Friday, January 29, 2010

Maltese Cookie Cutter

I made this cute Maltese Cookie using the 
Maltese Cookie Cutter from our Cloud K9®  website.

1. Use the dog shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie from the sugar cookie dough and bake according to your recipe or package instructions.

2. Let the cookie cool completely before icing it.

3. Spread the white decorating icing to the edges of the cookie and let it dry.

4. Add the eyes, nose, and mouth with black decorating icing as shown in the photo above.

5. Add the ribbon using red decorating icing (or the color of your choice).

6. Let the icing dry.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Collie / Sheltie Cookie Cutter


I made this cute Collie / Sheltie Cookie using the
Collie / Sheltie Cookie Cutter from our Cloud K9® website.
1. Use the dog shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie from the sugar cookie dough and bake according to your recipe or package instructions.
2. Let the cookie cool completely before icing it.
3. Toast grated coconut according to directions on the package.
4. Spread the white decorating icing to the edges of the cookie and quickly add the eye and nose with black decorating icing as shown in the photo above...do not let the white icing dry!
5. Gently press the toasted coconut into the wet white decorating icing as shown in the photo above.
6. Let the icing dry.
7. Gently turn the cookie over to remove the excess coconut.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

English Springer Spaniel Cookie Cutter


I made this cute English Springer Spaniel Cookie using the
 English Springer Spaniel Cookie Cutter from our Cloud K9®  website.

1. Use the dog shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie from the sugar cookie dough and bake according to your recipe or package instructions.
2. Let the cookie cool completely before icing it.
3. Spread the white decorating icing to the edges of the cookie and let it dry.
4. Add the black spots/markings and nose with black decorating icing as shown in the photo above. (Put a little black icing on the back of a spoon and lightly dab it onto the cookie to achieve the subtle black markings as shown on the hind leg, etc. in the photo.)
5. Let the icing dry.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Great Dane Cookie Cutter (Harlequin)

I made this great Harlequin Great Dane Cookie using the
Great Dane Cookie Cutter from our Cloud K9®  website.

1. Use the dog shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie from the sugar cookie dough and bake according to your recipe or package instructions.
2. Let the cookie cool completely before icing it.
3. Spread the white decorating icing to the edges of the cookie and let it dry.
4. Add the black markings, eye, and nose with black decorating icing as shown in the photo above.
5. Let the icing dry.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Monday, January 25, 2010

Boston Terrier Cookie Cutter


I made this cute Boston Terrier Cookie using the
Boston Terrier Cookie Cutter from our Cloud K9®  website.

1. Use the dog shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookie from the sugar cookie dough and bake according to your recipe or package instructions.
2. Let the cookie cool completely before icing it.
3. Spread the white decorating icing to the edges of the cookie and let it dry.
4. Add the black markings and nose with black decorating icing as shown in the photo above.
5. Let the icing dry.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Friday, January 22, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: The Scoop on Dough

It is important to use the correct type of dough when cutting out cookies with cookie cutters.

Sugar cookie dough is usually designed for cutout shapes. The package or recipe will usually specify that it is appropriate for "cutout cookies" or "rolled cutout cookies."

Years ago a friend took a tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and tried to cut shapes from the dough with a cookie cutter.  The dough spread too much when she baked it.  Chocolate chip cookie dough is not designed for cutout cookies.

Read the directions carefully for any modifications needed for cutout cookies.  I frequently use a package of dough mix which requires the addition of a little more flour and less butter/margarine if you are going to use it with cookie cutters for cutout shapes.

Carole
We have over 80 different AKC dog breed shaped cookie cutters on our Cloud K9 website.

[Text copyrighted Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Some Tips About Icing for Dog Shaped Sugar Cookies

Here are a few tips about icing dog shaped sugar cookies. (The information is for sugar cookies intended for people to eat, and not for cookies to be eaten by dogs!)

You can make your own icing for sugar cookies. I think that sometimes the "buttercream" icing that is often used on cakes is too oily and softens the sugar cookies.

I like to use the tubes of "Decorating Cookie Icing" made by Betty Crocker that can be purchased in many grocery stores.  I frequently use "white" and it also comes in "chocolate" and a variety of other colors.  (NOTE: chocolate can be toxic to dogs and should only be used in food for humans.)

The reason I like this icing is that it is like "self-leveling cement"...after your spread it on, it levels to a beautiful smooth finish.  Of course, depending on the look you like, you can also use other icing to create a texture to look like a dog's fur.

Tubes of Decorating Icing and plastic decorating tips are also available to create designs on the cookies.

Icing Writers are smaller tubes of icing to create smaller designs.  You just cut the tip off of the tube. These do not require using the separate plastic decorating tips.

But, most important of all....HAVE FUN!
(I do not receive any compensation for the products discussed in this blog.)

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Nose Knows (Rabbits)

While rabbits have very good hearing (obvious with their very large ears), they also have a well-developed sense of smell. Their sense of smell is far better than that of humans.
However, one very noticeable difference from a dog's nose (see previous post) is that a rabbit's nose is covered by fur.  Here is the nose of rabbit model, Paisley! 

