Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts

Sugar Cookies Decorated with Fondant

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on cookie cutter size.
Ingredients:
2 cups- All-purpose flour
¾ cup- Butter at room temperature
¾ cup- Powdered Sugar
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. vanilla essence
1 large- Egg
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
All Purpose Flour Extra for Dusting
For fondant:
2 cups- Mini marshmallows
2 tbsp. Water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pound- Confectioner’s sugar
Crisco or vegetable shortening
Corn syrup

Method:
1. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and quite fluffy.
2. Add the egg, salt, baking powder and vanilla essence and mix until they are well combined.
3. Sift the flour. Add to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are just come together you – do not over mix.
4. Put the dough into a container or cover with a Clingfilm and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. On a work surface lightly dusted with floor, roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle a little extra flour on the top of the dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.
6. Cut out your desired shapes. Place on baking trays lined with wax paper and return to the refrigerator to rest for at least 5-10mins.
7. Bake cookies in a preheated oven at 170°C/325°F for about 10-12 minutes. Cookies will be pale on top and slightly golden on the bottom.
8. Cool them before decorating.

Notes:
1. Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on cookie cutter size.
2. Keep baked and decorated cookies fresh in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week.
3. Cookie dough can be refrigerated for two weeks or frozen up to a month.

For Fondant:
1. Grease a microwave safe bowl with Crisco. Pour marshmallows in bowl.
2. Pour water and vanilla extract over marshmallows.
3. Heat in microwave until marshmallows puff a bit, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stir well until fully melted and smooth and runny.
4. Put confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer with the flat beater (I greased the beater with Crisco).
5. Pour marshmallow mixture into the sugar and blend on low speed. continue blending until dough forms.
6. Knead briefly on a surface dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Wrap in plastic and let sit about 4-5 hours.
7. Divide the fondant and tint desired colors. (Tint fondant by kneading one or more drops of food coloring into a half of white fondant. For pastel colors, start with only one drop and add one additional drop at a time until desired color is reached.)
8. Roll out preferred color of fondant on a surface dusted with confectioner’s sugar to prevent sticking, and cut out the shapes.
9. Spread a small bit light corn syrup on a cookie and gently place the shaped fondant on top and smoothing the edges with your fingers.

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Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 25 cookies
Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups- All-purpose flour (Maida)
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup- Unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup- Sugar
¾ cup- Packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2- Large eggs
2 cup- White chocolate chunks
2 cup- Dried cranberries

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and combine; set aside.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add sugar and light brown sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in vanilla, then beat in eggs.
5. Add about one-third of flour mixture and mix on low speed. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in white chocolate chunks and cranberries.
6. You may freeze dough up to 1 month; defrost in refrigerator overnight before proceeding.
7. Drop by large tablespoon amounts 2-inches apart on cookie sheets; do not flatten.
8. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges and tops have just begun to turn light golden brown.
9. Cool pans on racks for 5 minutes, then slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely.
10. Cookies will keep for 4 days at room temperature in airtight container.

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Maamoul (Dates Filled Lebanese Cookies)

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
2 cups- Semolina
½ cup- All-purpose flour
½ cup- Butter, melted
½ cup- Sugar, powdered
1 tbsp. Rose water
1 tsp. dried yeast, melted in 1 tbsp. of luke warm water
Pinch of Salt
Dates Filling:
2 ½ cups- Fresh soft-pitted dates
¼ cup- Sugar, powdered
1 tsp. Rose water
Maamoul mold to press and shape the cookies

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 350° F.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour and mix it with semolina and butter.
3. Add the yeast water, rose water, sugar and salt. Mix and make a dough by adding little bit of water. Set aside for about 3 hours, covered, to rest.
4. In a food processor, take dates, sugar and rose water. Blend them together into fine paste.
5. After 3 hours of rest, knead and divide the dough into lime sized balls. Flatten each ball using your hand and lift the sides up to form a hollow. It is now ready for the filling.
6. Place 1 tbsp. of dates filling into the hollowed dough. Close the dough over the date’s mixture. Press the edges to seal well.
7. Press it into the maamoul mold to give it a decorated appearance. Reverse the mold, gently shake to loosen it from the mold. Prepare each one in this way and place them neatly in rows, on a greased/parchment paper lined baking tray.
8. Place the tray in a preheated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or when they turn lightly golden, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
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Salted Spiecy Cookies

Ingredients:
8 ½ ounces- Cake flour
8 ½ ounces- Bread flour
1 ½ tsp. Baking soda
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
1 ½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ cup- Unsalted butter
1 ½ cup- Brown sugar
8 ounces- Granulated sugar
2- Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
4- Green chilies, finely chopped
8-10 Curry leaves
4 cloves- Garlic, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, set aside.
3. Cream together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until very light in texture and color, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
6. By hand mix in the chopped green chili, garlic and curry leaves. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
7. Using a 2-inch releasable scoop, form balls of dough and place no more than 6 on each baking sheet.
8. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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