Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

Since I had sent all of my sugar cookies to my Desserts for the Deserving recipient, I knew I wanted to make the recipe again since many of my friends and family missed out on the deliciousness that was this cookie.  At first, I had planned on making a tray for my 4th of July party, but then I decided to kick things up a notch.  I hadn't worked with icing in a while, so I wanted to give these cookies a little something extra special by turning them into cookie sandwiches.  There's nothing more wonderful than buttercream frosting sandwiched between two chewy cookies.  Here's the technique I used to create these 4th of July treats.


I baked the cookies as I normally do, and added some red and blue sprinkles to fit the theme.  I highly recommend using an ice cream scoop to make sure the cookies are the same size.  This way, your sandwiches will look nice and neat.

My favorite part of these sandwich cookies is the design I used in the icing.  I used red and blue lines to create the red, white, and blue swirl.  To do this, paint a line of gel food coloring on opposite ends of your piping bag.  It helps to keep the bag propped in a cup as a stand.  Now, when I spoon frosting into my bag, despite trying to be as neat as possible I always get the frosting EVERYWHERE.  All over the outside of the bag, flowing out of the top of the bag, just a huge mess.  I did not want to mess up my carefully painted lines, so I placed the painted bag upright in a cup, and then used a second (non-disposable) bag to pipe the frosting into the painted bag.  The extra step may seem unnecessary but it keeps your food gel from smearing all over the bag so you have beautiful lines painted throughout your icing swirl.


To make the swirl (otherwise known as a rose), start in the center of your cookie, squeeze your bag, and continue outwards in a swirl.  It's such a pretty technique and honestly, it's pretty impossible to mess up.  

This is a recipe that needs to be in your dessert rotation.  The cookies on their own are fabulous - they're chewy and absolutely melt in your mouth.  Sandwich some buttercream frosting between the two cookies and you have a fun and delicious dessert!  Even though these cookie sandwiches were 4th of July themed, I wanted to share the recipe because the colors and flavors of the frosting can be adapted to fit any party theme.  This is certainly a dessert I will be making again and again.  I just cannot get enough of these cookies!


Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
Yield: about 12 sandwich cookies
Prep time: 1 hour
Bake time: 10 min 


Ingredients
For the sugar cookies

-     2 ½ c flour
-     ¼ c cornstarch
-     ¾ tsp baking soda
-     ½ tsp salt
-     1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
-     1 ¼ c sugar
-     2 tsp vanilla extract
-     1 egg, room temperature
-     ½ c nonpareil or jimmie sprinkles

For the buttercream frosting

- 1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 c vegetable shortening
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 c confectioner's sugar
- 3/4 tbsp meringue powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tbsp water (may use more or less depending on consistency)

Directions
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

 In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar.  Add in the vanilla extract and egg and beat until combined.  Add in the flour mixture about 1 cup at a time, and combine completely after each addition.  Fold in the sprinkles and stir once or twice to incorporate, no more than that or else the color will bleed into the dough.

 Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, setting the cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, checking often and remove once the outside edges are just starting to turn a golden brown.  Remove immediately from oven at this point and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes.  Allow to finish cooling on a wire rack.

To make the icing, combine butter and vegetable shortening in a large mixing bowl until creamy.  Add vanilla extract and salt.  Add the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time and incorporate completely after each addition.   The icing will appear dry after adding all of the sugar.  Add the meringue powder.

Add milk and beat until light and fluffy, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Scoop into piping bag affixed with desired tip and add water as necessary to make the icing easy to pipe.

To assemble the cookie sandwiches, pair up the cookies by size. Pipe or spoon icing onto bottom of one cookie and sandwich together with the second, same size cookie.

Cookies adapted from: Tasty Kitchen

4 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 10:01 PM

How-to Make Decorative Cookie Bags

After posting about my funfetti cookies and my Desserts for the Deserving experience, I received a few inquires about how I was going to ship these cookies.  I shared how I shipped a batch of decorated sugar cookies here, but because the funfetti sugar cookies are hardier than decorated sugar cookies, I came up with an easier way to ship the cookies without using so much packaging.  All you'll need are packing peanuts, a large box, packing tape, scissors, ribbons, and cellophane bags.

