Have Some Cake

Christmas: Edmonton, AB (9/12)

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

On top of a kitchen countertop is a baking sheet with fresh, holiday-shaped sugar cookies. Surrounding the baking sheet are bowls and piping bags of icing and smaller bowls of candies.

Standing behind the countertop is Kailer Yamamoto, with Stuart Skinner to his left and Jesse Puljujärvi to his right. All three of them have their own holiday sweaters on; Kailer wears an elf hat while Stuart and Jesse wear scarves.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for joining me to decorate these lovely cookies!" Kailer beams up at them.

Stuart shoots him a smirk. "Of course, Yams! Anytime!"

Jesse gazes at the colourful decorating options with glimmering eyes. "There so many colors and candies!" he exclaims in his Finnish accent. He picks up a blue candy button from the bowl of candy buttons near him.

Kailer scowls at him. "Ah-ah-ah, not yet! Put that down!" He smacks his hand, causing him to drop the button back into its bowl.

The small skater then relaxes his expression and holds his hands out to the baking sheet. "Now, here are the cookies." He then brings his hands out to the nearest bowl and piping bags. "And this is the royal icing."

Stuart has a slightly irritated look at him. "I think we know that—"

"BUT!" He holds up a piping bag. "This is the thick royal icing, perfect for outlining and drawing out designs. And this—" He puts down the bag and stirs the nearest bowl of icing with a spoon. "—is for coloring in the cookies."

The goalie's face drops. "Okay. Now that I didn't know."

Jesse points to the bowl of button candies with a growing grin. "And candies for decorating?"

Kailer nods at him. "Yes, you can use the candies to decorate! Simply place them on the wet icing or use the icing to glue them to the dried icing."

Jesse screws up his face with closed eyes. "Icing dries?"

"Yes, that's what royal icing does. It hardens in seconds." He then takes a nearby cup of water, pours a bit into a bowl of icing, and stirs it.

Jesse gazes at the blending mixture with understanding. "Ohhh...okay...!"

"Well—" Kailer drops the spoon into its place and whirls to the two. "Let's get decorating!"

The three take their desired holiday-shaped sugar cookies.

Kailer inspects the candy cane-shaped cookie in his possession. "This should be delightful." He grabs the red and white piping bags then carefully outlines the candy cane, alternating with the red and white icing.

"Can I have the white?" he hears Stuart ask from his left.

Kailer peers up at him, holding the white piping nozzle over his cookie. "For what?"

"For my snowman." He points to the snowman-shaped cookie lying in front of him. "Snowmen are white."

"Use the thin royal icing." Kailer reaches out and pushes the bowl of white icing to him.

"Ah, okay!" Stuart pulls the bowl next to his cookie. He then gazes at his cookie. Then looks back at the icing. "Hmmm..."

"Just dip the front in the bowl if you want it completely white," he hears Kailer comment.

He nods. "Okay..."

Stuart takes his cookie in one hand, gripping the edges against his fingertips. He lowers it into the bowl gradually. The cookie makes contact with the surface before plopping into the mixture.