This weekend is all about mothers, so it’s only fitting that we just held a baby shower at work. The mom-to-be is due in just over a month, so all the ladies at the office are in baby mode! I offered to bring the treats since I’m much better at making cookies than [...]]]>

This weekend is all about mothers, so it’s only fitting that we just held a baby shower at work. The mom-to-be is due in just over a month, so all the ladies at the office are in baby mode! I offered to bring the treats since I’m much better at making cookies than coordinating baby shower decor.

Since the mom-to-be is a marine biologist with a passion for studying sea turtles, the cookie platter would have been incomplete without sea turtles. I cut each of these cookies by hand. Rather than fill up my already stuffed baking supply cabinets with extra cookie cutters, I made my own from a piece of heavy card stock. It takes a bit more time to cut each cookie by hand, but you are assured of getting just the size and shape that you’re aiming for.

My favorite part about giving cookies as a gift is designing unique shapes for the recipient. Both mother- and father-to-be are field hockey players, so I created a field hockey cookie for them.

The new baby’s name will be Wyatt, so I made some onesies with his initial on them. Mom-to-be is from Texas, so it was only natural for her to pick a good Texas name for her son!

These cookies were a joy to make and give as gifts. Mom-to-be and all the baby shower guests were thrilled with the cookies!

Our mission this month was to “get creative”! Using sugar cookies as our canvas, the Daring Bakers were challenged to [...]]]> The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Our mission this month was to “get creative”! Using sugar cookies as our canvas, the Daring Bakers were challenged to show what September means to us. For me, it’s my mom’s birthday. This year is a milestone birthday for her (of course, I can’t tell you which one), so I decided to send her a box of boxer cookies.

My mom is a dog lover, and one of her favorite breeds is the boxer. She is also a firm believer in rescuing dogs, and we always had dogs in the house when I was growing up. Boxers quickly became one of my favorite breeds as well. With their boundless energy and playful spirit, they bring lots of joy to their human families.

Plus, who can resist a face like that?

For these cookies, I made custom cutters from cardboard boxes. Once the dough was rolled out I cut each cookie with a paring knife, using the cardboard template as a guide. This is a great strategy for cookie shapes that you will rarely use, or in case you are unable to find a cookie cutter in the desired shape. It could get a little labor intensive depending on how intricate the shape and how many cookies you will be baking, but it’s a great option for small batches or simple shapes.

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

This sugar cookie recipe wasn’t my favorite. It didn’t have enough flavor for my taste, but it was still a good vehicle for icing. If you try this recipe, I would recommend increasing the amount of vanilla extract or experimenting with a different flavor altogether.

Sugar Cookies
Yield: 2-3 dozen, depending on size of cookie cutters

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3 cups flour

With an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract just until it becomes fluffy. Add the egg and beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour, mixing on low speed until a dough forms. Note: I found the dough to be slightly dry with 3 cups of flour. Try adding the third cup in parts, stopping if the dough starts to become dry. If the dough becomes too dry, mix in a small amount of water.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. Shape each half into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour). Alternatively, you may roll out the dough flat between layers of parchment paper and place the rolled out dough in the fridge. This will shorten the chilling time to a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut your desired shapes. Place cut out cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your cookies. The cookies are done when the edges just begin to turn light brown. Cool the cookies on the pan for about 5 minutes, then place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Royal Icing
From Wilton Cake Decorating Course II
Yield: 3 cups

3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder (you can find this at cake decorating or craft stores)
1 lb. (4 cups) sifted pure cane confectioners’ sugar
5-6 tablespoons lukewarm water

It is super important to make sure that all your bowls and utensils are free of any grease, as the icing will break down if it comes in contact with grease. I usually wash my mixer bowl and paddle again before making this icing. Also, try to avoid using any plastic bowls or utensils, as those generally have remnants of grease that are difficult to remove. I recommend using only glass or stainless steel containers.

Place meringue powder and sugar in the bowl of your mixer. Mix at low speed until blended. Add water and blend at medium speed for 7-10 minutes, or until icing loses its sheen.

This icing hardens when exposed to air, so be sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap when you are not using it. Keep a damp towel handy and store your decorating tips up against it to prevent the icing in the tip from drying out while you use other colors.