Don't have cellophane bags?  That's exactly what happened to me the other day....

I was gathering my materials to ship my funfetti sugar cookies to my Desserts for the Deserving nominee when I realized I was missing the bags!  I had the box, packing peanuts, tape, scissors, ribbons - everything I needed to pack and ship these cookies except for the cellophane bags!  My mom suggested just using regular sandwich bags, but I wanted to dress the cookies up a bit since they were being sent as a gift.  Plus, there was no way I was going to the store for one thing.  So, I improvised.

I grabbed some of the extra long sandwich bags

Cut off the tops

Placed the cookies inside

And tied them up with some pretty ribbon!  Voila!

I then put a single layer of packing peanuts on the bottom of the box, spaced out my bags on top, and put extra packing peanuts in between and on top of the bags.  If you're shipping regular cookies, like sugar, oatmeal, or chocolate chip cookies, this is a simple and pretty way to package them.  If you're shipping decorated sugar cookies, however, I would use the link above to make sure your designs don't get ruined!

They may not be as pretty as regular cellophane bags, but they still get the job done.  It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a roll of cellophane at home either, since you can make bags and gift wraps of all sizes!  Hope this little trick helps!  What tips and tricks do you have for shipping?

4 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 7:55 PM

Funfetti Sugar Cookies for Desserts for the Deserving

A few weeks ago, I was able to have the opportunity to be part of a fantastic project.  Amanda over at I Am Baker, along with some other fabulous ladies, asked for volunteers to help with the second Desserts for the Deserving.  This project asked people to nominate someone in their lives who could benefit from a random act of kindness.  Once nominated, Amanda searched for volunteers who would be paired up with a nominee.  I immediately jumped at the opportunity to be part of such a lovely cause, and was assigned to a woman from Virginia.  This woman was nominated by her granddaughter, and I immediately fell in love with her story (not to mention, she has the same name as my grandmother).  Without going into too much detail, the granddaughter mentioned that she wants to do something to, "brighten her day," and I immediately thought of the perfect cookies.  Funfetti sugar cookies - what could brighten someone's day more than a soft, sugar cookie filled with rainbow sprinkles?  Since I don't know this woman's tastes, I also felt that a cookie with simple, basic flavors would be more appropriate.  Plus cookies are incredibly easy to ship!

One thing that I love about this recipe is it uses cake flour without having to send you out to buy cake flour!  Cake flour is what gives cookies their "chewiness," and all you need to do is replace 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of corn starch for every cup of flour you use!  It's incredibly easy and already included in the recipe below.

While the cookies are baking, you'll want to start checking the cookies at 8 or 10 minutes to make sure they're not browning on the edges.  I baked cookies that were about 2 inches in diameter and they were finished by the 10 minute mark.  I probably could have even taken them out a little earlier.

These cookies are just divine.  They're crispy on the edges and moist and chewy in the center (make sure you make the cookies big enough so that you get this difference in texture - 4 inches across should do).  One of my favorite things about sugar cookies is being able to bite into it and taste the crunchy granulated sugar crystals.  So amazing.  I absolutely love this cookie and will be using this as my base for my drop sugar cookies from now on.  

I made these cookies on a cool, rainy day (I try to take advantage of these days during the summer so I don't heat up the house even further with my baking) and they certainly brightened up the room.  I do hope they brighten up my Desserts for the Deserving recipient's day as well :)

Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Yield: about 24 cookies

Prep Time: 15 min

Bake Time: 10 – 12 min

Ingredients

-     2 ½ c flour

-     ¼ c cornstarch

-     ¾ tsp baking soda

-     ½ tsp salt

-     1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

-     1 ¼ c sugar

-     2 tsp vanilla extract

-     1 egg, room temperature

-     ½ c nonpareil or rainbow jimmie sprinkles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar.  Add in the vanilla extract and egg and beat until combined.  Add in the flour mixture about 1 cup at a time, and combine completely after each addition.  Fold in the sprinkles and stir once or twice to incorporate, no more than that or else the color will bleed into the dough.

Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, setting the cookies about 1 inch apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes, checking often and remove once the outside edges are just starting to turn a golden brown.  Remove immediately from oven at this point and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes.  Allow to finish cooling on a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container. 

Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen

7 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 2:15 PM

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

The trend on the blogosphere lately seems to be bananas.  Banana muffins, cupcakes, doughnuts, pies, breakfast bowls, smoothies.  This is actually one of the main reasons I love bananas - they are so versatile!  Plus they have an amazing flavor and healing powers.  And unlike other fruits, even when they seem to be a little overripe it just opens up even more possibilities to use bananas!  In this house, when our bananas go overripe we mash them up with some flour and brown sugar and make the most heavenly banana bread you could ever imagine (no I am not exaggerating).  But when I saw these cookies on How Sweat Eats I knew I had found another use for my overripe bananas.  I had also found a use for my leftover Easter chocolate.

You can use either creamy or crunchy peanut butter in this recipe depending on your preference.  I love the crunchy peanut butter because of, well, the crunch.  I thought it would offset the mushy banana and melted chocolate chips nicely.  If you're anything like me, you still have some leftover Easter chocolates that you forgot about, so I chopped them up and threw them in these cookies.  Chocolate chips would work just as well too.

When you begin to mix the wet and dry ingredients, it will take a while to come together (at one point, I was even using my hands) but keep at it!  After a while, it will come together and you will have a nice, creamy batter.

These cookies are heavenly.  They fall in that category between cookie and cake; the inside is chewy and soft and the outside is slightly crispy.  And these cookies will stay soft for days (not that they'll be around that long...).  Plus, they have some of the most delectable flavors around - peanut butter, chocolate, and banana - all in one cookie!  For those of you that get turned off by peanut butter cookies (myself included), do not fret - the peanut butter taste isn't that strong.  The cookie isn't terribly sweet, which is a great and terrible thing at the same time because you can literally eat them for breakfast.  And then again for dessert.  And in between lunch and dinner.  And breakfast and lunch.  Believe me, you'll be letting your bananas go ripe just for an excuse to make these cookies!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Yield: about 30 cookies

Prep Time:  20 min

Bake Time: 10 – 12 min per pan

Ingredients

-                8 tbsp butter

-                1/3 c peanut butter

-                2 c + 2 tbsp flour

-                ½ tsp baking soda

-                ¼ tsp salt

-                1 c brown sugar

-                ½ c granulated sugar

-                1 egg yolk

-                2 tsp vanilla extract

-                2 small ripe bananas, mashed

-                1 c small chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and the peanut butter.  Set aside to cool.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, melted peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined.  Whisk in egg yolk, vanilla extract, and mashed banana until combined.  Add the dry ingredients about ½ c at a time, combining completely after each addition.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon dough onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 min, or until the edges are golden.  Allow to cool on pan for about 5 min and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.   Store in an air-tight container. 

Adapted from: How Sweet Eats

6 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 12:41 PM

Chocolate and Toffee Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies

I took part in my first cookie exchange this year.  The cookie exchanges I've been familiar with are ones that work like a Secret Santa, in which one person bakes cookies for another person.  The cookie exchange that I took part in was quite different (and much more enjoyable) since each person made cookies for everyone else.  We decided to keep the numbers under control and we made about 4 or 5 cookies for each person.  We all had a great time and everyone made some delicious cookies.  Plus, we each got to go home with each other's recipes!

When I first heard that we were doing a cookie swap, I wanted to make some over-the-top cookies for my girlfriends.  Jessica from How Sweet Eats has made some pretty extraordinary cookies, so when I saw the title of her newest endeavor, I knew I had found the cookie for the cookie exchange.  Let's take a minute to talk about these three amazing ingredients:

1. Brown butter.  I'd never even heard of brown butter until it popped up on Jessica's blog.  Basically, unsalted butter is melted and separated into fats and milk.  The milk solids will start to brown over low heat and give the butter a rich, nutty taste.  And that smell - wow.  Amazing.

2. Chocolate shavings.  Need I say more?

3.  Toffee.  I LOVE Heath bars.  When I worked at Cold Stone, one of my favorite combinations was banana ice cream with  Heath bar bits.  I love that crunchy, nutty taste AND it's covered in chocolate.  Put a chunk of it in the middle of cookie dough and you have the most delicious cookie ever.




