Cookie wedding favors are popular treats, but not every cookie is suitable. Use these tips to select, decorate, and present cookie favors regardless of skill level.
Cookie Wedding Favors: Choosing Flavors
In general, large, thin cookies tend to be more fragile and are a poor choice for wedding favors. Chunky cookies, such as oatmeal raisin or chocolate chunk, are not easily decorated. Shortbread or sugar cookies are the most popular selections because of their universal appeal and the ability to be elaborately decorated. Gingerbread, molasses, and other flat cookies are also convenient choices.
Many couples choose their favorite cookies as favors, whether that is chocolate chip, peanut butter, or cinnamon, any of which is a delicious treat. Couples should be considerate of their guests, however, and note any allergies or food preferences that detract from the cookies' appeal. If possible, provide several varieties to insure that each guest can enjoy a cookie. If diabetes is a concern for either family, using a sugar substitute (available in grocery stores) is a considerate recipe adaptation unlikely to compromise taste.
Choosing a heirloom recipe for cookie favors is a sentimental touch that adds "something old" to the celebration. To insure that guests understand the recipe's significance, attach printed recipe cards to the favor. This allows guests to recreate the recipe at home, rekindling the spirit and caring of the celebration throughout the year.
Many cultures promote traditional cookie flavors for wedding treats. Italian, Mexican, and Spanish traditions incorporate specific cookies into the festivities, and using those flavors for wedding favors increases their significance. If the cookies are not palatable to both the bride and groom, however, consider selecting a different flavor or using several cultural cookies to honor each heritage.
Fortune cookies are a popular wedding choice, and they are easy to bake with a bit of practice. Create customized fortune slips with the wedding date, a brief sentiment, or witty wedding-related trivia to fold into the cookies. When baking, only do a few cookies at a time, because as the dough cools it stiffens quickly and will crack or break when folded. To retain the cookies' shape during cooling, gently place them points-down in muffin tins or coffee mugs.
Miniature cookies are another unique choice. Tiny cookies in different flavors can be baked more easily than larger, elaborate varieties, and several cookies can be bundled together for a tasty favor. This works well with chocolate chip and other cookies that do not frost well, or for couples who feel their decorative skills are not up to the challenge of elaborate cookies.
Cookie Wedding Favors: Decorations
The cookie's shape is the first decorative consideration. Shortbread, sugar, and other rolled cookies are easily cut into festive shapes, including bridal couples, hearts, a wedding cake, or bells. For a theme wedding, cookie cutters are available in a wide variety of shapes such as cowboy boots, stars, shamrocks, snowflakes, and seashells.
Cool cookies completely before decorating or the warmth will liquefy the frosting. The frosting base should be pale, such as white, yellow, green, pink, or blue. Icing colors can be custom blended to match the wedding colors for details, such as writing names, the wedding date, initials, or other short sentiments on the cookie. Gold and silver sprinkles, called dragees, are tiny balls that make perfect embellishments for elegant favors. Edible flowers, candies, toasted coconut, or miniature chocolate chips also make great decorations.
To create elaborate designs, food coloring pens and edible paints allow the designer to draw directly on the icing. This saves time and reduces stress, especially with dozens of cookies to decorate. It is also possible to dye white chocolate or frosting to pipe onto the cookies, though this technique requires considerably greater skill.
Cookie Wedding Favors: Presentation
Wedding favors are usually positioned at each place setting, though a centralized basket of cookies can be attractive and effective. For a creative touch that insures they are noticed, consider printing guests' names on the cookies for delicious place cards. Cookies can be placed on individual plates or arranged around a table's centerpiece to be integrated into the overall décor. For a more elaborate favor, different size cookies can be stacked and iced to resemble tiny wedding cakes.
There are several ways to package individual cookies. Plastic wrap is a convenient and inexpensive option and is easily secured with a sticker or personalized label. Using a hair dryer to melt the plastic wrap is another way to keep it secure, but take care not to use a high setting that might taint the cookies.
Cookies can be packaged in attractive containers such as tins, take-out boxes, or sturdy glassine envelopes. Cookies should lie flat within the container and be well cushioned with tissue if necessary to minimize breakage. Cloth bags are not recommended, because guests may not recognize what is in the bag and could unwittingly destroy the cookie before opening the package. Personalized ribbons, a sprig of flowers, wedding charm, or other accents complete the presentation.
Cookie Wedding Favors: Non-Baking Options
If baking is not your forte or there isn't enough time to prepare the necessary quantity of favors, there are several ways to use cookies without turning on the oven. Store-bought cookies can be just as tasty as homemade varieties, and many bakeries are willing to create undecorated cookies in bulk that the couple can personalize and package themselves. Even manufactured varieties, such as Oreos or Chips Ahoy cookies, make tasty favors with wide guest appeal.
A more elaborate option is to prepare jars of cookie mix rather than baking individual cookies. Layer dry ingredients in a jar and attach a recipe card with baking instructions and additional ingredients. This works best when the ingredients vary in texture and color, such as oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and other items. A festive ribbon, personalized label, and decorative cover complete the package for a rustic, charming favor. Cookie cutters, wooden utensils, or measuring spoons make clever accents as well. These favors can be quite time-consuming and expensive, however, and are more appropriate for intimate celebrations.
Whether you are an experienced chef or a novice baker with a hefty sweet tooth, cookie wedding favors are a delicious and unique alternative to classic trinkets. From elaborately decorated masterpieces to bundles of bites to nostalgic mixes, cookie favors vividly demonstrate how the bride and groom are sweet on one another.
