Decorated Sugar Cookies

[caption id="attachment_167" align="aligncenter" width="225" height="300" alt=""] Edible Marker[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_164" align="aligncenter" width="300" height="224" alt=""] First Time is Always the Best![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_160" align="aligncenter" width="300" height="225" alt=""] Fondant and Piping[/caption]

Making sugar cookies has been at least a once a year tradition before the girls were born.  It was revised as an everyday event when the catering business was going full force.  Now I make them for different occasions for the grand kids. The recipe has always been guarded.  But now I think it is appropriate to share it for others to enjoy.  I'll give it in a couple of posts.  The recipe will stay the same but the icing will change depending on the cookie.

Cookie decorating is an art form and not for the faint at heart.  You really have to want to do it for the ones you love.  It’s often a process that requires overnight drying.  When we made them for Stevens Catering  it was just as a loss leader.  Making them  together with grand kids is much more rewarding.  That being said, here's the recipe.  Enjoy!



[recipe]

Decorated Sugar Cookies- Dipped in Fondant Icing and Piped, Decorated with Fondant or Written on with a Food Grade Marker

Source and Inspiration:  Traditional Sugar Cookies, Betty Crocker's Cookbook page 148; Fondant Icing for Cookies, Martha Stewart

Yield:   3 small dozen (depends on size of cutter)

[recipe-ingredients]

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

[/recipe-ingredients]

[recipe-directions]

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring.  Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover; chill at least 1 hour.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut into desired shapes.  Pl,ace on ungreased  foil or parchment covered baking sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until very light brown., Frost with fondant icing.

Fondant Icing:  Mix 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon almond flavoring.   Add enough warm water to make the consistency of heavy syrup.   Color with food paste coloring.  Dip the front of each cookie and place on rack to dry.

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Poor Women’s Punch

[recipe]

Poor Women's Punch

• [recipe-ingredients]


• 5 pounds sugar

• 4 cups hot water

• 2 tablespoons fruit acid (fruit pectin)

• 1 cup cold water

• Juice of 12 lemons (1 1/2 cups)

• 2 ounces vanilla

• 2 ounces almond extract

Dissolve the sugar in hot water. Dissolve the sugar in cold water. Mix all ingredients together. This mixture can be frozen for later use.

To make punch mix:

• 1 cup cold water

• 1 cup syrup

• 32 ounces ginger ale

Serve over plenty of ice.

[/recipe]

Lemon Crisps

 



The most popular cookie at Stevens Catering  was Lemon Crisps.  Who wouldn’t love a crispy vanilla cookie with a lemony glaze?

Start by creaming the sugars, butter and  oil together.  Add the eggs and flavoring.



 

In a separate bowl,\ mix together the dry ingredients:  4 cups plus almost 1/3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.  Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.



We learned that if the dough set before baking, the cookies dehydrated and didn’t run as much.  Of course if you go head and scoup out the dough with a black scoup onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and mash down with a glass dipped in granulated sugar the cookies will do just fine.

Notice I'm using a mixer from the 1950's.  I have burned up several mixers and at our shop we have burned up several of those new, high dollar kind.  Of course they were never made for that kind of abuse but I will tell you that if you run across a mixer made by Hobart, buy it!!!!  I still have one mixer purchased in 1976 that keeps on running and has outlasted several other newer and supposedly better, mixers.  Hobart makes all commercial mixers now and does not put its name on the newer models.  So that's why you see an old mixer in my pics.  I'll continue to use them and replace the parts as necessary.  They just last!



Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes.  Make a thin glaze out of 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons lemon extract and enough warm warm water to make a spreadable glaze.  Ice each cookie with the glaze.  Enjoy!

[recipe]

Lemon Crisps

Source:  Inspired by Debbie Morgan

Yield:  58 cookies

[recipe-ingredients]

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter, soft

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups plus 4 heaping tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

[/recipe-ingredients]

[recipe-directions]

Cream together sugars, butter, and oil. Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Blend together dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Mix well.   Scoup dough onto cookie sheet with black scouper and mash down with glass dipped into white sugar. Place in freezer and store in ziplock when frozen. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place on untreated cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Ice with glaze made of 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons lemon extract and enough warm water to make a thin glaze.

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[/recipe]

Mayo Spread

The sauce begins with 1 cup mayonnaise and add 2/3 cup sour cream.  This helps to cut the fat in the mayonnaise.  For flavor add 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.



Slather it on both sides of a warm french bread sandwich.



I used what I had so I'm putting it on both sides and adding 4 slices of Off The Bone Ham and cooked bacon.  On the other side goes two  kinds of cheese. I am using white American and swiss.  Use what you have.  Into a 350 degrees oven it goes.  Just long enough to warm.

Bring it out and I top with yesterday's leftover romaine and tomato salad.



Close it together, cut and you have a hot sandwich sure to please any palate.

What ever is leftover, I cover and pop in the refrigerator.  Use for all your sandwich needs,



[recipe]

Mayo Spread

[recipe-ingredients]

1 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup sour Cream

4 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

[/recipe-ingredients]

[recipe-directions]

Mix all ingredients well.  Cover and store in the refrigerator and use as a sandwich spread.

[/recipe-directions]

[/recipe]

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Dipping strawberries is simple but I may have a few tips to improve your product,  First, DO NOT wash your strawberries.  They are 90% water and more water just tends to damage them.  Lightly blot them with a damp paper towel just before dipping.   Make sure your dipping sauce is lower than body temperature so the warmth will not cook the strawberries.  And with the leftover chocolate, add toasted nuts, pretzels, chow mien noodles, toasted coconut or whatever!

 

[recipe]

Chocolate Cream Glaze

Source:  The Cake Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum. page 271.

• 3 (3 ounce bars) bittersweet chocolate
  
• 1 cup heavy cream

Heat the cream to a boiling point.  Add the broken chocolate and remove from the heat.  Cover and let set for 5 minutes.  Remove lid and stir with whisk until chocolate is melted.  Use as sauce or pour over cake as a frosting.

[/recipe]

My 1940's Farmhouse

Facebook reminded me that I never posted after pictures of our remodel and add-on in 2010. 
Www.sarahstevens1951@gmail.com

Easy Shrimp Dip and Ice Bowl

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hs_pdga3bOI&source=uds

Easy Shrimp Dip and Ice Bowl
Just in time for your New Year's Eve party!