Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Painted Sugar Cookies


I was in a creative mood today and we have a family Easter dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's tomorrow so I thought it would be fun to try my hand at sugar cookies. Here is a sugar cookie and royal icing recipe that I love... the cookies are yummy and hold their shape while baking {not too hard & not too soft - just perfect with a sweet hint of almond and vanilla} + the royal icing recipe is easy and top-notch! 











Sugar Cookie Recipe:
Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 tsp. Almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350F 
-Cream butter and sugar together with an electric stand mixer until smooth. Mix for 1 minute. 
-Add egg. Mix until combined.
-Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again. 1 min.
-Mix in vanilla bean paste and almond extract.
-Slowly add flour and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to clump around the paddle. 
-Roll dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and set on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
-Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes.
-Bake in the oven on a silpat mat for 10 minutes or until the bottom edge of the cookies are light brown.
-Place cookies on a cooling rack.
-Decorate cookies with royal icing when they reach room temperature.


****************

Believe it or not this was my first time working with royal icing. I was tad intimidated so I watched a few videos on youtube before attempting it. This video was my favorite {he made it so easy}. I used 1/2 tsp. almond extract and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract instead of the 1 tsp. vanilla as listed in his recipe. It turned out fabulous. Really easy. Just add water when you need a "shampoo" consistency for flooding your cookies. 

Royal Icing Recipe:

Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar

2 large egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


1/2 tsp. almond extract

water


Directions:
-In a stand mixer combine sifted powdered sugar, cream of tarter, egg whites and both extracts. 
-Beat on low until the sugar has liquified and then beat on high for 1 minute. The icing will be thick like toothpaste. 
-Add a tablespoon of water and beat for 3 more minutes.
-Mix in food coloring if desired {I just used the white icing}.
-Pour icing into a piping bag and decorate sugar cookies.
-Let icing dry and harden before painting {if you want to use my method}


****************

For Painting
I used Betty Crocker Classic Gel Food Colors {I got mine at Ralph's} and dabbed a few blobs of each color onto a ceramic plate. I used a watercolor paint brush to paint and mix the colors and a gourmet food writer for fine black details. Easy peasy. Be sure to  have a small cup of water for washing your brush out in between colors and a paper towel for blotting the brush. 

Have Fun!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Italian Iced Lemon Cookies

























Italian Lemon Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter {2 stick}
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Lemon Glaze
1 cup powder sugar {sifted}
2 tbsp. lemon juice


Directions for cookies
-Preheat oven to 350F
-Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
-Rub the sugar and lemon zest together to separate any clumps of zest.
-Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy {about 3 minutes}
-Add lemon juice to the creamed butter mixture and stir for 1 minute
-Add eggs to the creamed butter on low speed until incorporated
-Combine dry and wet ingredients, mix on low until batter is evenly combined
-Chill dough for 20 minutes in the freezer.
-Roll dough into 2 inch balls, slightly flatten between your hands and place on a lined cookie sheet {I use silpat}.
-Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cookies will be done when slightly firm to the touch with light brown edges.
-Wait until cookies have completely cooled before dipping the top side into the glaze.
-Set on cooling rack with wax paper below it {to catch glaze drippings}.

Directions for lemon glaze
Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together until the sugar has dissolved. 



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Our Thanksgiving!

 
^^^I know it's a tad on the late side, but I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! We had Thanksgiving with my Parents and our HUGE extended family. So, I might have gone a bit overboard with all these pictures of the table, but I think my Mom did and amazing job -- she should be a party planner...right?
 
 
^^^We reused the candle holders from our wedding. What a great investment...I think we've used them for every party since then!
 
              
                        ^^^Mom...you are killing me with the bitty butterflies and acorns! Too cute!
 
 
^^^ My cousin Charlie and hubby Dan. Dan teases Charlie for being a frat boy and Charlie teases Dan for being a surfer...basically they love each other. 
 
 
^^^My Dad is the turkey master. Our family loves to have potluck style dinners -- everyone brings their favorite dish. We have a huge family, so having one person cook the entire meal would be insane. I was in charge of bringing pureed candied yams and rosemary potatoes and carrots. I really got into it and sprung for the fancy multi colored carrots at Traders. Is it weird that I was excited about carrots? 
 
 
Because no Grams party is complete without a coffee station and butter cookies...^^^ Nice Mom ;)
 
 
^^^Meet my Family. Mom is up front and Dad is at the other end. Everyone in between is an Uncle, Aunt or cousin + about 20 more not pictured! My mom was the youngest of 8 kids and Dad was the oldest of 3 kids...who all grew up and had 2-6 kids of their own. So family holiday parties are of epic proportions.

 
 
^^^One of my Aunts always brings a box of See's Candy. It's sort of a tradition for family gatherings...one that I take full advantage of {I secretly snuck the rest of the box home when everyone had left}. And on the right is my Danny. This is what his face permanently looks like. ^^^
 
^^^And then we had a Friendsgiving with all of our friends who were still in town. We originally were going to have it in our tiny house {in the backyard},  but it rained all day, so my parents offered their house. How nice :) Well that made things super easy....everything was still set up from Thanksgiving, so we just cooked a new turkey and everyone pitched in with leftovers.
 
 
 
^^^The table looks so different at night! I love me some ambiance and candles!
 