Now, when you're melting the butter, be sure to keep it over low heat and watch it carefully.  First, the butter solids will separate and you'll see white bits on the top of the butter.  The bits can go from brown to burnt relatively quickly.  Bring it back to room temperature before you mix in the sugar, but don't leave it out for too long or else it'll begin to congeal.

I usually have this "bake everything at 350F" rule, but these cookies crisp up pretty quickly so I reduced the temperature to 325F for the second batch I made.  10 minutes is a generous estimate for how long you should leave them in the oven, so make sure you keep your eye on them...

The brown butter gives the whole cookie a nutty taste, and the bite of toffee in the center is really nice.  Plus, the cookies are flecked with semi-sweet chocolate shavings.  It's an amazing combination of flavors and I will certainly use the brown butter as a base for cookies in the future.  These were almost too good to give away, that was until I remembered I was trading them for 5 other varieties of cookie! :)  The cookie swap was great fun and I have some new recipes to try out!

Chocolate and Toffee Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen

Prep Time: 40 min        
Bake Time: 8 - 10 min

Ingredients

-                1 1/3 c flour

-                ½ tsp baking soda

-                ¼ tsp salt

-                1 stick unsalted butter

-                ½ c brown sugar

-                ¼ c sugar

-                1 egg + 1 egg yolk

-                1 tsp vanilla extract

-                1 (4 oz) bar semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped

-                Heath candy pieces,  coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir butter until it melts and continue to stir until brown bits appear in the bottom of the saucepan.  Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Add butter to a large bowl with the sugars and whisk until the sugars have dissolved.  Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and combine.  Add in dry ingredients about 1 c at a time and combine completely after each addition.  Fold in the baking chocolate shavings.

Form dough into balls and make a well in the center.  Fill with 1 or 2 pieces of Heath candy bar.  Roll dough back into a ball, covering the Heath candy pieces.  Add more dough if necessary.  Place on a baking sheet and place in oven for 8 - 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly on a baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack. 

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

2 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 8:27 PM

Christmas Wreath Meringues

If you're looking for a last-minute holiday cookie, meringues are the way to go.  They're the most versatile and underrated cookie.  And they're incredibly easy to make.  And you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen.  Just whip up egg whites (or meringue powder/water) with sugar and there you go.

You could even dye it and use different tips to make them into any design you want.  Just make sure you turn your oven off right before you put your cookies in and do not open the door for about 2 hours.  For best results, I'd suggest leaving them in the oven to dry out overnight.  In the spirit of Christmas, I affixed a star tip to a pastry bag and dyed my meringues green and made....

...pretty little wreaths!  With this design, I was actually able to make about 6 dozen cookies.  Meringue cookies are so light and sweet, I'm sure they'll please everyone on your Christmas list.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Meringues

Yield:  5 dozen

Prep Time:  20 min        
Bake Time: 2 - 3 hours or overnight

Ingredients

-                2 tbsp meringue powder

-                1/3 c water

-                ¾ c sugar

-                pinch salt

-                1 tsp vanilla extract

-                Food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

In a bowl, whip the meringue powder and water together until it becomes foamy and slightly stiff.  Add the sugar about ¼ c at a time and combine completely after each addition.  Whip on high speed until the meringue is stiff and glossy and add in the salt and the vanilla extract, whipping again to combine.  Add food coloring if desired. 

Attach desired tip on the end of a pastry bag and fill bag with meringue.  Pipe 2-in dollops onto baking sheet and place in the oven, turning it off immediately.  Allow to dry out in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. 

*Meringue powder and water can be substituted for 3 egg whites

1 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 1:58 PM

Soft Gingerbread Cookies (Nana Cookies)

My grandparents passed away when I was young, but I'm lucky enough to have strong memories of them still.  I was also lucky enough to have my grandparents relatively close to me, so we were able to see them often.  I can still see my mother's parents' house in my mind, from the separate beds the two of them slept in to the pool table and slot machine in the basement.  The one thing I will always remember of my mother's mother is her cookies.  None of us ever really knew what was in those cookies, so we always called them Nana cookies.  And whenever we walked through the door of my grandparents' house, there would always be a container of Nana cookies waiting for us.  I'm pretty sure I also stuffed my face with about three or four before Nana put them away.  It's comforting to know that some things never change.

