Saturday afternoon I got a new client inquiry that I really didn’t want to refuse: a last-minute order for 100 logo cookies for a large tech company. With delivery scheduled first thing Wednesday morning, and with family plans on Sunday, can Freddie pull through and help me get this order done?
Saturday afternoon I got a new client inquiry that I really didn’t want to refuse: a last-minute order for 100 logo cookies for a large tech company. With delivery scheduled first thing Wednesday morning, and with family plans on Sunday, I realized I’d only have Monday and Tuesday to complete the order. All the same, I accepted the order and they paid immediately, excited that despite procrastinating on hiring a baker for weeks, they’d found one willing to take them on last-minute.
Thankfully, I’ve been bulk-batching dough ahead of the busy season, so I already had plenty of dough available to bake up. I assumed with a long Monday, I’d get the cookies baked and iced by hand, leaving just printing for Tuesday. But I also had a meeting scheduled with Primera Monday to trouble shoot an issue with Freddie that I didn’t want to put off.
Getting Freddie Back in the Game
I’ll admit, I was nervous. When I tried to use Freddie for his first order, I got a Y Motor Stall error. It was Labor Day, the error wasn’t in the manual, Primera was closed, and I couldn’t figure out how to clear it, so I had to hand-pipe the cookies instead. I wanted to get Freddie back up and running, so I kept my meeting with Primera, and Mitch (the Freddie expert) walked me through the fix: manually moving the bar to the opposite front corner of home position. Simple, and Freddie was back in action.
During our call, Mitch also cleared up something important: icing consistency. Primera has been suggesting a 15-second consistency, but they’ve learned from users that’s far too thin. The new sweet spot? 20–35 seconds. Another Freddie owner recommended 30, so I prepped mine for around 25 seconds—and for the first time ever, my calibration worked on the first try.
Freddie Finds His Rhythm
With Freddie dialed in, I ran a test on a square cookie, and it came out beautifully. So, I decided to let him take on as much of the order as possible.
What followed was a surprisingly smooth rhythm:
Freddie flooded cookies.
I gave them a quick shake to settle the icing.
Onto trays they went, ready to dry
At one point, I thinned the icing slightly, and to my delight, Freddie’s “settling dance” eliminated the need for shaking altogether. I also tweaked some settings:
Distance to Edge → .02 for a clean, close finish.
Outline Stop Offset → reduced to prevent icing tails.
Flood Stop Outline → increased to fix icing gaps.
Relative Icing Amount → reduced to 95% for fuller, cleaner floods.
These small tweaks made a big difference and showed me that once calibration is set, it’s better to adjust nodes/settings than start recalibrating from scratch.
Freddie and I got into a groove, and he iced 63 cookies before I got a Z home error that I could not fix (Mitch had already gone home for the day and his manager was unavailable to help). So, I finished the order by hand, but since I was using 30 cookies that were stashed in my freezer from previous orders, I only really needed to hand pipe seven cookies. Overall, I was thrilled.
Eddie Takes the Stage
After letting the cookies dry overnight, it was Eddie’s turn. Using my trusty Sassy trays, I tested colors on Freddie’s test square cookie. I was worried the surface might not be flat and uniform enough for Eddie, but every print came out crisp and clean—no blurs, no smudges.
By Tuesday afternoon, the logos were printed, the cookies were packaged, and on Wednesday morning, the order was out the door.
The Results: Perfection
When I delivered the cookies, the client (a first-time customer!) raved about how perfect they were. That feedback alone made the learning curve, the troubleshooting, and the experiments with Freddie worth it. My key takeaways from this first order:
Icing Consistency Matters: 20–35 seconds is the new recommended range. Around 23-25 seconds provided the best results for me, but I know other Freddie owners who swear by 30-35.
Calibration Isn’t Everything: Once icing is calibrated, adjust settings like Outline Stop Offset, Flood Stop Outline, and Relative Icing Amount instead of re-calibrating pressures.
Efficiency Gains: Freddie can flood faster and more evenly than hand-piping or dipping, with a thicker and more consistent finish.
Eddie Compatibility: Flooded cookies from Freddie were flat and uniform enough for flawless edible ink printing.
Expect a Learning Curve: Errors like clogs or calibration issues will arise, but troubleshooting quickly builds confidence in the machine’s capabilities.
I’m looking forward to many more bakes, floods, and prints with my new frosting-and-printing dream team! Hopefully soon I’ll get an order to make a custom cookie cutter with Cookie Design Lab to 3D print so I can pair CDL with Freddie and Eddie!
First time at the blog? Welcome! My techy husband and I - the baker wife - are the duo behind Cookie Design Lab - the premier web app for creating custom cookie cutters with absolutely no experience (it was made for me, so I know!). Cookie Design Lab lets you drop in any image, picture, or word and instantly make a STL file to 3D print cookie cutters at home. You can also make stamps and embossers. Plus we have unique features like background removal and a library. See CDL in action in our YouTube channel, explore our website and FAQs, and email us at [email protected] for a free one week trial!