The Sweet Taste of Success

We were contacted by Erin, a marketing representative from Utility Telephone, who asked if we could make some custom cookies for their San Luis Obispo office.  (Utility Telephone focuses exclusively on services for businesses, and serves Internet and telephone service to businesses throughout California and Nevada.)   Erin told me that UT's multiple offices had been working hard to quickly complete the 'branding' on various projects.  It seems the SLO Office isn't so 'slow' after all, and they completed the assignment faster than the other offices!  It was Utility Telephone's desire to show their appreciation to the SLO employees by surprising them with some treats from XOXO Cookies.

Erin's idea was to give the employees cookies which represented their business.  So we decided on telephone and logo designs.   We knew immediately what the logo was going to look like, but the telephone was trickier.   Modern telephones can look quite different from the old standards, and many people in offices are now sporting headsets rather than the older handset models.  We thought it could be risky to design a phone too far removed from the well-known standard phone icon, so we didn't!  But we haven't had much call for phone cookies, and we had to get creative.  

Here is the basic phone design we came up with.  I cut it out of a used plastic container.   I was prepared to hand-cut each telephone when the hubsters offered to try his hand at reshaping an extra square cutter we had.

It doesn't look much like a phone yet, does it?  A little lopsided maybe?  Keep scrolling. . . 

Every iconic phone had a cord on its handset, so the template had to allow room for a cord, too!  It doesn't look so crazy now, does it?  The cord was actually one of the harder elements to this cookie.  It had to be edible and it had to be curly.  We tried different ideas (including black licorice) and we finally settled on hand-rolling our own chocolate curled phone cords.  

Much better now, isn't it?

Erin had sent us some enclosure notes for the bags and asked that they be delivered bright and early one morning.  When she told me that someone would be there at 7:00 am, I assumed we'd find one groggy looking person still turning on lights and equipment.  But this office has it going on!  We were greeted by a couple of smiling and surprisingly bright-eyed employees already going about their business!  No lack of energy in this office!  My guess is their reward was well-earned.

 Congratulations to the San Luis Obispo office.   

We wish you continued success!

All you need is love, and a little chocolate doesn't hurt!

It's been a while since we have posted anything.  It's hard to believe that we are mid-way through February already!  The past two weeks have been challenging, both at work and at home.  The hubster had the extreme misfortune of hosting kidney stones!

It's terrible to see someone you love in pain, and the experience has left me even more thankful for those days we have together when we can focus on more fun things than waiting for an IV drip to take effect.      

February is the month we all take the time to remind our friends and honeys how much they mean to us. Whether it is a love note, flowers, or a special sweet treat, it's nice to receive a fun surprise.

We planned to spend the day making some cake pops for a baby shower, but the shower got postponed until next week.   So we took the time to experiment with some fun cake bites for ourselves.

We got kind of silly with some of the decorations.... these projects are truly time-consuming and our feet were pretty tired by the end of the day.   However, there was no denying that popping one of these puppies in your mouth took all the pain away!  Mmmmm...spice cake with cream cheese and covered with a white chocolate frosting.  A little bedazzling, and you have a colorful little treat.  Just the right size!  And they are small enough that you don't even feel guilty eating a couple of them!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day and appreciated those people who make your 

EVERY day a special one!

xoxo

Lovin' from the Oven

What's a cookie artist to do at Christmas if not design cookies for her family and friends.  The problem I often have, is to narrow my focus to a limited number of designs.  Although more efficient and less time-consuming, it just isn't as fun!

I can look at a blank cookie canvas for quite some time before I finally get the nerve to apply any frosting.   But once I get started, I can get into a zone, and then my ideas exceed my energy levels.

Such was the case with my Christmas cookie gift project.  I planned to create some pine trees and snowflakes (the classic favorites), and then add some Christmas lights and winter mittens to the mix.

