-4 hours.

Part Four – Packaging the Cookie Gift

Supplies Needed:

4" X 6" heatsealable cookie bags (SFB46)
Kraft paper box (KR99)
Slip cover (SC99)
Heat sealer
Colored Paper Shred
Graduation themed ribbon

Directions:

1. Place the completely dried cookie in the bag, then heat seal.

2. Prep the box and the slip cover. Put enough paper shred to coat the bottom.

3. Place the sealed cookie carefully in the box.

4. Slip the cover on.

5. Place the box upside down, add the ribbon.

6. Flip the box right side up. Tie a bow.

Voila! Your cookie gift is ready to be given to your beloved graduate.

Are you more of a visual learner? Here is a video showing the first three parts!