Outline the cookies using full strength icing and a plain circle decorating tip (I used Wilton tip #3).

To flood the interior of the cookies, the icing needs to be thinned. Spoon some icing into a bowl and start adding lukewarm water slowly, a small amount at a time. Mix well after each addition. To test whether it’s the right consistency, pull your spoon out and let the icing drizzle down into the bowl. The icing is thin enough when the drizzle disappears within 5 seconds.

Transfer the thinned icing into squeeze bottles (you can find these at craft stores). Fill in the cookies, using a toothpick to coax the icing into any corners that the bottle can’t reach. If any bubbles appear in the icing, gently pop them with a toothpick.

I decided to make some of my boxers brindle. To make a brindle pattern, make sure you have both light brown and dark brown/black icing ready. Fill the area with light brown. Immediately squeeze dark brown stripes onto the light brown icing, and draw a toothpick through the icing horizontally and vertically until you have a brindle pattern.

To make the pupils of the eyes, I placed a dot of thinned black royal icing in the middle of the brown eye as soon as I had flooded the brown portion. This allows the black dot to settle into the wet brown icing and dry as one layer.

To create accents that sit above the level of the icing, allow the flooded icing to dry until the top has crusted over completely. Using full strength, non-thinned icing, pipe designs over the base coat of icing. This is how I created the nose and mouth lines, since they are the same color as the base coat.

One last tip: it’s always a good idea to have a map of where you are going. Before starting my icing adventure, I sketched out a sample cookie to get an idea of which colors I would need and how much icing I would need to tint. Then it’s simply a matter of transferring the design from paper to cookie!

As a reminder, voting starts today for the second Project Food Blog challenge! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted for me in the first round. Check out the French-Canadian dish I made for the second challenge, and visit my profile to vote. Thanks for your support!

Let’s talk about cookies and bread. I’m hoping that these two simple favorites can help to fight hunger in our country. Bread is the most basic of food, recognized all over the world as a staple. And cookies, well, everyone loves cookies! I’ve chosen to donate cookies and bread for the first annual [...]]]>

Let’s talk about cookies and bread. I’m hoping that these two simple favorites can help to fight hunger in our country. Bread is the most basic of food, recognized all over the world as a staple. And cookies, well, everyone loves cookies! I’ve chosen to donate cookies and bread for the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale.

The bake sale is taking place tomorrow, in many different locations! Gaby from What’s Gaby Cooking has organized (what I’m assuming is) the largest bake sale ever. Food bloggers from all over the country are baking their favorite treats. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this!

Since I plan to bake 6 loaves of sourdough today, I had to plan ahead to create the necessary volume of sourdough starter! I call this process “sourdough mitosis”.

The weather is getting warmer, so I decided to make cookies with a “summery” feel. This ice cream cone cookie cutter is just perfect! Except that those tiny little sections meant to stamp the ice cream cone design won’t let go of the dough. Hint: use lots of flour. Lots.

The cuteness factor of the finished cookies was definitely worth all the fuss while cutting them. And now I’m craving ice cream…no, cookies…ah, I can’t decide! Perhaps I’ll just have a cupcake.

All of the proceeds from the sale are donated to Share Our Strength, a non-profit organization that is striving to eliminate childhood hunger in America. Take some time to visit their website. The statistics on hunger are staggering.

I believe strongly that we can all make a difference in the fight against hunger, and it’s so simple to help. Buy a few extra cans of food at the store, and donate them to a local food pantry. Spend some time volunteering (it’s free)! Donate baked goods to a local bake sale, or support my bake sale team with a donation.

If you’re in Los Angeles, stop by our bake sale tomorrow to meet some fantastic food bloggers. And if you’re in another part of the country, find a food blogger bake sale near you!

I know that I won’t have a white Christmas this year.  I gave up that dream when I moved to southern California.  But I am lucky enough to be able to ice skate outdoors once a year.  I’m not sure that the environmentalist in me is thrilled with the idea of creating an [...]]]>

I know that I won’t have a white Christmas this year.  I gave up that dream when I moved to southern California.  But I am lucky enough to be able to ice skate outdoors once a year.  I’m not sure that the environmentalist in me is thrilled with the idea of creating an outdoor ice skating rink when it’s 60 degrees out during the day.  But it sure is fun!

