Here’s those Easter Cookies I said I’d share with you. I took some out to my Daughter Barb’s house last time I went over there. I guess my Grandson, David put the whole bag of decorated cookies in his backpack and took them to school to share with his friends, unbeknown to my daughter!! Guess I can’t really blame him, they were cute and good!! You can find the cookie recipe I used here. We made chocolate that round.
For Valentine’s Day, I made cookie arrangements for the kids teachers. I recently bought the Wilton Heart Cookie Treat pan. It works great, and makes nice, big cookie hearts to decorate.
I used stencils to decorate the cookies. The recipe I used for the cookie dough can be found here. These cookies taste great and what really makes them nice too, is they are mix and roll cookies, no need to chill. Stencils can be found here at Global Sugar Art, or here, at Culinary Stencils or here at Designer Stencils. All three sites have a wide selection of stencils. These were a lot of fun to make!
Here’s the Royal Icing recipe I used. I adapted it slightly in the amounts of corn syrup and flavoring listed by Bake at 350 Blog.
Royal Icing
Adapted From: Bake at 350 Blog
4 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
Scant 1/2 Cup Water
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Light Corn Syrup
1 Tbsp. Clear Vanilla (I used CK Products, artificial clear vanilla flavoring)
Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do not skip sifting). Add in the corn syrup and vanilla. Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. (You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat! Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food coloring. This stiff icing is perfect for outlining. To fill in your cookies add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula until it is the consistency of syrup.
I Doubled the recipe to decorate my cookies. This icing worked fantastic! Thanks go to, Bake at 350!
This cake is Fantastic, Delicious, and filled with Peppermint Ice Cream! I took a short cut because I was pressed for time due to the Holidays! I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (Delicious!) and Eddy’s Peppermint Ice Cream. My Grand-daughters friend, Nikki had come over to spend the weekend with Alexis, and Nikki’s Birthday was December 19th. She’s an awesome kid, and I wanted to make sure she had a Birthday cake while at our house. She likes Chocolate (who doesn’t??) and she likes Peppermint and I thought what better than to make her a cake with the ice cream to boot! She was delighted and must have Thanked me a million times for her Birthday Cake! :’)
I have the Wilton, Heart Tasty-Fill Cake Pan Set, that makes a heart in the center of your cake. You can fill it with Ice Cream or Mousse or whatever you might like to fill it with! Not only does it make a great Birthday cake, but it would be great for Christmas and Valentine’s Day too!
I baked the Dark Chocolate Cake the night before. When your ready to fill, fill the cakes with Ice Cream and set in the freezer. I set my cake in there for about an hour and then pulled it out to frost it. I didn’t worry too much about smoothing the sides and top of the cake due to it being an Ice Cream Cake. After I frosted it, we put it back into the freezer to set until ready to cut! This cake was delicious and fun to make! The recipient was tickled and because the weather is cooperative and really cold right now, we were able to send the leftover cake home with her! Happy Birthday Nikki!!
Update: I ran across a blog that has a Heart Cake Tutorial, showing you how to make a heart shape in your cake if you don’t want to purchase the cake pan set! How Cleaver! Take a look at I Am Baker Blog. Great site, with great recipes!
This can be described in one word: Superb!! Delicious!! This recipe comes from Nick Malgieri’s book: “Chocolate – From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers”. I picked this book up on clearance from a book store for a bargain price of $7.99 years ago. This book is one of my favorites! You will not be disappointed in this recipe. The chocolate sponge base is moistened by a simple raspberry syrup. The mousse is intensely flavored raspberry mousse that is just out of this world. A thin layer of ganache separates the layers, and it gets decked out with raspberries and shaved chocolate, making this a special occasion, show stopper dessert cake! This recipe comes together in record time. Once you get the cake baked, it just a matter of steps, that take no time at all to complete. Don’t miss out, make it today!
Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Cake
“The light raspberry Bavarian cream is a perfect foil to the moist genoise layers and thin layers of chocolate filling. Serve this for a very special occasion – especially since it can be made entirely in advance and just finished off on the day you’ll serve it”.