After Nana passed away, I didn't have those cookies again.  My aunt apparently has the recipe, but she said she's never been able to recreate them.  Once, my mom got some cookies from a coworker and she swore they tasted just like the Nana cookies, but I never got a chance to try them.  I had figured out years ago that Nana cookies were some sort of gingerbread cookies, but I never really understood how she made them so soft.  And besides, they didn't have that strong spice taste that many gingerbread cookies have.

Seeing the myriad of cookie posts in the blogs I follow brought back memories of these Nana cookies.  I made sure to really read the recipe for every ginger cookie I saw, but nothing really sounded right.  Finally, I came across a recipe by Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod.  I mean honestly, why didn't I think to check Maria's site first?  Her cookies even looked like the Nana cookies (except for the white chocolate chunks) and seemed to have the right texture and ingredients.  Plus, Maria knows her cookies, so any cookie recipe of hers couldn't be bad.  I bookmarked it and decided I would give it a try.

I cut the recipe in half and replaced the granulated sugar with brown sugar since I remember Nana's cookies being darker and richer than the ones listed here.  I also increased the amount of molasses.  This definitely made the cookie very rich, but it was not too sweet.  Plus, I think it helped balance out the intense taste you get from most gingersnap cookies.  When I opened the Tupperware container the next morning I was immediately transported back into my grandmother's kitchen - brown tiled floors and all.  I knew I got the recipe right.  I really loved these cookies for so many reasons and I know I will be making them again to share with my mom's side of the family for Christmas.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies (Nana Cookies)

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Prep time: 20 min          Bake time: 10 min

Ingredients

-                2 c + 2 tbsp flour

-                1 ¼ tsp baking soda

-                ½ tsp salt

-                ½ tsp cinnamon

-                ½ tsp ground cloves

-                ½ tsp ground ginger

-                ½ c unsalted butter

-                ½ c brown sugar

-                1/3 c molasses

-                1 tbsp canola oil

-                ½ tsp vanilla extract

-                1 large egg

-                granulated sugar, for rolling cookie dough balls

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and spices.  Set aside

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar.  Beat in the molasses, oil, vanilla extract, and egg until completely combined.  Add in the dry mix about 1 c at a time and combine completely after each addition.

Scoop dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for about 10 minutes.  Remove baking sheets from oven and allow cookies to cool on sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

4 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 10:20 PM

Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

Hello there!  Sorry for the long absence, but to be completely honest September was not my best month.  However, we are well into October (which happens to be my favorite month) and I am excited to enjoy all it has to offer.  Even though people have been posting fall recipes since the day after Labor Day, we are still well into this beautiful season and I have plenty of things to share with all of you :)

So let's start off with a holiday favorite: decorated sugar cookies

If you remember, I was having some trouble finding the perfect sugar cookie.  Some of the ones I tried were too hard and dry (like a shortbread), while others just did not have the right flavor combination.  I was also having issues with my royal icing, and I could not understand how something with such simple ingredients could taste so....blegh.  I tweaked both recipes and it's safe to say I have found a recipe for each that I am very happy with.

Sugar cookies


After finding vanilla beans at Fairway Market for $2-3 each, I really couldn't pass up incorporating them into my cookies.  If you cannot find vanilla beans for this cheap near you, you can certainly omit them and add a little more vanilla extract.  Also, this recipe would work well with many types of flavorings (such as lemon, cinnamon, etc), just make sure that you're adding something that doesn't change the consistency too much or else they may not cook or roll out properly.

This dough lends itself very nicely to being rolled out, and if you remember some of my first posts that was something I really struggled with.  Make sure you keep your surface and your rolling pin lightly floured and if you find your dough to be too soft or flaky, stick it in the fridge for a couple minutes and start again.  Also, cut the dough in half or even into thirds - it makes it much easier to work with.

Cooking time will vary depending on the shape of your cookie.  If your cookie has thin parts, it will cook faster.  If it has more of a circle shape, it'll take longer (you'll be able to see this in my next post).

The amount of cookies you get from this recipe will also vary depending on what size cookie cutter you use.  I would think that unless you're making cookies with 6 in diameters, this recipe should make at least 2 dozen cookies.

