In this episode, Emily Hutchinson, of insanely popular Hutch Oven, and I are talking about her journey to becoming a baker, her new book Creative Cookie Decorating, and she is sharing some of her top tips for Christmas cookie decorating and starting baking traditions this season with your family!
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Meet My Sweet Friend, Emily!
Pacific Northwest mom and successful baker, Emily Hutchinson is on the show today! Emily runs The Hutch Oven, is a master baker on the Hallmark Channel, and is the leading lady when it comes to cookie decorating tutorials online! You know the ones I’m talking about…super mesmerizing and makes you want to immediately bake and decorate cookies? Those are the ones! Emily is insanely talented, and has one of the best sugar cookies I’ve ever tasted! I just can’t get enough of her!
Growing up, baking was the love language between Emily and her grandmother. It was their special time together and she taught her so much when it came to baking. The special time together gave Emily so much joy and confidence and had such a huge impact on her life.
Creative Cookie Decorating
Emily has a brand new, beautiful book out into the world, and you guys, let me tell you, it’s SO good. Creative Cooking Decorating is a must have for your family and makes a great gift! It has step by step recipes and tutorials that are stunning and so realistic for home bakers to actually do! She really was able to bring her famous videos to life with this book and bring it to your kitchen. Evie is LOVING this book so much! She looks at it constantly asking to make different things inside and is really eager to learn, which is super fun!
Cookie Decorating 101: How to Get Started
First, cookies are delicious. If you are making something from your heart and it has buttercream on it, they will love it. So get rid of those fears of it not being pretty enough! Emily has multiple cookie designs in her book that are great for beginners! Pumpkin tops, Christmas wreaths, smooth buttercream, etc. Look at these amazing Christmas tree wreath cookies she made on Hallmark’s Home and Family! They are just using a star tip and then building the tree…the covering it with sprinkles! SO cute and actually doable! How amazing would kids think these were?
Kids in the Kitchen
Let go of control. We are messy in the kitchen too, so of course kids are going to be messy! Let it go and have some fun. Make sure that every kid has an important role. Doing cookies with each kid, having that quality time where they each get to work on a new skill or spend mommy time is what’s important. Let them make the mess, it’s worth it!
Make this into a fun tradition for you and your family! Invite friends over for a playdate, neighbors, etc. and give kids the supplies needed and then you and your girlfriends can get together and decorate your own also! Super fun and everyone is having a great idea.
Kid Tips!
Fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners and then all different sprinkles for kids to use in an easier way! This helps with clean up also!
You can also dump sprinkles on a plate or in a bowl and dip cookies into the sprinkles to cover it rather than shaking and making an even bigger mess!
Piping Bag Hack
Lay out plastic wrap on your counter top long ways, fill buttercream in the middle and roll it up. It’ll look like a roll of cookie dough you can buy at the store. This is life changing, friends. I saw Emily do this in person and it was magic. NO MESS. You can reuse your pastry bags! You don’t have to dig for a coupler! No frosting spilling out of the side! It’s seriously the best hack! It is also the way to mix colors for two toned frosting. Roll two frosting colors together and you’ve got a mix!
Fill bags to be about a 1/2 cup-cup of frosting to keep it firm and the consistency you want.
Starter Pack: What Do We Need?
Piping bags
Couplers
A couple tips: #104 and a star tip are great ones that you’ll use over and over!
Emily’s books to have all the steps! Get a copy of Creative Cookie Decorating here!
Christmas Cookie Matchup
Emily is judging Hallmark Channel’s new competition show, Christmas Cookie Match Up! How cool is that?! Learn more and tune in here!
I loved one of Emily’s favorite Christmas traditions- The Denali Express! It’s a play on The Polar Express. She surprises her kids with new Christmas jammies, hot chocolate, snacks, etc. and a ticket on the Delani Express! She punches it and they drive around looking at Christmas lights while the movie plays. HOW CUTE IS THIS?! Definitely a tradition that’ll continue with her kids’ kids, which is so special.
CONNECT WITH EMILY AND SAY HI!
Buy the Book: Creative Cookie Decorating!
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