Arts
Too good to eat!
Multi-coloured mermaid tails, with gold detailing and cookies influenced by just anything and everything – TV shows, movies and books. Lotsa Dough’s custom cookies have something for everyone, although you might feel eating them is a shame since they look so beautiful. Simply not just cookies, Lotsa Dough creates edible art.
Space cookies
Lotsa Dough started seven years ago when aunt and niece duo, Ruvi Johnpillai-Forbes and Vihanga Mendis pooled their creative talents. They had completed a Wilton icing course and scrolling through Pinterest, Ruvi was mesmerised by the beautiful cookie designs she saw there.
“Vihanga had just finished her A’ Levels and is one of the most absolutely creative people I know. I was ‘let’s do this, let’s do cookies’ and I grabbed her for a Christmas pop up sale. Throwing ourselves into the deep end, we did 450 cookies at one go,” says Ruvi relating how it all started. The response was such, they continued, improving their skills to where they are today as a well-known custom cookie making team.
The most common base they use is vanilla almond mix, since they find the white cookie base is the perfect canvas for them to work their magic on. The royal icing used to create their designs is made of icing sugar, meringue powder and water. They also use fondant and actually paint on the cookies for specific deigns. Their minimum order for cookies is 10 large cookies (88 millimetres in diameter) or 15 medium cookies (78 millimetres).
Vihanga Mendis, Ruvi Johnpillai-Forbes and Vinu Mendis (behind)
The cookies can vary in price as it mostly depends on the design requested, as more complex designs cost more but they come upwards of Rs 350. Lotsa Dough will create any design you have in mind provided they are tasteful, they smile.
A single standard sized cookie will take 30 to 40 minutes, from the baking to the finished product and they usually make a maximum of 30 cookies a day, so it is easy to see that each cookie which can be eaten in less than 30 seconds is created with a lot of love and effort.
“Ruvi has a degree in fashion design, and that creative interest and skill is genetically shared by Vihanga also, because they are aunt and niece.
They “click” because they have similar interests,” says Vinu Mendis, Ruvi’s sister and Vihanga’s mother who handles the front end of Lotsa Dough. Vihanga who has an English Degree from the University of Colombo, enjoys unleashing her creativity through cookies.
“I don’t have a particular favourite design or batch of cookies, but the cookies I’ve enjoyed working on most are the ones where I’ve been given free rein (in terms of the designs that need to go on them). Quite a few of our clients send us reference pictures and they want us to try and replicate them exactly or with just a few minor changes. I do understand that it’s part of the job since we are basically making “customised cookies”, but I personally don’t enjoy trying to copy someone else’s design.
It really makes me happy when a client is satisfied with my sketches and trusts that I’ll be able to create something special for them that goes with their theme. One of my favourite orders was a last minute one that a bride-to-be wanted to give her friend who organised her hen party. She didn’t really have a specific design in mind, so I suggested a cookie in the shape of a hen. It sounds a bit odd, but she liked the idea and the sketch I sent her, and the cookie (thankfully) came out really well,” says Vihanga.
Their families are supportive, helping them as best they can – Vihanga’s sister shares Lotsa Dough’s posts on Instagram and lets everyone know when the next pop up sale is while the name Lotsa Dough was coined by Vihanga’s brother. Her grandparents always make it a point to come to the pop up sales and support as best as they can, Vihanga adds.
The making of an angel cookie. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Visit their Instagram page to see their beautiful creations on https://instagram.com/lotsa_dough?igshid=1meyn9o2zxww6 or call Vinu on 0714301290 to order your customised cookies. Look out for Lotsa Dough during the Cake Convention that is being organised by Reema Siraj at the BMICH on November 3.
Harry Potter graduation cookies
Floral stamped cookies