Also, some cookie recipes do not contain baking powder, but I wanted to put baking powder in mine to make my cookies puff up a little so they'd be chewy in the middle.  That being said, these cookies will expand, so make sure you space them out...

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

-       2 ½ c flour

-       2 tsp baking powder

-       1 tsp salt

-       1 c unsalted butter

-       1 c sugar

-       1 egg

-       1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed

-       2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar.  Add the egg, seeds from the vanilla bean, and vanilla extract and blend.  Begin adding the dry ingredients about 1 c at a time and blend together completely after each addition.   You may need to knead it with your hands. 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. 

Flour a work surface and a rolling pin and roll dough until it’s about ¼ in. thickness.   Cut with cookie cutters as desired and bake for about 7 - 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie.  Let sit on pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Decorate as desired. 

Royal icing


When I first learned about royal icing, I was terrified to work with it.  My Wilton cake decorating instructor had us all believing that if the icing came in contact with anything greasy, such as a rubber spatula or a plastic container, the icing would be ruined and would not dry properly.  So I kept my icing out of tupperware and scooped it into piping bags with a metal spatula, obsessing over the fact it could not touch plastic.

Well over the past few months I've become a little more lax in my practices.  I still store my royal icing in pyrex containers or metal/ceramic bowls with tin foil for lids, but I've started using these wonderful squeeze bottles to flood my cookies and I haven't had any problems to date.  Royal icing is still terribly finicky, so here are a few tips to help you get the perfect consistency.

First, add your water about 1 tbsp at a time.  You might not need all 6 tbsp (you might even need more), so I'd recommend starting with 3 tbsp and then adding water 1 tbsp at a time until you get the perfect consistency (it shouldn't be runny).  If you do add too much water, no worries, just add more confectioner's sugar.  Also, make sure you sift the sugar, it'll keep clumps out of your icing.

See those glossy peaks?  That's how you know
the royal icing is the perfect consistency.

You really need to let the icing beat for about 10 minutes, which is SUCH A PAIN if you only have a handheld mixer.  But don't fret, it can be done (and has been dozens of times by yours truly).  You know your icing is ready when it forms glossy peaks when you pull the beater away.  Also, you should be able to scrape a knife through the middle of the frosting and it'll stay in place.

Now what about the taste?  Ok, I have to be honest here, I use Wilton for everything, except for things I'm going to eat.  If you want a meringue powder that doesn't have this overly sweet and unidentifiable taste, you have to go for something a little more expensive like Ateco or AmeriColor.  I heard Williams and Sonoma makes meringue powder too, but good luck finding it.  Believe me, paying a little extra for better meringue powder will make a huge difference in the taste.  Plus, you can always add a drop or two of vanilla or almond extract to your royal icing to cut into the sweetness of the sugar (I use vanilla).

I already posted a tutorial on how to make color flow icing.  This is the icing you use to flood your cookies.  When you're decorating your cookies, always make sure the icing you're not using is covered!  It can dry out relatively quickly.

I'd recommend storing the undecorated cookies in airtight containers, but once they're decorated with royal icing they need to be left out for at least 24 hours so the icing can dry properly.  After the icing is dried, feel free to store them any way you'd like, just be careful not to ruin your decorations!!

Royal Icing

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

-       4 c confectioner’s sugar

-       3 tbsp meringue powder

-       6 tbsp water (may not use all 6)

Directions

Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl and add the meringue powder.  Add 3 tbsp of the water, combine, and then add the remaining amount of water 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.  The icing should not be runny. 

Beat on high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the frosting forms stiff, glossy peaks. 

Dye and cover immediately to prevent from drying out. 

The best part about making and decorating cookies is you can do the process all at the same time or in many steps.  Because I have been so crunched for time between school, homework, regular work, and field work, I pretty much had about 2 hour time windows to work on these cookies.  After you make the dough, you could chill it for about 1 or 2 days or freeze it.  Or, you could roll out the dough and freeze the cutouts before baking them.  Taking breaks while baking and decorating cookies makes the whole process much easier, trust me :)

So what brought about this tutorial?  You'll just have to wait a few more days to find out ;)

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Posted by Ali B at 2:15 PM