Dessert, From Scratch, Geeky Food, Halloween

Gideon the Ninth Skull Cookies

Posted by LM on

“Her adept said: “I’ll keep it off you. Nav, show them what the Ninth House does.” Gideon lifted her sword. The construct worked itself free of its last confines of masonry and rotten wood and heaved before them, flexing itself like a butterfly. “We do bones, motherfucker,” she said.”

Tamsyn Muir, Gideon the Ninth

Welcome back to my occasional fandom food series! I made these Gideon the Ninth inspired cookies for my friend and favorite cavalier J’s birthday.

This is very much a first attempt at this cookie design plus the “fun” of supply-chain/pandemic-related shopping issues, but I wanted to share them anyway! Hopefully I can redo them now that I have some notes.

Gideon the Ninth's skull design from Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth: a laughing skull with aviators. The Roman numeral 9 (IX) is crossed out on the skull's forehead.
Gideon the Ninth’s skull design from Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth: a laughing skull with aviators. The Roman numeral 9 (IX) is crossed out on the skull’s forehead.
A baking rack with seven cookies shaped like skulls and decorated in black and white to look like a smiling skeleton with aviators. The focus is on the two center cookies.
A baking rack with seven cookies shaped like skulls and decorated in black and white to look like a smiling skeleton with aviators. The focus is on the two center cookies.

Challenges

I had just enough corn syrup for a batch of icing, so I asked my partner to look for light corn syrup while they were getting groceries. My partner and I tried three shops, but no one had any, so I made due with my small supply.

The other issue was not having enough time to get black gel food dye–I picked up some black sparkle gel from my nemesis Wilton at a supermarket and ended up mixing it into the corn syrup icing for the sunglasses. It actually worked pretty well, but since the sparkle gel doesn’t set hard, I wouldn’t buy it again.

A baking rack with three cookies shaped like skulls and decorated in black and white to look like a smiling skeleton with aviators. The focus is on the center cookie.
A baking rack with three cookies shaped like skulls and decorated in black and white to look like a smiling skeleton with aviators. The focus is on the center cookie.

What I’d do in the future:

  • Get a new bottle of corn syrup
  • Use a black dye to ensure a good set
  • Make a smaller batch
  • Stencil the aviators even bigger–the cookie cutter has a basic skeleton

The cookies and icing are from a class I took with Jenny from Kookadadee in 2019.

A number of skull cookies on a cookie rack. The outlines of the teeth and edges have been filled in in white icing and the aviators, noses, and mouths have been filled in with black icing.
A number of skull cookies on a cookie rack. The outlines of the teeth and edges have been filled in in white icing and the aviators, noses, and mouths have been filled in with black icing.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I also cross-stitch! I altered the Cool Dude Grim Reaper pattern from Night Spirit Studios to make this Gideon piece:

A cross-stitch piece on black Aida cloth with a skeleton wearing a gray and black robe and rainbow sunglasses. They are doing finger guns and saying “We do bones, motherfucker.”
A cross-stitch piece on black Aida cloth with a skeleton wearing a gray and black robe and rainbow sunglasses. They are doing finger guns and saying “We do bones, motherfucker.” (Cross-stitch on Instagram)

It’s been awhile since I got into a new queer fandom (last one was Yuuri!!! on Ice, which I still love). It’s nice to feel excited about something explicitly queer, also! And I’m definitely not using the Locked Tomb series to explore my mid-30s gay goth/bone witch phase, haha.

Happy birthday, J!