FUN FACT: Did you know that when rabbits are asleep, their noses stop twitching?

Carole

[Text and photo copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Nose Knows (Dogs)

It has been stated that a dog's sense of smell is between 50 to 100 times more powerful than a person's sense of smell.

That sense of smell has been used to detect cancer and find missing people.

In honor of the dog's nose, we post this delightful photo courtesy of Michelle C.

Woof!
Carole

Monday, January 18, 2010

Friday, January 15, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Writing with Icing (Icing Writers)

Icing writers are small tubes of decorating icing that can be used to make small details on dog shaped cookies.  They can be purchased in sets (usually of red, blue, yellow and green) or tubes can be purchased separately in various colors.

You cut the tip off the end of the tube...so you do not need to purchase the separate set of decorating tips that are often used to decorate cookies.

On the dog-shaped cookies, these icing writers can be used for small details: eyes, collars, toenails, outlining, or any other pattern (flowers, stripes, plaid, polka dots, hearts, etc.).

Have Fun and Write Away to your heart's content!

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photos copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Texture on Cookies~Sprinkles

Chocolate Sprinkles can be used on cookies that represent brown dogs.  Gently press the sprinkles into icing that has not yet dried.  Carefully turn the cookie over to remove the excess sprinkles.

Remember that chocolate can be toxic to dogs.  Chocolate sprinkles are only to be used on cookies for people.

Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text copyright Carole of CloudK9.com All rights reserved.]

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Tinted Sugar

You can purchase tinted sugar in a variety of colors.  (Crafts stores may carry a wider variety of colors than grocery stores.)
The black tinted sugar is especially helpful for making an eye-catching cookie to represent dogs that have black coats (e.g. Scotties).

You can use the shaker top on the bottle, or spoon the sugar over the cookies. Gently press the sugar into icing (that has not yet dried) on the cookie. Carefully turn the cookie over to remove the excess sugar.  If you ice the cookie and the icing has already dried, the sugar will not stick.

Carole
We have over 80 breeds of AKC dog shaped cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photos copyright Carole of cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Creating Texture on Dog Shaped Cookies

There are a number of ways to create texture (the look of fur) on dog shaped cookies.

One of my favorites for decorating long-haired dog cookies, or curly haired/fluffy dog cookies is grated coconut.  To recreate white dogs, use the grated coconut straight from the bag.  For "apricot" or light brown dogs, you can toast the coconut.  Toast the coconut following the directions on the coconut package.  Watch it very carefully, since the coconut can burn very quickly in the oven.  (To see a dog cookie decorated with untoasted and toasted coconut, check out the blog on the Borzoi Cookie Cutter.)

We will be discussing some other methods over the next blog posts, including:

* Sprinkles
* Colored/Tinted sugar
* Icing writers

Stay tuned for more great decorating ideas for dog shaped cookies!
Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog cookie cutters on our website.

[Text copyright Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Monday, January 11, 2010

A New "Pawject"

Yippee! How exciting! We have sent some of our jewelry to a dog-theme magazine to be featured in their publication! 

Click here to see our handcrafted dog-theme jewelry for people who love dogs (including cuff bracelets, locket necklaces, guardian angel dog pins, etc.).

We will keep you updated in the results!  "Paws crossed" for our new "pawject!"

Carole
Cloud K9

Sunday, January 10, 2010

What a Difference a Few Days Make...



From the holly bushes brimming with berries on Christmas Day...
to the berries being gobbled up by hungry birds leaving nothing behind but the leaves and stems!

I'm glad the birds found something to eat during this extremely cold weather!

Carole
[photos and text copyright Carole of CloudK9.com  All rights reserved.]

Thursday, January 7, 2010

In Other Words: A Dictionary of Animal-Themed Words

Animal lovers have created a whole new language with clever alternatives for everyday words.
So here is a little dictionary to use when you need some ideas for an animal-themed word:

(A Big Thanks: to the Twitter users who responded to my request for words!)

Anipals = Animal pals

Bark out = Shout out

Barkaritas = Margueritas

Barking lot = Parking lot

Barktending = Bartending

Cattitude = Attitude

Caturday = Saturday

De-tails = Details

Furiend = Friend

Fursday = Thursday

Furever = Friday

Happy Mew Year = Happy New Year

Howl-iday = Holiday

Howloween = Halloween

iBone = iPhone

iPaw = iPod

Kittehs = Kitties

Meowy Catmas = Merry Christmas

Mews = News

Nom Nom = Yummy treats

OMD = Oh My Dog

OMC = Oh My Cat

Pawcircle = Prayer Circle

Pawparade = Parade

Pawprayers = Prayers

Paws crossed = Fingers crossed

Pawsitively = Positively

Pawsome = Awesome

Pawticulars = Particulars

Pawty = Party

Peemail = Checking e-mail

Puparazzi = Poparazzi

Purrfect = Perfect

Purrson = Person

Tabby tennis = Table tennis

Yappy = Happy
Some Abbreviations for LOL (Laugh out Loud):

BOL = Bark out loud

MOL = Meow out loud

QOL = Quack out loud



Some Friendly Gestures:

*nosetaps*

*wags*

*licks*

*purrs*

If you have any others, please let me know!
Carole

[Text copyright Carole of cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Some Simple Tools for Decorating Cookies

Two simple tools are very useful for decorating cookies. If you use the "Royal Icing" type of icing for decorating cookies, it can be helpful to use the back of a small spoon to carefully spread the icing on the cookie.

