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 BAKING Cookies 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 dragées, and other sprinkles
-raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
-nuts These items can be placed on top of almost any cookie to dress it up a bit and give it a more festive appearance. Paint a masterpiece
You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. 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'oeil
The 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 BAKING Decorating 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. Icing
There 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 frosting
You 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=SC1407 Working with icing
Icing 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 dragées, 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. There is 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 chocolate
Just 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 need
You 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 boiler
Place 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. Microwave
Place 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. Dipping
Dip 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. Drizzling
Scrape 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. Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts." This book, "enthusiastically recommended" by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints, including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. 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.]
Related News
Master curry chef gives cooking tips to public - Harrow Observer
Master curry chef gives cooking tips to publicHarrow Observer, UK -17 hours agoA cook specialising in Indian cooking gave a free demonstration of the cuisine of the sub-continent on Saturday. Pat Chapman took over the centre of St ... |
Fire Prevention tips when heading back to - Blue Mountains Courier-Herald
Fire Prevention tips when heading back toBlue Mountains Courier-Herald, Canada -Aug 27, 2008Cooking is the number-one cause of home fires in Ontario. There are some basic fire safety rules everyone must follow to prevent cooking fires: When the ... |
Campfire cooking menu - Taste.com.au
Taste.com.au |
Campfire cooking menuTaste.com.au, Australia -Aug 24, 2008For campfire cooking instructions, look for the camping tips in the notes section of each recipe. Cooking times may vary according to the intensity of the ... |
Rex dishes out cooking tips - The Sun
Rex dishes out cooking tipsThe Sun, UK -Aug 23, 2008By CHRISTINE JENNINGS REX gave the housemates food for thought last night as he shared some cooking tips. The hot-headed chef from London gave advice on ... |
Visit Britain offers tips on home exchange - The Eureka Reporter
Visit Britain offers tips on home exchangeThe Eureka Reporter, CA -12 minutes agoSelf-catering apartments have full-service kitchens with cooking utensils so you can buy food at a local grocery store and cook your own meals. ... |
Check out these emergency food tips - The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Check out these emergency food tipsThe Times-Picayune - NOLA.com, LA -Aug 27, 2008*An emergency cooking kit (for home or on the road) should include a cast-iron skillet for cooking over a camp stove or on a grill; a pot for boiling water; ... |
Power to the Pantry - Columbia Daily Tribune
Columbia Daily Tribune |
Power to the PantryColumbia Daily Tribune, MO -Aug 27, 2008Here’sa list of pantry essentials, cooking tips and better-than-weeknight recipes for a few dishes. All of these dishes are served at the University Club ... |
Funny Or Die sites expand into cooking, video games - Encore
Ditch the caviar dreams and entertain on a budget - The Canadian Press
Labor Day Weekend - A Time For Barbeques, Sale Shopping, and The ... - Examiner.com
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Preparing Lobster Tails
Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you're sure to impress even your mother in law.
Whats a Pan Dowdy?
Cobblers and dowdies, crisps and crumbles, buckles and betties-what are all these desserts?
The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken
A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both in Barbeque contest as well as backyard barbeques is the beer-can chicken. Cooking a beer-can chicken couldn't be any easier but the results are worthwhile. This is a technique that delivers a moist, succulent chicken and flavorful chicken. It's also a bit of a showstopper and makes a lively conversation starter as well. Is it chicken in a beer can? Close but try beer can in a chicken. The beer is used to both keep the bird flavorful and moist, and the cook happy. By the time the bird is ready to eat, the chef will not be the only one with a beer belly!
Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts
We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.
10 Smart Shopping Tips To Protect Your Family From Getting Sick
Prevention of food poisoning starts with your trip to the
supermarket. Here's how to start off safely.
10 Dishes Every New Bride or Groom Must Know How to Make!
Okay, you've either gotten married or are planning to pretty soon. Congratulations! I'm sure you're aware that this means you will be responsible for at least half the meals you and your loved one will eat from here on out! Not to mention future children, your visiting family members and - of course - inlaws.
10 Simple Kitchen Organizing Tips
A lot of the times we mean to get in there and finally organize the kitchen, but once things get out of control the job can seem so daunting and you just don't know where to start. These top 10 kitchen organizing tips will help make your kitchen pleasant and welcoming.
Cut The Take Out
A long hard day at work. You get home and need dinner. Nothing in the fridge, nothing in the cupboard. Take-out again. The wallet just won't comply much longer.
How to Cook a Lobster
French chefs plunge them into boiling water; English ones, in an attempt to appear more humane, drive kitchen knives through their skulls before doing the same thing.
Family Meal Planning Made Easy
As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out of the home, in the home or look after the kids full time, we definitely have our jobs cut out for us. We clean, chauffer the kids around, mend scraped knees, help with homework, do laundry and on top of all that we STILL have to figure out what we're going to make for dinner each night.
Why do We Need to Knead?
Bread dough needs to be elastic in order to capture the gases created by the yeast, stretch as bubbles form in the dough, expand, and rise. Without that elasticity, bread would not have the open texture we enjoy nor would bread be chewy. But what creates that elasticity?
ServSafe Food Program in Montana a Success
Montana has a great program for restaurant employees. Each preparer of foods to the public must go through a special program where they learn at what temperatures food must be served and how to keep the place clean. It is through this program that MT ranks among the lowest in the country for food poisoning. E. coli bacteria is very unlikely in MT because as part of this program they learn all the other important food preparation rules. The signature program? It is called ServSafe. And each employee must complete this program.
Barbecue for You
In may just be in human nature to barbecue. Well,
we have been doing it as far back as time can
denote. In the Stone Age, man hunted for food and
cooked it over an open flame. And while we still
cook over flame today, there are actually two
different types. True barbecue requires a sauce.
If not, you are just grilling. While both are
good, barbecue involves slowly cooking the meat
with low temperature for hours.
Caring For Your Wooden Cutting Board
Researchers have found that bacteria have a tougher time surviving on wood cutting boards. However, plastic cutting boards are less porous than wood, making it less likely to harbor bacteria over a long period of time, but only if it is immediately cleaned. Here are a few tips to caring for your cutting board.
Baking Bread in a Dutch Oven
Dutch ovens were made for baking. In the hands of a practiced baker, a Dutch oven will create beautiful breads and desserts. (Though some of us tend to burn breads in a Dutch oven.)
Keeping and Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue
It is one of life's oddities that we take a lot of trouble refrigerating meat, keeping food sealed and washing our hands before touching it, only to throw out the rule book when we have a barbecue. The meat is left out in the sun waiting it's turn to be cooked, exposed to the elements and there is no washbasin to be seen. Another oddity is that it is men that do most of the barbecue cooking: 7 out of 10 according to the American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org) in a survey. They also found that only 44% of these men washed their hands when cooking at the barbecue. Shame on us men! Why is it that, more often then not, it is women who get to do the day-in, day-out drudgery cooking, while men suddenly muscle in for those special occasions? Is this right, or am I imagining it?
10 Simple Ways To Safely Store Food
Storing foods can present its own set of problems. And
different types of foods have different storage requirements
to prevent bacteria from setting in. Here's some tips to
protect your family and yourself.
Cookware ? Whats In It?
Have you ever wanted to buy new cookware but didn't know what kind to buy? There are many types of cookware from which to choose. The following is a summary of the different materials that are used in cookware.
How to Bake: Bread on the Grill
One of the slickest tricks we know is baking bread on the grill. Once you get to know your grill, it's easy-like baking your favorite recipe in the oven.
Peppercorns & Ways To Use Them
New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.
|
