I'm calling on the all the cookie experts!

I know everyone has a different taste in what they like to use best. I just need feeback on what ya'll can't live without in the "cookie baking" world?!?!?

I'm wanting to get started making the famous "sugar cookie with beautiful icing". I need help as to know what are the most helpful tools to buy to get started making and selling them.

Like what type of rolling pin can make all the cookies the same thickness? Tips for icing cookies, like what size tips? Do I need a Kitchen Aid mixer?

Anything anyone can help me with would be great.

Hi there and welcome to CC!!!!
In order to make the royal icing, you definately will need a Kitchen Aid mixer. You turn it on and let that baby go for about 10 minutes. Not to mention how much easier it is to make the cookies with it. I just LOVE my KA!!!!!

I'm no expert, but I got the colored bands that fit on a rolling pin to help roll dough out to the same size. I'm using them for the first time today when I attempt to make some valentine's day cookies.

I don't have a Kitchen aide, or any stand mixer, but my mom and mil have them. My mil has actually loaned hers to me and I'm in love. Trying to score one from Craigslist for cheap b/c money is tight and I'm having too much fun with the cake stuff.

I'm sure others will post as they day gets going.

Good luck!

The single most helpful cookie tool(s) that I have in my stash would have to be a little thing I picked up at ICES last year and I am so sorry I don't remember who made them. Quite simply they are strips of wood about 18" long that you roll your cookie dough out in between. They came in several thicknesses for different uses. Vadavoom---vadabing...you get perfect thickness and consistent each and every time. I have heard others use things like rulers or even hitting good ol' Home Dep#t for some 1/4" flat molding would work too.
I look forward to other responses as I would love to play with cookie more!

it sounds like, maybe, a doboard. I did a search the word doboard on cc and below is what I came up with. It sounds like this may be the wood strip thing you were talking about to roll the dough evenly.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-614182-doboard.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-51071-doboard.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-14526-doboard.html
http://forum.cakecentral.com/dobord-for-999-ftopicp-6234257.html#6234257

My most important tool when I make cookies is a big stack of parchment triangles for making icing bags. I use royal icing, and like using LOTS of color, even if it's only a little bit of each color. So I make up quite a few parchment bags and half-bags and I'm a happy camper. I can also use them to line cookie sheets if I run out of parchment paper on the roll (it's happened).

I'm pretty good at eyeballing the thickness of cookies, so for me it's more important that I have a pin that I can roll out a large amount of dough with at a time, so that the dough doesn't become tough from being worked too much. I splurged on a really wide SilPin non-stick rolling pin, and oh, what a difference!

Deanna

I use the colored bands, but am thinking to try the wood strips. I would suggest Americolor for your coloring. You theoretically don't need as much as Wilton and the taste is supposed to be better. I like pastry bags, but I know others here love plastic squeeze bottles, so that is up to you. A 'must have' for me is the lighter weight template plastic you can get at Joanne's in the quilting section. I do a lot of my own designs and I use this to make my own templates (use a fine tip Exact-O to cut out your chilled dough). If I have a lot of a certain original design cookie to do or if the shape is going to be to time-intensive to cut out fo the number I need, I make a cookie cutter out of 26 guage stainless steel I get from Joe at Speedy Metals (866-938-6061). That's a 'must have' for me as it isn't so easy to find foodsafe metal for cutters.

Hands down though the biggest 'must have' is Antonia74's RI recipe that you can find here on CC. I couldn't do without it!

Have fun and welcome to the club!

I am still pretty much a newbie myself and I have found out that one of the basic is plenty of cookie sheets. I have two boys (10 and 13) who always want to help me cut and I was running out of cookie sheets quickly. Also I use the tips number 2 and 3 a bunch for outlining before I fill with Antonia74's RI. I use plastic bottles to fill with so I have a bunch of them also. Also I have the couplers to help me change tips when I need to. I may think of some other things as I work on my own cookies here in a little bit. Just remember this one thing - This is VERY addictive!!!!

I always have a large supply of disposable decorating bags on hand. I also love my Americolor gels, and I recently bought a Dobord and love it! I used the rings before, which worked pretty good. But I hadn't realized until using the Dobord how much time I spent rolling and rolling, trying to get the dough to a "perfect" thickness. My icing of choice is a modified version of Toba's Glace. I like being able to make a small amount or large amount of icing, depending on what I need. Less waste this way! My advice is to experiment with different recipes and icings. You'll find what works best for you.

