First off I want to say that I LOVED this class! It’s hard to go wrong when cookies are involved, but when the cookies are delicious and almost too adorable to eat (see the previous point) it’s a win.
The Teacher
Jessica was an amazing teacher and coached us through her methods and process, while at the same time giving us the space to explore our own creativity. It was less “you must do it my way,” and more “put your own spin on the way I’m doing it!” Jessica let us go at our own pace and towards the end of class, she walked those of us who were interested through more advanced techniques. She was also such a genuinely nice person! After I broke one of my margarita cookies (even though she warned us over and over again to be careful because the neck of them was fragile) she just handed me an extra and showed me how to “glue” the broken one back together so I could decorate them both.
The Setting
Paper Craft Pantry is always a wonderful setting for a class. Their new space is beautiful and has PLENTY of parking which is great. Each of our stations was set with everything we needed to make two of each cookie design and we each had a booklet with recipes and tips and tricks. Jessica had even decorated chili pepper shaped cookies with our names on them as our place cards! Per usual, Paper Craft Panty provided rose for sipping, but instead of their usual salty and sweet snacks, Jessica had brought handmade circus animal cookies for nibbling.
The Class
Jessica gave each of us a full booklet with recipes and tips, down to her favorite cookie cutter websites. She walked us through it and even made a batch of icing in front of us so we could see the right consistencies for each type of decorating. They also included a practice page to work on piping different types of lines that are needed for decorating (Pro-tip: she had us put parchment paper over the page so that we could practice over and over without making a mess).
After our practice piping we dove into decorating. We had two of each cookie shape: margarita, taco, and a chip in a bowl of guac, to practice on. On the first cookie of each design, Jessica walked us through her process and the steps required for the perfect outlining, icing flooding, and layering. On the second cookie we had free reign as she walked around answering questions and showing advanced techniques.