Baby Steps Pt.2: Icing Icing Baby

Welp, I did it! First round of sugar cookies turned out, I think, pretty successful. I didn't take too many pictures of the process, sorry for that, but I did take a bunch of the finished product before I nommed them all down! Very delicious.

I again used Bridget from Bake at 350's royal icing recipe. Definitely check her site out for some tips.

Royal Icing

4 TBSP meringue powder

scant 1/2 c. water

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup

few drops clear extract (optional, I used almond to match the cookies)

 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 the sifting!)

Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. ( I think the corn syrup helps keep the icing shiny.)

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 colorings.

To ice the cookies I first used the stiff icing right away to pipe borders around the stars. Once that was done and the border was stiff I added some later to the icing so I could "flood" the area inside the border. It's best to do it a table spoon at a time (I've read somewhere misting it with a water mister works really well?). It can vary how much water you use, but you want the consistency to be about maple syrup. 

Once the cookies were flooded I waited for them to dry just a bit and added the sprinkles. I left them out to dry for at least an hour and then I ate maybe 2 or 3 of them...maybe. 

I think my first shot went pretty well, and I'm excited to learn more and try more with decorated cookies! Leave a comment if you have any helpful hints or ticks you'd like to share.

Baby Steps: Cookie Decorating 101

I have a huge, HUGE girl crush on many cookie bakers these days. Whether it’s Jill FCS, Bridget, or Arty McGoo, I droll in jealously every time they post new cookies. I never had the time to really try to learn to make awesome cookies like them, but now I do and I’m getting back in my #workflow (hashtag necessary) and learning how to do this. I started today by making the base, with Bridget’s cookie recipe. They were super easy to make and they taste great. Step one = great success!

Perfect Every Time Cut-Out Cookies, From Bridget at Bake at 350.

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 c sugar

2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into chunks

1 egg

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (I recommend freezing the cut out shapes on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Once I rolled them twice, I used the scraps to make chocolate chip minis =) I may have over chocolated them, but they taste JUST like cookie dough. Try it, thank me later.

Cookie Cutters are the best!

I am a kitchen gadget junkie. Foods on a stick maker? Have it. Martha Stewart Banana slicer? Got it. Split decision pie pan? Check yes! I love it all. Even though I have no kitchen space my collection is ever growing. Last week my BFFJenna came to visit me in Chicago and I made her go to a Kitchen Gadget store I'd been dying to go to (this was after putting her into a food coma from Little Goat and Glazed&Infused).

Leave it to Jenna to find that one thing in the store I HAD to have, a unicorn cookie cutter!

I had a bag of gingerbread cookie mix, so I whipped up a bunch of fun shapes for the day =)

Before being baked

After baking! I adding some sprinkles =)

Since I had extra dough I used my Ginger-Dead Men Cookie Cutter too!

Date Nut Pinwheels

I collect a lot of cookbooks, and hands down one of the best, is the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. It was a blow to learn at a young age, that Betty Crocker did not exist. Apparently, General Mills (before it was General Mills) used to receive a lot of baking questions. To answer them they decided to have a "Dear Abby" type of response with a face to relate to: Betty. Either way, the Cooky Book was published in 1963 and the recipes have the old mother made feel to them, which I love. The cookies in this book take some love and care, unlike todays 5 minute mix and bakes.

My family used this book for every Christmas up until last year when my dad accidentally lost it at the grocery store while picking up supplies (not bitter). Luckily at the CIA we had a copy in the library and I copied down my favorites. 

The Cooky we make every year without fail are Caramel Refrigerator Cookies (Date Nut Pinwheels)- which was the best Cooky of 1940-1945.

For the dough :

1 cup shortening (or butter)2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla (not part of original recipe, I added, because I like the vanilla flavor)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 cup flour
3 eggs ( well beaten)

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, vanilla, then add salt, baking soda and flour, add well beaten eggs, and mix well. You may need to add more flour.

For the filling:

2 1/4 cup chopped dates1 cup water1 cup sugar1 cup pecans chopped

Add all ingredients to pan and cook the dates have softened. You'll smell the delicious caramel smell when it's about right. If you over cook the sugar will burn, so be sure to stir often. Cool before using.