Things I can't live without.

Roulpat or silpats
Americolor gels
Wilton no taste red gel(for making red icing)
Wilton #2 tips
squeeze bottles with changable tips
simple french(straight sides)rolling pin
good cookie sheets(I love the aluminum insulated)
Oxo thin and flexible cookie spatulas
Lots and lots of cookie cutters!
NFSC recipe and Antonia's Icing recipe found here on this site!

I use all of the above forementioned items and one of the most important for me is stackable drying racks. I have purchased them from Wilton, Pampered Chef, Crate and barrel-I have about 40 of them. I couldn't do large orders without them!

Wow! Thanks so much for all the wonderful tips and ideas. I was a bit over stimulated when trying to figure out what I needed to start with first?

I've looked at some of y'alls cookie pics and WOW, simply goregous cookies! I'm a pretty crafty person by nature so, I'm hoping that jumping into cookie baking isn't going to be a nightmare for me.

I've saved the NFSC and Antonia74 recipes! I guess I need to scout out Ebay and find me a gently used KA mixer and give it a try.

Thanks again y'all.

Ashley!

Oh, one more thing... a new knee high stocking! Try not to laugh, but that has saved me from pulling my hair out more than once! I like to use small tips (PME 0 and 00) and they can easily clog (you might find this with a 1 as well). You take the new knee high, wash it in dish soap, rinsing very thoroughly and dry it. Put this over a tall glass, pulling the excess over the top so you can easily access the bottom of the stocking. Pour your RI in, twist the top, then put a piece of plastic wrap around that area to protect your hand from any icing as you squeeze the RI through. The stocking catches those little bits that would clog your small tips and makes life SO much easier! I can't tell you how much hair I lost at 2 a.m. while trying to pipe before I tried this!

Yup!! #2 and #3 tips, piping bags, squeeze bottles (just tried this for the first time, and I'm sold!!), Americolor colors, LOTS of cutters and cookie sheets, and parchment paper.

A lot depends on what type of icing you are going to use. Royal Icing affords a little more flexibility, like you can make stars and things. Personally I think a glace tastes better.

All of the suggestions so far are going to make your life easier. If you have a great sugar cookie recipe, that's the most important thing. I like the NFSC recipe, and it (or slight variations of it) is very popular here. Having a consistent thickness is also important to make pretty cookies. I would love a doboard, but am running out of room with all of the other supplies I have for this addictive hobby! I roll out my dough on a silpat mat and place parchment paper on top (of the dough). For guides to make a regular thickness, I use Home Depot paint stirrers which I cover with plastic wrap. They are 1/4" ...and free! If I'm making cookies on sticks for a bouquet I use 3/8" x 24" wood strips from Home Depot. I wrap them in plastic wrap as well. As others have mentioned, Antonia 74's RI is a great icing. When I started out, I went to Michael's and bought a 100 piece plastic cookie cutter set and used my 40% coupon. It has many of the basic shapes to practice with, or just pick up some basic metal cookie cutters as you see them. Hope this helps, and happy baking!

I don't want to steel this topic, but I was wondering if someone could tell me if you can flavor Antonia's RI? I have made it before, but my kids do not care for the taste. Can it be flavored and if so what's the best way? TIA

I use Antonia74 RI all the time and I flavor it with clear vanilla every time. My boys (10 and 13) like it this way. I put 2 TBSP in the recipe. I know that sounds like a bunch but we tried it and that is the amount we like best. I have not had any complaints from other people and they all say they like it!

Great thank you so much.

Answer to Alagoas along with a hint - I roll my dough out with a layer of freezer paper on the bottom and plastic wrap on the top. Chill it, flip it, veery lightly brush with flour and flip back (this helps the dough to come off easily after being cut). I have found the freezer paper is enough of a barrier before I cut it on my glass top table. I have never had a mark, but you might want to try two layers of freezer paper or perhaps a cutting board underneath, just in case.

lots of great tips, have to look into a doboard!

My first "must have" is this rolling pin from Karen's Cookies:

http://www.karenscookies.net/shop//baking-supplies/smart-rolling-pin/prod_94.html