                                          And then we had hot cider and beers in the backyard^^^
It was a great Thanksgiving! We have SOOOOO much to be thankful for! I/we couldn't be more blessed.
P.S. It is now officially CHRISTMAS TIME!
Woot Woot. Lets go get a Christmas tree!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Brown Butter and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies {The Best Cookies You'll Ever Eat}

These are the best cookies you’ll ever eat, hands down! This is the cookie recipe that I will keep forever....my future children's, children's, children will be baking these! They are decadent, rich and chewy. I love the combination of sweet creamy chocolate with a hint of sea salt. Gawwww they are my absolute favorite! Beware of their addictive powers.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. of sea salt {extra for sprinkling -- I like to use Maldon Sea Salt Flakes}
2 sticks {1 cup} unsalted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. sour cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
-Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
-Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown. This may take a few minutes. Remove from the heat as soon as you see the butter turn to a clear brown color {as pictured below}. Pour butter into a large bowl and add both brown and white sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla and sour cream until thoroughly combined.
-Slowly mix dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture
-Mix in chocolate chips
-Cool cookie dough for 20 minutes in the freezer {or 1 hour in the fridge}
-Roll cold dough into 2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat mat.
-Sprinkle with sea salt
-Bake for 9 minutes at 350F or until the edge of the cookies turn golden brown and the center is still soft. The center may look a little underdone, but fear not…this is exactly how you want them.
-Let the cookies cool on a wire wrack until the centers have settled.

Yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Flavored Milk Straws

I found the coolest flavored milk straws the other day and they are kid approved too (I had my nanny baby try one and she loved it). 

 How they work:
* Step 1 - Dip your straw into a glass of plain milk. (Do not cut the straws)
* Step 2 - Take a long sip
* Step 3 - Powerful flavor beads magically transform your milk into a delicious treat

 Fun facts that make you love them even more!
* No Artificial Colors
* No Preservatives
* No Artificial Flavors
* Gluten Free

Flavors:
* Banana
* Orange Cream
* Wild Berry
* Chocolate Peanut Butter
* Strawberry Banana
* Vanilla Milkshake
* Strawberry
*cookies and cream 
 
These are so much fun! Where were these when I was a kid? Ok so I'm not going to lie...I picked the pack up for myself.              
 



 




Friday, March 8, 2013

Bon Epi French Macarons

We went to this awesome French Cafe the other night called Bon Epi. They had the most amazing macarons you could ever imagine {besides Laduree}. Taro, armoretti orange blossom, coconut, pistachio, chocolate hazelnut, vanilla bean, white chocolate passion fruit, earl grey tea, dark chocolate and sea salt caramel are just a few of their many flavors. I also heard that their Strawberry cream croissants are super yummy.
 
 


 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Chocolate Dipped Almond Amaretto Biscotti





 
 
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 tablespoons Amaretto

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole almonds, chopped into medium chunks

6 oz. milk chocolate chips {melted for dipping or drizzling}

 
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper or silpat mats.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, amaretto, almond extract and vanilla until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients. Mix until blended.
Dough should be thick and sticky at this point. Use a spatula to transfer the sticky dough onto your baking sheets. Flour your hands and shape into a long flat loaf about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Bake for about 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool 10 minute. Use a long bread knife and cut the loaf into 1 inch slices. Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and bake another 20 minutes.Turn the slices over and bake 20 minutes more, or until the cookies are a light golden brown.

Cool the biscotti on a rack while you use a double boiler to melt your chocolate. Dip half of each biscotti into the milk chocolate or drizzle the chocolate on top.
 
 
 
enjoy.


Thursday, June 7, 2012

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies



Oh my sweet mama, these are amazing...
 
·  2 cups sugar
·  1 stick butter
·  3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
·  1/2 cup milk
·  1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
·  1 ½  tsp. vanilla extract
·  3 cups oatmeal (old fashioned rolled oats, not instant)

Mix the sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute. Stir

Reduce heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix quickly until peanut butter melts, then add the oatmeal. Mix until the ingredients are well blended. Stir for a couple more minutes on low heat (you want the oats to slightly cook, so they won't be hard when you eat them).

Drop spoonfuls onto tin foil, wax or parchment paper. Allow to set and cool completely before serving. I would suggest putting them in the fridge if you want them to set faster.
Makes 2 dozen 3 inch cookies.


This is revised version of a Lick the Bowl Good recipe.
Picture 1

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownies


Ohhhh so bad...but soooo good.
Click here for the amazing recipe.


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chewy Toffee Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Best Cookie Recipe Just Got Better!


I'm sure everyone has heard of the famous Nestlé Toll House cookies. They have the best all-American cookie recipe EVER. Until now...same recipe, but with a twist -- Skor bars and milk chocolate chips! Other cookies pale in comparison to these babies! 


Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3 Skor bars

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

 

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Chop up 3 Skor bars into small chunks and stir into the cookie dough along with the milk chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or waxed paper.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.


*Tip: make sure that each cookie dough ball is 1 tablespoon or smaller. These cookies need a bit of room when they bake!





Picture: 1

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Homemade Gingerbread Cookies


I made these gingerbread cookies last week with my nanny kids. I love this recipe, it comes out perfectly every time.
Recipe comes from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 large egg

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices to combine; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the molasses and egg until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Decorate as desired.