Josie Christen, a senior at Westminster is well-known for her immaculate cookie creations. It all started at a Christmas cookie exchange two years ago. Inspired by pictures online, Josie decided to attempt to make them herself. After her successful beginning, she now makes them whenever she has an opportunity.

“I make them for holidays, family events, and occasionally some for fun. I also put them in bags with a ribbon to give to friends at school,” said Josie.

The two day process begins with her making vanilla cut-out cookies. When she first started making them Josie used a pre-made Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, but now she makes them from scratch. The first day is just making the dough and cutting out the cookies. The second day is where she makes the icing and decorates the finished cookies. Josie uses a special kind of icing called “royal icing” which is made of meringue powder, water, and powdered sugar. After making the icing she adds whatever color food coloring necessary.

“The whole process of making and decorating them takes between seven and eight hours,” said Josie. “Thankfully, I’m a pretty laid-back person because the process takes a lot of patience.”

While Josie has many cookie shapes and sizes, some of her more well-known shapes are her Blue Notes and her RV campers.

The people who enjoy Josie’s cookies the most are her friends. It is always a nice surprise to receive a delicious treat at the beginning of a long day. Josie’s list of people to bake for has continued to grow as more and more people have tried her cookies.

“They are so good my brother asks when she will make more!” said Macey Lottmann, senior.

Everyone agrees Josie’s cookies are good enough to sell, but she has only let people buy them on a few occasions. Because the process is so time consuming, it isn’t worth it to try and start a business through her cookies. Also, making them is something that Josie has a talent for, and she shares this with her friends and family members without expecting anything in return.