In addition, the point of a toothpick can be used to create small features on a dog-shaped cookie (e.g., eyes, whiskers, toenails, etc.).  Likewise, a toothpick can sometimes be used to correct a small error.  For example, when using icing to create a small detail, the toothpick can be used to scrape a little excess icing off of the cookie, if too much icing is used.

Do you find any other tools useful when decorating cookies?

Have fun and be creative! Where else do you get to eat your mistakes! :-)
Carole
We have over 80 different breeds of dog shaped cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photos copyright Carole of cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Caring for Cookie Cutters

These are the care instructions for the dog theme cookie cutters purchased from our website.  (Other types of cookie cutters, e.g. those made from copper, may have different care instructions.)  These dog cookie cutters are handmade, and soldered for extra quality.  Cookie cutters that are riveted can sometimes pop apart.

Before using the cookie cutter, wash it in warm, soapy water.  It is very important to dry the cookie cutter completely. This will help prevent rust.

Cookie cutters should also be washed and completely dried after using them to cut out shapes from the dough.

The cookie cutters should be stored in a safe, dry place...where they will not be bent out of shape.  I store them in the vertical plastic storage units with drawers.

I have a huge cookie cutter collection (including vintage cookie cutters handed down from family members and found during visits to antique shops), so I have separate categories for each drawer.  The categories include:
Holiday (Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Easter, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.)
Animals (other than dogs),
Dog-shaped Cookie Cutters and Dog-Related Cookie Cutters (dog bones, etc.),
Vintage (metal and plastic).

Happy Baking!

Carole

[Text and photos copyright Carole of cloudk9.com  All rights reserved.]

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Dog Cookie Cutter Series: Using Food Coloring to Tint Icing

While you can purchase icing that is already pre-colored, you can also use food coloring to tint white icing for decorating your cookies.

The basic colors of food coloring are:
Red
Blue
Yellow
Green

The primary colors (red, blue and yellow) can be combined to create additional colors of icing:
Red + Blue = Purple
Red + Yellow = Orange
Blue + Yellow = Green

To make pastel colored icing, add fewer drops of food coloring to the white icing.
To make darker icing, add more food coloring to the white icing.

If you mix an icing which is darker than you intended, add a little more white icing.

Luckily, for dog lovers, black food coloring is available.  Dog lovers know that black icing can be critical for creating many realistic looking dog breed cookies.

Or you can mix your own black food coloring using:

Red + Blue + Yellow = Black*

(*It may be necessary to add a little more red food coloring to achieve the color of black that you are trying to achieve.)

Have fun!
Carole
PS We have over 80 different breeds of dog-shaped cookie cutters on our website.

[Text and photos copyright Carole of cloudk9.com All rights reserved.]

Monday, January 4, 2010

Story in the Snow

It is cold here. Wicked cold! Temperatures are in the teens during the day, and the low at night is in the single digits!
So I always think of the wild birds and animals outside who may have trouble finding food.

On Saturday, I put out some bread for the birds and whoever else would want some.  Later, the bread was gone and I saw some bird footprints in the snow.  So I put out more bread.  Later, I peeked out and saw a Flicker (a woodpecker).

Doing a little snooping, I found several sets of footprints which tell an interesting story.

The first set of footprints (above) may belong
to the Mockingbirds that frequent the yard. I am not sure.
There are 3 toes in front and one in back.


Next, I saw an entirely different set of bird footprints.
There are 2 toes in front and 2 toes in back.
I am assuming these footprints belong to the Flicker.
Being a woodpecker and having to stand on trees,
they probably need to have a different type of foot than songbirds.

Then there were these little round footprints…
I think they belong to the squirrels who live in the oak trees.


I also saw a large footprint!  Was it Sasquatch?
No, it's only me!


Pretty interesting story. And well worth the price of a few pieces of bread!

Please remember the wild birds and animals outside when it's cold!
Carole
[Text and photos copyright Carole of Cloud K9.  All rights reserved.]

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

As we welcome 2010...I hope it is a fantastic year for all of you!
For the coming year...my resolutions are:

• To raise money for Animal Rescues.

I am still working on the plan, but there be will some easy (and free!) ways that you can assist. I hope you will all get involved!

I will keep you updated on the plans!

• To finish off the five pounds of Cheese! (see previous blog).

Happy New Year!
Carole
CloudK9.com