November Cutter Club-Countdown to Cookies: A Sparkly New Year's Set

It feels surreal to say this… but we’ve officially completed a full year of our monthly cookie cutter subscription! Now with over twelve months of themes, colors, techniques, and, most importantly, baking alongside all of you. When I look back at everything we’ve created together, it truly blows me away.

Looking back at the past few months of this subscription, our most recent Winter Set stands out with its elegant cardinal and poinsettia, two designs that instantly became favorites. Just before that, our Fall Set brought all the cozy seasonal charm with apples, cider jugs, and warm autumn tones. Earlier in the season, our Halloween Set let us play with magical creatures and whimsical details that so many of you loved. Before that came our School Set, filled with playful back-to-class energy thanks to the adorable lunchbox and pencil bow. And rounding out the lineup, our Under the Sea Set carried us through the end of summer with dreamy seashells, jellyfish, and soft ocean colors.

Every collection has helped us grow, learn, and explore new decorating styles, and it’s been such a joy creating them with you.

To celebrate completing this milestone year, I wanted to create a New Year themed set that would feel special. Something festive, bold, and full of celebration energy. After sketching dozens of ideas, I landed on a set that captures the excitement of welcoming a fresh year:

• 2026 Plaque
• Alarm Clock
• Happy New Year Plaque
• New Years Party Horn
• Party Night Fireworks

These shapes were chosen to balance fun, elegance, and storytelling. The plaques give you space to practice lettering and metallic accents. The party horn adds movement and a pop of personality. The clock symbolizes the countdown moment we all look forward to. And, of course, the fireworks bring it all together, bright, festive, and joyful.

For this month, I wanted something fresh and modern, so the chosen palette is black, white,  grey, light blue, yellow and silver and golden accents. This combination lets you layer sophistication with celebration. Think shimmering gold outlines, soft grey shadows, bright pops of yellow, and icy blue details that make the whole set feel cohesive without being too predictable. It’s a palette that works perfectly for New Year and still feels versatile for other winter designs.

If you’ve been here a while, you already know I’m a Hybrid Consistency girl through and through. I know, I know, I talk about it a lot… but that’s because it truly is the most versatile and forgiving icing consistency for detailed work.

Hybrid icing allows you to flood and detail without switching between bowls or worrying about lines disappearing. For this set, it’s especially helpful when outlining plaques, building clock details, and adding little touches without the icing spreading too much.

Whether you’re a seasoned decorator or still getting comfortable with royal icing, hybrid consistency gives you more control and smoother finishes, and I love that for all of us.

With this set in particular, the hybrid consistency really added up when I was decorating the fireworks cookie. You'll see on the video below that the little burst details really needed  the consistency in order for them not to spread and blend together. 

Tip: When you’re testing your icing, a quick way to check consistency is with the “10-second rule.” Run a knife through your bowl of icing, if the line disappears in about 10 seconds, you’re close to a perfect hybrid consistency. For stiff icing, the line should hold much longer and the icing should feel like thick toothpaste when stirred.

For a better understanding of icing consistencies refer to this blog here. We also have a very thorough online class here. 

If you are comfortable cutting and piping/flooding with tipless bags, go for it! If you prefer tips I would recommend a #1 or #1.5 tip for details and outlines , and a #2 or 2.5 for flooding.

I used this beige marker for sketching out the sections and designs of the cookies. This is very helpful to keep everything straight and spatially correct. You can always use a mini projector to do this as well.

Below you will find step by step instructions for all the cookies. Followed by a video on how to decorate the 2026 Plaque and another one on how to decorate the Party Night Fireworks one. Feel free to have fun! Use different colors, or different techniques. Let your creativity shine if you want!

As we wrap up this first full year of our cookie cutter subscription, I can’t help but get excited about what’s coming next. Every set we’ve created together has helped shape what this subscription has become, and I’m already dreaming up new themes, new challenges, and new designs for the year ahead. There’s something really special about watching this little monthly idea grow into a community of decorators who learn, experiment, and create right alongside me.

Looking ahead, I want to continue choosing designs that inspire you, shapes that are fun, shapes that push your creativity, and shapes that work for all skill levels. I’m exploring fresh themes, new color palettes, and techniques we haven’t played with yet, and I can’t wait to bring you along for all of it. But more than anything, I want your feedback. I’d love to hear what themes you’re most excited to see next year, which sets from this past year were your favorites, and what parts of this subscription you enjoy the most. Your input is what helps guide each new set and keeps this subscription growing in the right direction.

Thank you for being here, for supporting this project, and for decorating month after month with so much enthusiasm. It truly means the world. Here’s to another year full of cookies, creativity, and all the fun designs we’ll create together. 

I would love to hear what you think of this set and see your cookies! You can post a pic and leave a review on the product page. It makes me so happy to see your cookies when they are completed!!

And for the Countdown...

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

Happy New Year and Happy Baking!

xo Hillary