Halloween is a little more than three weeks away, but already trendy princess and witch, vampire and superhero costumes are popping up in stores.
To mark this occasion of jack-o’-lanterns, bats and supernatural beings, it’s fun to create monster cookies that kids and kids at heart indulge in.
From cute ghost cookies and bandaged mummies to eye-popping witches and toothy monsters, there’s a limitless range to satisfy your Halloween sweet cravings.
To get the drop on the latest trends, the Gazette stopped by St. Albert’s Grandin Bakery for a few tips and tricks. And what we discovered are bewitching treats that fall under the pop art cookie realm.
A go-to destination for more than 50 years, the Hooimeyer family owns the bakery. Through the decades, it has earned client loyalty. Not only individuals, but schools, service clubs, churches and businesses order special occasion cookies.
But it takes round-the-clock commitment to churn out a non-stop array of delectable and individualized confections.
Bruce and Marcel Hooimeyer often start their shifts at 9 p.m. at night making dough and rolling out cookie shapes, breads, buns and cakes. To fulfil orders and keep shelves stocked, the brothers regularly work 12-hour shifts.
Their choice of base is a neutral sugar cookie recipe that blends flour, sugar, salt, vegetable shortening, lemon flavour and egg together with a dash of nostalgia and homey memories. Each week they churn out upwards of 10 dozen cookies a day.
Once the cookies have cooled, decorator Micaela Cameron adds her creative flair. Celebrating a one-year anniversary at the bakery, the Vancouver Island native logs onto Pinterest, Instagram and various other social media sites for fresh ideas.
“There are so many talented decorators out there. They do fun things. I accept the challenge and want to bring fun things to the bakery,” said Cameron.
“Social media is a huge platform for cookie and cake decorators to get stuff out there. It is its own community. You don’t realize it until you’re in the thick of it.”
Although Cameron borrows ideas from social media, she tweaks them to suit her individual signature. The whole idea is to experiment and stretch herself.
“You put different eyes on, different textures and different expressions. Sometimes just getting the shape right is satisfying,” adding that this year unicorn pumpkins are the big craze.
She adds, “This is a new opportunity to be creative with new ideas and when people pick up custom-made cookies and they say, ‘Oh, that’s so cool,’ it’s so rewarding.”
Cameron uses a creamy, tinted royal icing, a mix of egg white powder, confectioner’s sugar, glucose/fructose and a bit of water.
“It whips up really nice. A lot of people make the consistency too thick. The harder the icing, the more pressure and the less clean line you get.”
Home bakers who don’t own a piping bag could easily roll up a plastic bag, fill it with icing and cut a small hole in one end.
Cameron also encourages capitalizing on different shaped tips.
“If you want to make a mummy or a zombie, use a flat tip. To make eyes or lines, use a thin pointy tip.”
And if you make a mistake, “Try not to be too hard on yourself. It’s meant to be fun.”
Maryka Hooimeyer, Bruce’s wife, developed the cookie line six years ago.
“I saw cookies online and started decorating as something for fun. And it took off like crazy. Once the quantity needed to be large, I gave it to staff,” said Hooimeyr, who still fills in as an on-the-fly decorating assistant.
As families increasingly have limited personal time to bake specialty treats, cookies are surging in popularity.
“They’re less fussy to deal with. You don’t need plates, forks, knives. And a lot of people want something different.”
And Hooimeyer adds, creativity is only limited by the imagination. There’s a myth wafting through kitchens that recipes are inflexible. But experimentation is the key to success and in the end there are no rules.
“You buy a cutter and you think it's one thing and the decorator comes up with endless possibilities.” For instance a Christmas bell can be decorated as a ghost wearing a floaty skirt.
On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Grandin Bakery staff get to display their individual pizzazz dressed in favourite Halloween costumes as they hand out treats during regular hours.
Tips for successful baking
• Start with a simple cookie recipe from a reliable source.•After you’ve tried it, modify it to your taste.
• Buy sharp, inexpensive metal cookie cutters for a clear carve.
• For best results, use shiny metal, not dark trays. If a pan is dark, the cookies’ underside may burn.
• If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the cookie tray.
• Most cookies bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Extra large cookies require more time.