Makes 1 – 10 inch cake, about 12 servings
By: Nick Malgieri – Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers
Raspberry Syrup
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Raspberry Liqueur
Chocolate Filling
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 oz. Semisweet Chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces) (I used Callebaut Semi Sweet Chocolate Disks)
2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) Unsalted Butter
Raspberry Bavarian
Two 10 oz. pkgs. Frozen Raspberries
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Raspberry Liqueur
1 1/2 Envelopes Unflavored Gelatin
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
One 9 inch Round Chocolate Genoise, page 30, baked and cooled
Finishing:
1 Cup Heavy whipping Cream
Chocolate Shavings, (page 392) (I used Callebaut Semi Sweet Chocolate Disk, and put them through my food processor)
One 1/2 pint basket raspberries
Confectioner’s Sugar
One 10 inch springform pan
1. For the syrup, combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil and cool. Stir in the liqueur.
2. For the chocolate filling, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and allow to stand 2 minutes. Whisk in the butter until smooth and cool.
3. To make the Bavarian, combine the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Use a food mill or a fine sieve to puree and strain away the seeds. Cool. Combine the liqueur and gelatin in a small, heatproof bowl and soak 5 minutes. Place bowl over simmering water to make liquid again, then whisk into cooled puree. Whip cream and fold it in.
4. Slice genoise into two layers and place on in the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan. Moisten with half the syrup. Whip cooled chocolate filling to lighten and spread half of it over cake layer; pour on half the Bavarian. Repeat with remaining cake layer, syrup, chocolate filling, and Bavarian. Chill to set.
5. To unmold, run a small knife between dessert and mold and lift off side of pan. Whip the cream and spread over the sides of pan. Press some of the chocolate shavings into the cream. Arrange the raspberries on top in two concentric circles around the top rim, then sprinkle center with shavings and confectioner’s sugar.
My Notes: I didn’t have a 10 inch springform pan on hand, so instead I baked my Genoise cake in an 8 inch pan, and then used my 9 inch cake ring to put the cake together with. Came out perfect. My cake layers are thicker, and I had a little bit of Raspberry Mousse leftover, that my husband loved me for. Other than that, the recipe came out excellent and tasty!! Just as described in the recipe. This cake goes in my Favorites folder and will be made again and again!
On the last picture you can see that my Raspberry Mousse has slightly discolored. If you use a plastic fine mesh strainer, to press your raspberries through, this will not happen. All I have is a metallic one, so I have some discoloration.
Recipe also available here
Chocolate & Vanilla Sugar Cookies! Everyone usually makes at least one batch of Sugar Cookies for the Holidays. This is my favorite recipe, first they taste fantastic, second they do NOT require a chill time. You can mix and roll. These come from Cookie Craft Christmas Book!
Chocolate Rolled Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Instant Espresso Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter, Unsalted, softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
Directions:
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until the two are blended. Do not over mix. Bake in a preheat 350 degree F. oven, 8-16 minutes depending on size and thickness of cookie, or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool cookies completely before decorating.
Rolled Sugar Cookies
3 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 tsp. Vanilla
Whisk together flour and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until the two are blended. Do not over mix. Bake in a preheat 350 degree F. oven, 8-16 minutes depending on size and thickness of cookie, or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool cookies completely before decorating.
I made 2 kinds of Sugar Cookies, this being the second recipe I tried. These were really good and require about 1 hour of chill time. They make great cookies that keep their shape and don’t spread when baked. Great for decorating!
Basic Rolled Sugar Cookies
1 Cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
1 Cup Superfine Sugar (or granulated whirled in the food processor for a few seconds)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Large Egg
1 Large Egg Yolk
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract or Emulsion, optional
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
Cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add Egg yolk and beat well. Add whole egg, vanilla and optional almond extract; beat until well incorporated. Beat flour in at low speed, just until incorporated. Do not over mix. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Place on silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges. (I start checking my cookies at 8 minutes.) Very large cookies can take up to 13 minutes. Remove cookies from sheets to cooling rack and let cookies cool completely before decorating.
Happy 2011 Everyone! Wishing everyone a healthy and happy New Year in 2011! I wanted to finish posting my Holiday recipes I wanted to share with you. So, today I have this delectable cookie.
I love Linzer cookies! They are so elegant looking and make a great addition to any cookie tray. Not only that, they taste great!
Linzer Sandwich Cookies
From: Land O Lakes Website
Ingredients:
Combine butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, almond extract and salt in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed.
Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap each in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour).
Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters. Cut out center from half of cookies using smaller decorative cookie cutter. Place cookies, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire cooling rack. Cool completely.