Chill dough well. Overnight or so at least. divide dough, And on a lightly floured surface or if you prefer , which I do , roll between 2 layers of wax paper or plastic wrap, maybe 1/4" thick. Roll out one part at a time keep the other part chilling . Spread a thin to moderate layer of filling on dough then roll up in a log. Put the log in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat this process until all used up.

Slice thin and bake at 350 until done about 15 minutes, when the cookie is a light golden brown. Depending on your oven you may have to adjust your temperature up or down.

makes around 10 dozen

The rolls can be stored in the refrigerate for up to a week. You can also wrap them up and store in freezer. 

YUM!

The Easiest Cookies Ever

Sometimes as a baker people assume you are bringing desserts to the party. It just happens, and I don't normally mind, but sometimes it's a little late in the game for a dessert that takes more than a half hour. These cookies are perfect for the holiday season when you're maybe volunteered to bring cookies and forgotten, or just need something nummy NOW!

Two ingredients, fifteen minutes, one happy Maggie.

Ingredients:

1 Bag Gingerbread Cookie Mix (plus one egg, one stick of butter)

1 Bag Heath Bar Bits

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix up the cookies and form them into 1 inch rounds.

Fill a small bowl with Heath bits. Push the tops of each cookie into the bits, flattening the cookie a bit as you do so.

Pop into the oven for about 12 minutes. Be careful to get any extra toffee bits off the parchment - those will burn up

I love these cookies because once the toffee bits are gooey when warm and then chewy when cooled. 

So easy, so yummy.

Biscoff Shortbread Cookies

Do you remember the first time you had Nutella? I was in Switzerland with my host family, and I think they thought I was crazy because I loved it so much. I thought I was in heaven.
Well, now I've met my new love, and that loves name is Biscoff cookie spread. If you've ever flown Delta you've probably seen these little cookies that they pass out with sodas. I love them and always steal my family's when we fly together. I did not know though that these little cookies have been crushed up into an amazing spread called Biscoff Spread! I wish I could explain how good this cookie butter is via blog...but you just need to go buy a jar for yourself. Actually buy two jars, you'll eat the first and then want more for baking.  Apparently the spread was invented in 2007 during a Belgian reality TV show. I wish I had known about it since 2007. This might be a cause to buy more to make up for lost time =)

Either way, the spread is perfect for baking. It's the same consistency as peanut butter so you can use is any way you'd like. I was looking for peanut butter cookie recipes as a base, and ended up changing the whole recipe. In the end, I ended up with these heavenly Biscoff short bread cookies. I feel a little ironic using cookie butter to make cookies, but my stomach cares not.

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: Makes 2-4 dozen

For the Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Biscoff cookie butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

P.S This was my first cookie I made in my new Kitchen Aid! Hooray for Biscoffs!

Anyways, first things first, in a medium bowl add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda together. Whisk together thoroughly to combine and aerate. Set aside.

In your mixer, cream the butters together with the sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.

With the mixer on slow, add the flour mixture a little bit at a time until the dough is fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often.

Refrigerate the dough for at least half an hour.

When the dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat the oven to 350F. You now have to options. I found the dough to be very dry so rolling was hard for me. So I used a tablespoon and formed them all into half circles like so.

You can othrwise lightly flour a large surface and roll out the dough to 1/4″ thick as best you can. Using a small biscuit or cookie cutter of your preference, cut as many cookies as you can out of the rolled out dough.Combine the leftover dough into a ball again, and roll out again. Only do this once, as reworking the dough too many times will result in tough cookies.

Bake cookies for roughly 9-10 minutes. Watch the oven very closely after the 7 minute mark. Because of the thinness and high sugar content, the cookies are a lot like caramel and can go from perfect to burnt in a flash.

Once these come out of the oven, you can enjoy as is, or if you're craving more cookie butter (who wouldn't be) you can spread a little on top while the cookies are hot, creating a kind of glaze once they cool. If you use a cutter, you can also make some delicious sandwhich cookies!

