Melting Snowman Cookies

It has been snowing for 29 hours straight so I think that makes it a perfect day to make some Melting Snowman Cookies!  Granted, the weather isn't helping the snowman to melt but one can always wish, right?

I followed the tutorial found here: http://www.trulycustomcakery.com/tutorials/25.html .

You can use any sugar cookie recipe (heck, you could even use store-bought, unfrosted sugar cookies!) but I am a true fan of my my mom's recipe .

Instead of rolling and using cookie cutters to form the cookies, just take small balls of dough and flatten them out a bit and place them on the cookie sheet.  It doesn't matter if they are perfectly round since you want them to look like a melting blob anyway.


Bake the cookies and allow to cool. 

Once your cookies are baked, prepare the marshmallows by spraying a plate with cooking spray and setting about 7-8 marshmallows on it, spaced evenly.  Do not cook them yet, just have them on standby.

Now you can mix up some icing.   I just mixed about a cup or so of powdered sugar with some flavoring (either vanilla or almond; I used almond today because it's just what I grabbed) and a little bit of milk.  Add your liquids slowly-- the amount will vary, so I'm not even going to give an actual measurement.  You want to just add it until the icing is thin but not drippy.  When you spread it on the cookie, you want it to flow a little bit and not be too thick.  It's okay if it starts to ooze towards the edge of the cookie a little, but you don't want it to be so thin that all of it oozes and you end up seeing the yellowness of the cookie through the frosting.  Use your judgement; but remember, you can always add liquid but you can't take it away!  If it's too thin, add a little bit more powdered sugar.  If it's too thick, add a little bit more milk.

Now comes the fun part.

Once you have about 7-8 cookies frosted, set the plate of marshmallows in the microwave and cook on high for 15 seconds.  WATCH THEM.  You want them to puff up but not cook or explode. 

Grease your fingertips as well, and immediately place a marshmallow on top of each frosted cookie.  It's okay if they get denty and bumpy from your fingers since you want them to look like they are losing their shape anyway.

Follow these directions until you have all of the cookies with snowman heads on them. 

Tint any remaining icing the colors of your choice, and decorate your melting snowman.

September Daring Bakers- Sugar Cookies

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.

Sugar Cookies?  I got this challenge covered.  My mom and sisters and I devote an entire DAY to sugar cookies every year around Christmas time.  I can make and frost sugar cookies blindfolded.  With one hand behind my back.  In the dark.  (Oh wait, I'm blindfolded... the lights may be on)
 
So why am I finally completing September's challenge on October 2?  I guess the same reason I haven't blogged any fun food things since August 27th, ironically last month's DB challenge. 
 
I've been saying it for months (a year?)  I've become a blogging loser.  School has taken priority for me... and now...sadly.... I have to say that work will be taking priority.  After 12 years of being a stay-at-home mom, I'm going back to work next week.
 
Will I continue with the Daring Bakers?  Maybe.  I hope to.... especially after reading what the October challenge entails..... I can't leak any hints, but it will be delish.
 
So onto last months challenge that I've made this month.  Sugar Cookies.  I refuse to use any sugar cookie recipe other than this one, so when this challenge came up, I knew I'd have a problem.  I still used my recipe, because I have never found another sugar cookie that melts in your mouth like that one does.  Using confectioner sugar as opposed to granulated is the key to a perfect sugar cookie. 

For this challenge, we were allowed to use any theme we'd like for our cookies, so long as it related to "September".  Mine is sort of September/October (Septober?) since I just did a basic fall leaf theme.   I made enough to share with several neighbors, as well!   Oh, and I had a great helper.... everyone must get one of these! 

Here is the basic sugar cookie recipe that was provided for this challenge, as well as the Royal Icing recipe.  (I did use the Royal Icing recipe, although I omitted the lemon juice and used Almond extract)

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions

• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.

• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.

• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid flour flying everywhere.

• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.

• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)

• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.

• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.

• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.

• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.

• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.

• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.

• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.

• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done.


• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.

• Leave to cool on cooling racks.

• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.


Royal Icing:


 2½ - 3 cups Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions

• Beat egg whites with flavoring until combined.

• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and
grease free.

• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.

• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.

• Beat on low until combined and smooth.

• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.

• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

Decorating Your Cookies: Flooding


“Flooding” a cookie is a technique used when covering a cookie with Royal Icing.

1. You outline the area you want to flood which helps create a dam.

2. Then fill or flood inside the area you’ve outlined.

The most important thing when it comes to decorating with Royal Icing is the consistency.

There are two ways of flooding your cookies. Some like to do the outline with a thicker icing and then flood with a thinner icing. Some like to use the same icing to do both which saves time and you don’t have to have two different piping bags for each colour you’re using.

Use different colors to add polka-dots around the edge of a cookie

Drag a toothpick through the center of the polka-dots, without lifting up in between the dots.

The Same Consistency Method

• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions

• Drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing and count to 10

• If the surface becomes smooth between 5 & 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, do the 10 second test, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.

Two Different Consistencies Method

• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions.

• Separate into 2 different bowls, one lot of icing for outlining, the other for flooding.

• For the outlining icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.

• If the surface becomes smooth at around 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 10 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.

• For the flooding/filling icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.

• If the surface becomes smooth at around 3-4 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 3-4 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 3-4 second test.

Be sure to click on the Daring Bakers icon in my sidebar so you can select other Daring Bakers blogs and take a peek at their creations this month!

Washboard Cookies

These cookies are made from staples in your pantry, making them quick and easy.  I yielded 2 dozen cookies from this recipe.   I only had light brown sugar on hand so I turned it into dark brown sugar by adding 1 tbsp of molasses per 1 cup of light brown sugar and blending.  If you only have white granulated sugar, you can make it dark brown by adding 2 tbsp of molasses to 1 cup of granulated sugar and blending. 
 
Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour sugar

Directions 

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and egg. Stir together baking soda, water and vanilla; add to creamed mixture. Add flour and mix well.
2. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten with a fork that has been dipped in water. Sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on waxed paper.

June Daring Bakers- Chocolate Pavlovas

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

Okay, I have to admit that I did not partake in the entire challenge. This is the third recipe in the 6 months of 2010 that included some sort of citrus. Ick! I like citrus alone, but not mixed into my chocolate or into my caramel. Here's hoping the remaining 6 months of this year are citrus-combo-free!

I did make the chocolate Pavlovas. I never knew the name of these little treats. I always just thought they were meringue cookies. In fact, I make these Santa Hats each year with a similar recipe, minus the chocolate!

The pavlova was extremely chocolaty- I couldn't imagine covering this richness with more chocolate as the challenge required! So I served the pavlova as a cookie adorning a bowl of vanilla ice cream, topped with fresh berries picked from my yard. What a tasty treat! (My husband thinks it tastes like Cocoa Puffs!)

Chocolate Meringue
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
1/4cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200ºF degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

3. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)

4. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

 

If you'd like to see the full recipe for the Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse, check out the results on other Daring Bakers blogs!

Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookies

clockwise: My niece Megan, my neice Lauren, my neice Delaney, my daughter Emily, my son Nathan, my nephew Cameron, my nephew Landon and my nephew Daniel

Here is this years photo of our annual Frosting of the Christmas Sugar Cookies! The original post and recipe can be found here on my blog. They are the best sugar cookie you will ever eat!



Between my sisters and my mom and I, we have tens of dozens of cookies (in fact, I have about 10 dozen myself!) and we get together with all of the children on an afternoon just before Christmas and have a Frosting Party! What a neat tradition that I remember doing as a child and now our children will also remember doing!

Halloween Mummy Candy Pot

My daughter is going to a Halloween Costume Party tonight and this Mummy Head will be holding the yummy Halloween treats that she will be bringing with her. Here is how you can make the cute container:

What You Need:



Glue gun
12 1-x-36-inch strips of muslin
Terracotta pot (6 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 1/2 inches tall)
2 round black beads
Paint brush brush
Fluorescent acrylic paint: hot green or orange
Paper towel
Candy or treat (my recipe below)


Instructions:

Spot-glue the end of a muslin strip to the rim of the terracotta pot. Wrap the strip around the pot, spot-gluing in place as needed.