It feels like winter has begun.  I’ve gone ice skating, made Christmas cookies, and even received my first gift of the year…

I won some Whooga Ugg Boots from a giveaway at play with food!  Thanks to Deborah and Whooga, my feet are going to be super warm and cozy this winter!

So I’ve done my ice skating, ordered my boots, and now it’s cookie time!  Royal icing is still pretty new to me, so I’m always looking for tips and tricks to make cookie decorating easier.  When I found squeeze bottles in the cake decorating store, I knew they would make my decorating easier.

No more flooding the cookies with a leaky plastic bag!  Squeeze bottles have much more accuracy and it’s a breeze to start and stop the flow of icing as necessary.

My Christmas cookie colors look like they belong on a table in a cheap diner!

Using these four icing colors and my favorite sugar cookie recipe, I created the following designs:

These cookies will soon be on their way to wish friends and family a joyous holiday season!

Royal icing is the kind of icing that dries hard (and quickly, I might add!).  It’s usually seen on [...]]]> I make sugar cookies for Christmas every year, but this is the first year I’ve made Halloween sugar cookies.  I finally learned how to use royal icing so I needed an excuse to practice.

Royal icing is the kind of icing that dries hard (and quickly, I might add!).  It’s usually seen on professionally decorated sugar cookies.  It’s very easy to make, and a little bit tricky to work with.

Let’s start out with the basic sugar cookie recipe.  This recipe made 18 pumpkin-shaped cookies.  The number of cookies you get will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

Sugar Cookies
From Joy of Baking

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well.  Add half of the flour mixture, beat well, then add the other half and mix until dough is smooth.

Divide the dough in half.  Form each half into a ball, and then flatten slightly to make a disc shape.  Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured countertop or table.  If it’s too stiff to roll, wait a minute or two for it to warm up.  Roll it to about 1/4″ thickness, rotating the dough as necessary to keep the height consistent.  Cut out the shapes that you’ve selected, and place each shape on the baking sheet.

If you’re not going to cover your cookies with icing, now is the time to decorate!  Use sprinkles or sparkles, or whatever else floats your boat.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill the cookies and help prevent them from spreading too much in the oven.  I tried one batch without this step, and there was only a slight difference in the amount of spreading.  However, if the rest of your dough has been out on the counter for a while, this step is very important!

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.  Remove from oven and place entire baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  Then remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on cooling rack.

And now, for the icing!

Royal Icing
From Wilton Cake Decorating Course II
Yield: 3 cups

3 level tablespoons Meringue Powder (you can find this at Michael’s or JoAnn)
1 lb. (4 cups) sifted pure cane confectioners’ sugar
5-6 tablespoons lukewarm water

It is super important to make sure that all your bowls and utensils are free of any grease, as the icing will break down if it comes in contact with grease.  I usually wash my mixer bowl and paddle again before making this icing.  Also, try to avoid using any plastic bowls or utensils, as those generally have remnants of grease that are difficult to remove.  I recommend using only glass or stainless steel containers.

Place meringue powder and sugar in a bowl.  Mix at low speed until blended.  Add water and blend at medium speed for 7-10 minutes, or until icing loses its sheen.

This icing hardens when exposed to air, so be sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap when you are not using it.  Keep a damp towel handy and store your decorating tips up against it to prevent the icing in the tip from drying out while you use other colors.

Outline the cookies using full strength icing.  To flood the interior, the icing needs to be thinned.  I use a small plastic disposable cup (so that I know it’s grease free).  Spoon some icing into the cup and start adding lukewarm water slowly, a small amount at a time.  Mix well after each addition.  To test whether it’s the right consistency, pull your spoon out and let the icing drizzle down into the cup.  The icing is thin enough when the drizzle disappears within 5 seconds.

Pour the thinned icing into a disposable plastic decorating bag.  When you’re ready to use it, snip off the bottom of the bag and the icing will begin to flow.  Fill in the interior of the cookies, being careful not to flow over the outline.  If you’d like to draw on top of the filling (like the jack-o-lantern faces I made), use full strength icing.  Do this before the filling sets, so that the accents will sink into the filling.

Happy Haunting!