Biscoff.com also has a ton a products if you're craving more cookies. Soon this set will be arriving at my door...mmmm Biscoff waffles....Once I invest in an ice cream maker, Biscoff ice cream will sit upon these waffles and I will probably die from the amazingness of it all.

Nutella and Sea Salt Stuffed Cookies

I've been reading about these cookies for sometime. Bridget at Bake at 350 blogged about them and said they were the best cookies she had ever eaten (and that lady knows her cookies!). I am a huge Nutella fan so once I saw them, I knew I'd be making them sooner or later. I was cruising my Pinterest today and saw them again, and the craving could not be curved.

Nutella & Sea Salt Stuffed Sugar Cookies

From the kitchen of Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients
1/2 cup Nutella
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sea salt


1. Using a 1 teaspoon measure, scoop out Nutella and place in small mounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (pretty doesn't matter here). Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

2. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar with an electric mixer set on medium speed until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture a few times to make sure all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
6. Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use 2 tablespoons cookie dough for each cookie. Split the piece of dough in half and slightly flatten the bottom half.

7. Sprinkle 5 or 6 grains of sea salt on the flattened dough.
8. Use a small metal spatula to lift the mounds of Nutella from the baking sheet and lay on the bottom half of cookie dough, on top of the salt. If the Nutella starts to soften, place back in the freezer for a few minutes.

9. Cover Nutella with the other piece of cookie dough. Seal the edges with your fingers. Roll the ball in the sugar to coat it and place it on a prepared baking sheet. You can put the cookies back in the freezer here for 5 minutes if your dough is a little soft.

10. Repeat with the remaining dough and Nutella mounds, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheets.

11. Bake the cookies, one sheet a time, rotating from front to back halfway through baking. They are done when the edges are set and beginning to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. The centers of the cookies should still be soft and puffy.
12. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a rack. They can also be served warm.

These cookies were pretty good, the test kitchen (my dad) took a half when offered one, and then later called out..."can you bring me another one of those cookies?" So, they were a hit with him. Personally I think I hyped them up in my brain to be these magnificently epic cookies after reading about them, so I thought they were good but not epic.
The next post to come will be an epic cookie however, here's a sneak peak... =)

Butterbeer Cookies

Hello. My name is Maggie. I’m here, writing this blog, because I love to bake. Not only do I love to bake, but I actually have chosen my favorite hobby as my career path as well. I graduated last fall from the Culinary Institute of America, and after taking a little break I dove into a new job in hotel management. While I love my current job, it offers me no opportunities bake or create tasty food and treats for people. So, to keep myself from missing my baking world too much I decided to start this blog. I decided to start this blog by combining one of my favorite baked goods with my other true love, Harry Potter. This wonderful combo leads me to my first recipe, Butterbeer Cookies.

When I graduated from college, my parents surprised me with a trip to Orlando to Harry Potter World. I wish I could put into words how amazing this trip was; it was like being home amongst all my fellow Harry Potter nerdlings. I could wear my Gryffindor outfit (robe included), carry a wand, and not feel a little crazy. We went in January, and it wasn’t that crowded so I got to ride each ride a few times and have multiple Butterbeers. The drink itself is like a cream soda, but with something extra. It has foam on top that reminds me of what an egg cream soda probably would taste like. These cookies are very easy to make, and transport me back to Hogwarts whenever I make them =)


Butterbeer Sugar Cookies 
From the wonderful Bridget at Bake at 350

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 sticks butter
1 egg
1 tsp butter flavoring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

First things first, preheat your oven to 350.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter.
Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.
Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. The dough will be quite thick (see below)...you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. These cookies may also be rolled into 1 inch balls if you prefer. They are similar to shortbread in the way that they won’t spread much.

Butterbeer Glaze 
(This will cover 12 cookies)

2/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/8 cup evaporated milk
1 TBSP light corn syrup
Pinch coarse salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler). If you're lucky enough like me, you can use a butter warmer.

Yes, a butter warmer. I didn't know these existed

Thank god for Paula Deen.

 Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

 Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula.

Then, devour while curled up with a good HP book =)

Hope you enjoyed the first post!!!