Continue covering the pot with muslin strips, gluing the beginning of each new strip to the end of the previous one. Occasionally twist the muslin during the wrapping process to add dimension, and spot-glue the twist to the pot.

When the pot is completely covered (leave the bottom unwrapped), make a brow by wrapping more strips around the top of the pot. Wrap additional strips around the bottom of the face to give the mummy the appearance of a concealed nose and mouth. Add back beads for eyes.

Dip a paint brush into the fluorescent paint. Dab the brush on a paper towel to remove any excess paint, and lightly brush back and forth on the muslin until the pot is covered. Allow paint to dry.

Fill the finished mummy pot with candy.


I filled my mummy head with these treats (click here for recipe)



using these simple ingredients:

Thin and Crisp Oatmeal Cookies

The other day, my aunt Peggy (hi Aunt Peggy!) sent me a recipe for delicous oatmeal cookies. I can't resist anything with oatmeal baked into it. This recipe results in the most perfectly round cookies I've ever seen; every single cookie was uniformly shaped! And she was right about the taste- delicious! I'm more of a chewy cookie eater, but I must say, these crisp cookies had enough chew to them to satisfy my chewy-factor and a crisp that satisfies crispy lovers crispy-factor! (Clear as mud?)

Here is the yummy recipe: Enjoy!



Thin and Crisp Oatmeal Cookies with Sea Salt


Ingredients:

1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, but still cool (65 degrees)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
sea salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in medium bowl.

In standing mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth, 10 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oats and mix until well incorporated, 20 seconds. Give dough final stir with spatula to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, then roll between palms into balls (I admit, I didn't measure mine into 2 tbsp portions- I got about 38 cookies total).

Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart, 8 dough balls per sheet. Using fingertips, gently press ball to 3/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle the tops with a few flakes of sea salt.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, edges are crisp, and centers yield to slight pressure when touched, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on sheet.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

I almost didn't put these on my blog because I thought they came out ugly due to the cracks and I didn't love the taste of them. They were a too dry and crunchy for my liking. My husband ended up loving them and standing there popping one in his mouth after another, so I figured there may be others out there that love dry, crunchy cookies as much as he does, hehe.

Cookie dough:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used milk chocolate)
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 350ºF; line two baking sheets with baking paper.

Start by making the dough:
in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high, until a dough forms – it won’t be sticky.

Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1in apart onto prepared sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb (I used the bottom of a measuring spoon) into tops of cookies to make indentations. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more.

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Make the filling:
combine chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a small heatproof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

Makes 2 dozen

July Daring Bakers-- Milan Cookies

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Okay, so you are probably wondering where my Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies are, aren't you? Well... we only had to make one or the other for the challenge and I had every intention on making both, however I've been taking some online classes for school this summer that are waaaaaaaaaaaay accelerated ( a 17 week courses in 4 weeks and a 17 week course in 7 weeks? Ouch!) and sadly my baking, crafting and blogging have all suffered because of it.

So, I only got the chance to do the Milano cookies. If you are going to do only one of the two, that is the one to do! They were so tasty! I love the Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies and this recipe (minus the citrus junk in there...ewwww) tasted pretty close to them. The only difference was that the ones I made were chewy rather than crunchy, but I loved them chewy!

I worked through this recipe without a single problem- it's very simple, just putzy! I also got more than 3 dozen cookies but I'm not sure exactly how many because the cookies were soooo good to eat even before assembling them, that I'm sure I ate a good 12-15 of the cookies plain! They reminded me of the Tuiles that we made back in January.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies




• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

I skipped the citrus in both the batter and the filling. I don't think the Pepperidge Farm Milano's have any citrus to them and that just sounds gross to me anyway! So I went with the full chocolate flavor. Why ruin something so beautiful with citrus?


1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.

I guess maybe I ate even more than 12-15 cookies if you count the spoonfuls of cookie batter that I ate, too. Oopsy.

4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

I just used my Pampered Chef Cookie Press to pipe the batter. I also used a fancy tip with it instead of a plain round one, but the dough is so thin that it just oozed all together when it baked so it didn't matter anyway.

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.



6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

I know I'm not the only one that ate this by the spoonful either...