Then I remembered that I wanted to try a new technique for creating words from cookies.  So I added that to my list of designs, too.  Oh wait.  I have to get over my fear of making a new and improved gingerbread boy and girl.  So I added those to my list, too.  And I have had a moose and bear cookie cutter for over a year, and haven't tried them yet, so I better do those while I'm at it.  What's two more designs?!

I'll tell you what it is.... it's a whole lotta time.  In December.  When there is already a LOT to do.  But as I was creating the little gingerbread house for our realtor friend, Brian (add another design to the list), I couldn't keep myself from adding a little snow, and then some shutters, and pretty soon another hour had passed.

And I got over my fear of making a boring gingerbread man/girl duo!  I had SO much fun making these little creations - I might as well have been playing paper dolls.  It really is hard to stop, but when your three kids show up and wonder if Santa is ever going to get started on shopping for stocking stuffers, I knew I had to close up shop.   At least until the stores close for the last time before Christmas morning!

There's always tomorrow, right?  Technically, I have all day Christmas day to finish these up and deliver them. And that's exactly what I did.

Hoppy Holidays

This was a busy season for XOXO Cookies.  We had a very fun request from a colleague of mine.  She had the great idea to send cookies to all of her clients for the holidays.  She works as an Environmental Consultant and has many jobs where safety comes first.   

As a biologist she also helps look after sensitive wildlife like the California Red-legged Frog.  

We jumped at the chance to make these cute little red-legged frogs. Once they had eyes it felt like someone was always watching, and I was a little sad to see them go.

The hard hats and safety vests were a first for us but were soon to be one of our favorites.  They quickly came to life, Hi-Vis striping and all.

A few chocolate chip biscotti to add to the mix, and these little guys were ready to be delivered.  We had ordered decorative boxes, ribbon, and tissue paper from a new company for us.  Nashville Wraps has many eco friendly options to choose from, perfect for this eco delivery!

We hope everyone enjoyed these cookies as much as we enjoyed making them. Thank you Terra Verde for thinking of us! 

Let the sun shine

After a week straight of pouring rain on the central coast, it was nice to bring in a little sunshine.  Kristen, from Suntoucher, a boutique web application development company, wanted some personalized Christmas gifts for some of her clients.

So we took this Suntoucher logo and used the sun cutter to make these cute edible logo cookies.  

They were packaged with yummy chocolate chip biscotti and ready to be delivered.

Happy Holidays!  Thank you Suntoucher for thinking of us!



“We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.” – Professor McGonagall

My Dad's office is celebrating today.  Two of their student assistants will be graduating from college at the end of this Quarter.  In honor of their accomplishments, their co-workers wanted to give them some treats that were made especially for them.  One graduate is a huge Harry Potter fan - definitely my kind of girl! So it was totally appropriate to try a little magic of our own with these cake pops.

This pop IS pretty silly, and Dad made his share of comments about Harry's lightning bolt looking more like an earthquake fault, but hey, once you begin a cake pop, there's just no turning back.  So meet "Arry."  "Arry Potter!"

In J K Rowling's creative world, owls bridge the magical world with the muggle world.  The Snowy Owl named 'Hedwig' was Harry's messenger and feathered companion.  With Hedwig holding a warm place in my heart, we thought it only right to pay tribute to this loyal, winged creature. He turned out to be my very favorite.  I can't wait to make some more of these cuties. Check out his almond wings!

The other graduate loves Hello Kitty.  Btw, did you know that you can actually get a Bank of America Hello Kitty credit card?! Wow. Why there was never a Hello Doggie, I'll never understand.  Anyway, this kitty icon represents one of the most successful and long-lasting marketing strategies ever. And so we did a couple Hello Kitty Cake Pops, complete with wild rice whiskers!

(My mom has recurring nightmares about cats attacking her, so I don't foresee many Hello Kitty CP's in our future.)

Congratulations to you, Caitlan (Hello Kitty) and Megan (Harry Potter) on your graduation.  You have no doubt worked hard for your diplomas and we wish you much success in your future!

Oh the weather outside is frightful. . .

. . . but hot chocolate and cookies are so delightful!