Place cooled cookies with center cut-out onto waxed paper; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Decorate with small candies attached with decorator gel, if desired. Spread bottom-side of cookies without cut-out with 1/4 teaspoon jam. Top with center cut-out cookie, powdered sugar-side up.
*Substitute rum flavoring or orange extract.
I’m a little gingerbread man, I am.
Come on and run with me.
I’m a little gingerbread man, I am.
You can run but you can’t catch me.
I look so good in my
gingerbread clothes.
I’m baked so perfectly.
With my raisin eyes and
my cinnamon nose
It’s no wonder everyone I see
wants to take a bite of me.
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
CHORUS
I’ll stay all day and we can play.
I’ll never move my feet.
Until the time I hear you say,
“Hey everybody, it’s time to eat!”
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
I’m a little gingerbread man, I am.
Come on and run with me.
I’m a little gingerbread man, I am.
You can run but you can’t catch me.
I’m a little gingerbread man, I am.
You can run but you can’t catch me
Ok, well no Raisin Eyes or Cinnamon Nose, but I can tell you these are good cookies! Fun to make and Fun to eat! My Grand kids had a great time decorating these.
Nick Malgieri’s Ginger Bread Cookies
From: FoodNetwork.com
For the dough, add the dry ingredients (except sugar) to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Beat the butter and sugar, adding one egg at a time. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Beat in half the flour mixture, then stop and scrape the bowl and beater(s). Beat in the molasses, scrape again, and beat in the remaining flour mixture, just until combined.
Divide the dough into several pieces and press each piece into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour or until firm.
Set the racks in the middle upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Roll the dough, one piece at a time, on a floured surface, just to make the dough flat and even, but not much thinner. Cut with floured cutters and arrange on the pans an inch or two apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Reroll the scraps immediately; or press together, chill and reroll later. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until firm when pressed with a fingertip.
Cool the cookies on the pans. Meanwhile for the icing, combine confectioners’ sugar and egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat by machine until combined. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and continue beating until fluffy. Divide the icing into several small bowls and add coloring. Keep plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from forming. Use a paper cone or the snipped end of a plastic bag to pipe icing on the cookies. Use the raisins and other decorative ingredients to accent the icing
This is a delicious Shortbread Cookie! The dough is a dream to work with, and the taste of the cookie will have you coming back for more! These made a great addition to our Christmas Cookie Trays! I do not recall where I picked up this recipe, but I have been making them for years! This is one of our favorites! Double the recipe, they’ll be coming back for more!
Almond Raspberry Snowflakes
Cookie Dough:
3/4 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
1 3/4 Cups Plus 2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
Topping:
2 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Almonds (I used my food processor)
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Egg White, lightly beaten
Raspberry Jam
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts. Stir in flour. Shape into a ball; cover and chill for 15 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into shapes. Combine the almonds, sugar and cinnamon. Brush small stars with egg white and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Leave large stars plain.
3. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake small stars at 350° for 10 minutes and large stars for 12 minutes or until the tips just begin to brown. Cool on wire racks.
4. To assemble, spread enough jam over large star to cover the center. Top with a small stars; press lightly (jam should show around edge of small stars). Let jam set before storing. Yield: about 3 dozen.
As is tradition, all of my family gathers at my sister’s house for Christmas Eve. It has been that way, for years. Every year my sister makes these delicious Baklava Bars and somehow, I have managed to miss these beauties every year until this one! These are so good! I can’t believe that I have missed these all these years! She told me they were easy too! Betty Crocker Sugar cookie packet and a couple of other ingredients, and I’d have Baklava in no time. I had brought a couple of pieces home with me, trouble is, they didn’t last at all and were gone in no time. So good these were, I had to search for the recipe so that I too could have these delectable bars, and I had to give away half the pan for my daughter to take to work so they wouldn’t all go on my hips! Lo and behold, here is the recipe, directly from the Betty Crocker Website!
Baklava Bars
From: Betty Crocker Website
Cookie Base:
1 Package (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter or margarine (I use butter), softened
1/2 tsp. Grated Lemon Peel
1 Egg
Filling:
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Walnuts
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine, softened
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
8 Frozen mini Filo Shells from a 2.1 oz. package (I used Filo Dough Sheets, cut off about 3 oz., I wanted more filo dough on mine, and chopped it up. Worked Great!)
Glaze:
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine, softened
1 Tbsp. Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
Garnish:
5 Tbsp. Honey