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

Be sure not to squeeze them together like I did with this one (oh darn... it wasn't presentable so someone had to eat it!).

Much better.


10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Seriously delicious.

Don't forget to check out the Daring Baker's Blogroll to see other yummy creations for this month!

Homemade Raspberry Jam (and cookies)

I made homemade Raspberry Jam for the first time last week and loved it so much that I made a larger batch today. The first time I made it, I used my bread machine; I know that sounds weird-- but I found a recipe for it in the bread machine manual and it looked so simple to make that I had to try it. It was pretty simple: Mix, push button, wait. 1 hour later... yummy jam!

So I thought I'd try it the traditional way today- on the stove top. It was just as easy! It actually was quicker, although I didn't have to stand there and stir it when I made it in the bread machine. But making it on the stove knocks out a bigger batch and saves a lot of time.

Once the jam was made, I baked these sugar cookies and instead of frosting them, I slathered them with the homemade jam and topped them with a cookie dusted with powdered sugar for a perfect Valentine Cookie treat!

Here is how I made the jam:

What you need:

5 cups crushed raspberries (not pureed)
7 cups sugar
1 packet dry Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Jars/lids/bands

Directions:

1. Run jars through a dishwasher to sterilize and keep them hot on the "heated dry" cycle. (you'll want to time this right so the jars are still hot when you fill them, otherwise they may break) Also, fill a stock pot with water allow to simmer while you make the jam.

2. Wash the lids and screw bands and place in a pan of water that you had brought to a boil but removed from heat.

3. Prepare fruit by mashing with a potato masher.



4. Measure exact amount of fruit and put into a 6-8 quart sauce pot.

5. Measure exact amount of sugar and pour into a separate bowl. Set aside.

6. Stir in one packet of dry fruit pectin into the fruit. You can also add a tsp of butter to help minimize foaming, but the butter is optional.

7. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop boiling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.



8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full boil (it took about 10 minutes to get there) and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam.



9. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.



10. Being very careful, use tongs to lower jars one by one down into the simmering stockpot of water. The water must cover the jars by 1 - 2 inches; add boiling water if needed. Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil. Process jams 10 minutes.



11. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars are cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger (if lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary).



12. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Store unopened jams in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate open jams up to 3 weeks.

January Daring Bakers Challenge-- Tuiles

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Tuile, is a thin, light, crisp cookie that is molded into a curved shape due to it being placed over a curved surface while still warm. As it cools, it will set in this shape allowing you to fill it's bowl or center with a suitable filling. "Tuile" is a French word meaning "tile"; these cookies resemble the curved French roofing tiles for which they're named.

The rules that Karen and Zorra have stated are as follows:
- use the batter given,
- shape it either prior (using a stencil) or right after baking and
- pair it with something light


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The recipe was probably the most simple recipe that The Daring Baker's will ever see. The technique is what made it a bit challenging.

I decided to just follow the lead that was given to me and copied made a butterfly stencil like Karen had used.

To make the stencil, I used a plastic lid from a disposable refrigerated food, a pen and a utility knife. Easy enough.

I forgot to add some "spots" and design to my butterflies before baking, so I ended up with what looked more like a moth than a butterfly. I also made them a little too large, so threw out the butterfly stencil and moved onto something more simple.... a circle (which somehow ended up looking like a Pringles potato chip once it was cooled). Moths and Pringles... what more could a girl ask for?

Ingredients:

¼ cup softened butter (not melted but soft)
½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
¼ cup sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites.

3. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not over mix.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly.

6. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes.



7. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly/circle.



8. Bake butterflies in preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape.

**These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time. It helped to place the baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open while you mold the cookies one at a time. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

I molded my butterflies (moths) over the edges of a few bowls:


I molded my circles over spoon handles:


Paired with a whipped cream and some blueberries (they tasted like cream puffs):



My daughter loved the cookies, especially warm (I did, too!). They are sweet and spongy yet crisp and can be gobbled up without even pairing them with something else. I used the remaining dough to make her two big warm cookies! She was thrilled!



Be sure to check out the The Daring Baker's Blogroll to see other amazing January challenges.