Christmas Cookie Decorating 101
Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating cookies. Well that's a tall order because there are as many ways to decorate cookies as there are cookies! Here are a few guidelines for novices and experienced bakers alike to help you generate your own ideas for cooking decorating. DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKINGCookies can be decorated before baking with materials that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on your cookies before baking are:
- colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
- jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold drag?es, and other sprinkles
- raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
- nuts
The paint will dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance. This is a fun activity for kids! A bit of trompe l'oeilThe folks at Better Homes and Gardens have a creative recipe for Colored Cream Dough ( http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?page=2&storyid=%2Ftemplatedata%2Fbhg%2Fstory%2Fdata%2F11429.xml&catref=SC1407 ) which is a dough of frosting consistency that can be piped onto cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a writing or star tip, and then baked. The result is a cookie that looks like it has been frosted but the frosting is baked on and hard. DECORATING COOKIES AFTER BAKINGDecorating cookies after baking them requires that you apply some kind of liquid-based substance that will adhere to the baked cookie, or that will act as a glue to attach other items. Usually, this takes the form of frosting, icing, or melted chocolate.Frosting vs.
IcingThere is a big difference between frosting and icing. Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes better because of the creamy buttery flavor. Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the most beautiful, professional results.Working with frostingYou can use frosting in two ways.
One way is to simply use a knife or rubber spatula to spread the frosting across the whole surface of your cookie. The other way is to place the frosting in a pastry or decorating bag fitted with a small tip and piping out thin lines or rosettes of icing onto the cookie. Either way, once the frosting has been applied to the cookie you can then further embellish it by using colored sugars, non-pareils, or any of the decorating items mentioned in the Decorating Before Baking section above. Christmas-Cookies.com has a delicious recipe for Buttercream Frosting at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=306.
See detailed instructions on piping frosting from Better Homes and Gardens at http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?page=3&storyid=%2Ftemplatedata%2Fbhg%2Fstory%2Fdata%2F11430.xml&catref=SC1407Working with icingIcing is a little more difficult to work with but its smooth surface produces the most beautiful results! Icing should always be piped onto a cookie because it will run off the edges if spread with a knife.
Once iced you can apply silver drag?es, or other sprinkles just as mentioned with the frosting above, before it hardens. Christmas-Cookies.com has an excellent recipe for Royal Icing at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=42. Better Homes and Gardens also a recipe for Powdered Sugar Icing ( http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=288 ) that dries less hard than Royal Icing and has a shiny surface. Martha Stewart's website features an excellent article on how to pipe icing onto cookies for professional-looking results ( http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel172011&catid=cat258 ).Melted chocolateJust about any cookie can be embellished simply by dipping it in chocolate or drizzling chocolate over it. You can even dress up the everyday chocolate chip cookie for gift-giving or serving at parties.
Melting chocolate is a simple process, but a few rules must be followed in order to make it a success.
For Easter, try using white chocolate tinted in pastel shades with food coloring. Use the gel, paste or powdered kind of food color, because the liquid drops may make the chocolate seize up.What you needYou can either use chocolate chips or baking chocolate (the kind that comes in 1-ounce squares) and the same process applies whether you use dark chocolate or white chocolate. A small amount of shortening should be added at the ratio of 2 tablespoons shortening for 1 cup of chocolate chips or chopped up baking chocolate.Double boilerPlace chocolate and shortening in the top half of a double boiler or in a metal bowl that has been placed on top of a saucepan filled with hot water. The water must be very hot, but not boiling, because the steam generated by boiling water could get moisture into the melting chocolate which makes it curdle.
Allow the chocolate to melt over the hot water and stir it occasionally until it has achieved a liquid consistency. MicrowavePlace your chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it on medium power for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving 20 seconds, stir again. Keep doing this until the chocolate is almost melted.
Remove it from the microwave and stir it until completely melted.DippingDip one end of your cookie, or half the cookie, or even the whole cookie into the melted chocolate. Set the cookie on a wire rack to let the chocolate harden. If you wish, you can sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut, or non-pareils over the melted chocolate before it hardens. DrizzlingScrape melted chocolate into a ziplock baggie. With a sharp scissors, snip off a very small corner of the baggie.
Drizzle top of cookies with zig-zags of melted chocolate. Cool until chocolate is set. Using these simple techniques will help you produce a variety of beautiful-looking cookies at Christmastime and throughout the year.
Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved..
For more information visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/ or order from your favorite online bookstore.[Note to webmasters: you may include a link to the book using your affiliate program (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other) if you wish.]
Christmas Cookie Decorating 101
Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating cookies. Well that's a tall order because there are as many ways to decorate cookies as there are cookies! Here are a few guidelines for novices and experienced bakers alike to help you generate your own ideas for cooking decorating. DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKINGCookies can be decorated before baking with materials that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on your cookies before baking are:
- colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
- jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold drag?es, and other sprinkles
- raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
- nuts
Chocolate > Christmas Cookie Decorating 101
Christmas Cookie Decorating 101
Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating cookies. Well that's a tall order because there are as many ways to decorate cookies as there are cookies! Here are a few guidelines for novices and experienced bakers alike to help you generate your own ideas for cooking decorating. DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKINGCookies can be decorated before baking with materials that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on your cookies before baking are:
- colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
- jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold drag?es, and other sprinkles
- raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
- nuts
Chocolate > Christmas Cookie Decorating 101
Bella Bear Co. Named in Robb Report Collection as One of 50 Fantastic Gifts for the Holiday Season
Highland Park, IL (ContentDesk) December 2, 2005 -- Bella Bear Companys line of vintage fur teddy bears was named in the Robb Report Collection as one of 50 Fantastic Gifts for the Holiday Season. The Robb Report Collection is a publication dedicated to the finest in Holiday Luxury.Their collection of decadent teddy bears created in mink, sheared otter, fox and other fabulous furs, make a luxurious Holiday Gift.Each teddy bear boasts expert craftsmanship with adorable hand detailed faces and individually bejeweled with restyled vintage jewelry or vintage inspired accents.
The Mink Bear collection contains 4 decadent color options; champagne, caramel, chocolate and espresso, and are available in 2 standard sizes, petite 10 and classic 18 .
The Specialty Fur Teddy Bear collection offers a selection of teddy bears created are created from various vintage furs such as fox, sheared otter, New Zealand Opossum and are available in Petite 10 , Classic 18 and Grande 24 ...
Chocolate > Bella Bear Co. Named in Robb Report Collection as One of 50 Fantastic Gifts for the Holiday Season
Digital Chocolate Hits U.K Mobile Game Charts with Three Sumea Titles in Top Ten
Digital Chocolate, Inc., a developer of innovative applications for mobile phones, including games, lifestyle, and entertainment applications, today announced that three of the company's Sumea brand mobile games have reached the Top 10 list of mobile game downloads in the UK. The Official Mobile Games Java Download Chart, maintained by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), tracks Britain's best-selling mobile games. The list includes downloads from mobile operators O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone. The Sumea titles in ELSPA's mobile game Top 10 are "Racing Fever 2", "Mafia Wars" and "Street Soccer". Sumea is the only game brand with three titles on the list.
"Sumea is becoming a household name in mobile gaming," said Mr. Ilkka Paananen, the company's Managing Director for Europe. "Having three of our titles in Britain's Top 10 chart clearly validates our strategy of offering innovative, easy-to-learn mobile games that provide high-quality entertainment...
Digital Chocolate Hits U.K Mobile Game Charts with Three Sumea Titles in Top Ten
Chocolate > Digital Chocolate Hits U.K Mobile Game Charts with Three Sumea Titles in Top Ten
How To Get A Good Night's Sleep!
Do you remember when you were little and it seemed as though sleep overcame you as soon as your head hit your pillow? And you slumbered through the night until morning time? They call it the sleep of the innocent, but don't you wish you could sleep like that again? Adult responsibilities, stress, lifestyle and other worries often result in poor sleep habits and once the cycle of tossing and turning begins, it is difficult to return to a decent night's sleep. Many adults rely on prescription drugs to fall asleep and quite a few are addicted to them! Others 'self medicate' and use alcohol and other recreational drugs to try and fall asleep. If you are regularly struggling to sleep well, then you probably need to learn to fall asleep again!So let's go back to basics! And who better to consult than babies! After all babies are the experts at sleeping so why not learn a little from them! Apart from their age and body clock, there are specific reasons that babies fall asleep so well. Let's...
How To Get A Good Night's Sleep!
Chocolate > How To Get A Good Night's Sleep!