It isn't snowing in this Coastal town, but it is raining and blowing something fierce!  We don't have our lights up yet, and the Christmas tree is still outside, soaking up water in our front yard pond.  I'm not known to hold back on decorations, but this year is off to a slow start.  I am jealous of Kimi, who already has her tree up, but I did manage to get a wreath hung.  I couldn't believe it when I found this wreath, complete with our business cards!  Hee, hee. Cute, eh?

Until the hubsters gets the boxes out of the attic, I am left to what I have on hand.  What can I say?  I was bored. 

As long as I am at it, I thought I'd post some pix of a couple Christmas cookies we've done. Our recent trip to Lake Tahoe was white, white, white!  These cookies take me back - minus the flapping chains on the tires. . .

I think the trees are my favorite winter cookie, hands down.

We will be posting pix of a few orders we have for Christmas gifts coming soon.  Wait until you see these unusual "holiday cookies!"

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, She's finished with work, you know!

So many people have reason to celebrate!  My office just joined our Executive Director for dinner downtown to celebrate her last days of her working career.  What an accomplishment!  She is leaving some pretty big shoes to replace, and we will all miss her. But change is inevitable and Barbara is off to enjoy new adventures now ~ traveling, cooking and playing Grandma to her first grandchild expected within the next few weeks!

We made another champagne bucket arrangement and personalized the edible label with adjectives that described our fearless leader.

"Chateau Barbara... Sparkling Champagne with focused flavor and great balance.  Enjoy a major impression on all the senses."

I am happy to have worked under your direction for these last several years, and thank you for everything you've done to make our office a very pleasant place to call our home away from home.  A toast to you, Barbara.  May you enjoy many fun years of well-deserved retirement!

A Surprise for a Roommate

One of my daughter's college roommates is celebrating Chanukah. But she is away from home during this very special season.  Knowing how disappointed her friend is about being away from her family during Chanukah, Jessica decided to surprise her with some holiday cookies and decorations for her room. She asked us to bake some of her own favorite cookies, and then asked if we could decorate some cookies that would be appropriate for Chanukah.

Here are the cookies she gave to her roommate in appreciation for her friendship. (Oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts, and decorated sugar cookies with a hint of almond)

Best wishes for successful final exams to you both, and for an especially meaningful Chanukah celebration to Stephanie and her family!

Wishing all of our friends happy holidays with their families!

XOXO Cookies

A Taste of the Bubbly

This weekend marks the 50th Wedding Anniversary for a local couple.   They celebrated in a big way, inviting family and friends to join them for food and fun. . .  I understand the Portuguese know how to party!

Their son and his wife wanted to honor them with a personalized cookie gift. Many creative ideas were tossed around, and in the end, we created the personalized champagne bottle, complete with champagne glasses filled with 'the bubbly.'

(I couldn't resist bringing some of my own heart rocks out 

for this photo shoot. )

We have learned that the party was grand, the attendees were well-fed, and the guests of honor were delighted with the afternoon affair.  And the cookies, arranged in their very own 'champagne bucket,' were a hit, too!  
Happy Anniversary to you, from XOXO Cookies.   May you enjoy many more years of wedded bliss together!  

Fresh Eggs Coming Soon!

How fresh can you get?  

My husband and I bought our first home this month and are very excited to start expanding.  Unfortunately for our parents, expanding meant chick-ens and not child-ens! 

We hatched these cute little guys/gals in an incubator about 3 weeks ago.  They are growing very, very fast and 5 months from now they will be laying their own eggs. 

Many of the homes in our new neighborhood have chickens and some have roosters too!  After hearing the roosters crow (and not just at dawn) it has become clear that we will keep only the hens.  The problem comes if Matt's favorite (the only little red) and my favorite (the all black with buff-colored chest) turn out to be roosters.  There may be no giving them up. 

We have held off on naming them until we know for sure who is staying in the family.  One thing we do know is that all of their names will be a variety of cheese.  Cheesey yes I know, but hey - we love our food!