Day of the dead cookie decorating ideas 2021

Recently I have been thinking that sometimes we waste our time trying to fix the things we simply cannot fix. We should instead let things be and enjoy the moments that we spend with family and friends.  

In particular these couple of years have been very hard for so many. It has been so sad to lose so many friends and family members so unexpectedly. So this Day of the Dead I want to remember each one of them and thank them for the laughter and the special moments we shared with them.

I have had the opportunity to participate in various Day of Dead festivals and it brings me so much joy to share these traditions.

The first one I participated in was abut 15 years ago, and it seems that it was just yesterday.  My friend and I set up a huge altar in a history museum. It was so beautiful and my mom brought a lot of sugar skulls and alfeñiques all the way from Mexico. I really appreciate her effort in traveling with all of that, I wish I could still have all of the things she brought me. One of the things we still have are a couple of paper mache skeletons. 

I recently was invited to showcase my creations in another Day of the Dead festivals. I didn't have too much time to decorate many cookies, but my husband gave me the idea to sell Pan de Muerto. This bread is one of the most important elements of the Altar. This bread is eaten in the cemeteries at the gravesite or placed as a tribute called an ofrenda.

We LOVE Pan de Muerto, it is a very soft sweetened round bun, (similar to brioche) often decorated with bone-shaped phalange pieces. It is flavored with orange blossom water and anis de estrella (anise) and after it comes out of the oven it is sprinkled with sugar. In our house we normally pair it with hot Mexican chocolate. 

Here are some pictures of the event, the PYO cookies and the DIY cookie kits were a hit. The weather was perfect for an outside event and we were super happy to share some of our traditions. 

I was especially proud to help families have a memorable moment through their cookie creations or enjoying a delicious Pan de Muerto. 

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