Email to Magnolia Lane      

Christmas: Decorating Your Cookies

Source of Recipe

Grandpoohbah


Recipe Introduction

12 Days of Christmas Baking Tips/2002 . . . Day 10: Decorating your cookies

Recipe Link: messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-fdcooking&msg=3945.1

Decorated cookies fit into any occasion, but why wait to have so much fun? Try your hand at a few of these decorating styles and become the most popular person in your neighborhood! One batch of dough can even be decorated three different ways to seem like three completely different cookies. You can impress your friends and be the star of the party with a few of these basic techniques.

Frostings:
The most popular technique for decorating cookies is using frosting. This is a very versatile way for decorating. The simplest types of cookie icing are made using confectioners' sugar, butter or shortening and milk or water, such as Sugar Cookie Icing and Decorator Frosting. These icings have a somewhat softer texture than royal icings, which dry to a very hard crunchy finish. This is great for gluing gingerbread houses, but not very tasty.

Coloring and Flavoring:
Flavored extracts can be added for variety, such as vanilla, lemon, orange or almond. Juice can also be substituted for the liquid in a recipe. It's fun to make a different flavor for each color. The icing can be colored using liquid food coloring. For brighter colors, the paste food coloring works better. When adding color, first mix the color into about 1 tablespoon of icing then blend that into the rest of the icing. Frosting can easily be thinned to the desired consistency by adding liquid such as milk, juice or water. For a smooth glossy finish, warm the icing slightly in a microwave oven, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Be sure to stir frequently so that a crust does not form on the top.

Application:
The frosting can be applied using a pastry brush, or by simply dipping the cookies. Set the freshly frosted cookies onto a tray or waxed paper to dry. Once the first coat of frosting is dry, you can pipe another color of frosting over the top to add details such as stripes, spirals, faces or names. A plastic baggie with the corner cut works well, or disposable plastic pastry bags can be purchased at most cake decorating supply or craft stores. For smaller children, you can press pieces of candy into the frosting before it hardens, or sprinkle the cookies with different colors of sugar. Some stores even carry edible glitter.

Chocolate:
There is nothing quite as enticing as a chocolate-dipped cookie. Working with chocolate is fun, creative, and of course, you get to eat chocolate! Several flavors of chocolate are available. Dark, semi sweet, milk chocolate and white chocolate are the most common flavors. The darker chocolates need to be tempered to keep them shiny and firm. The best way to get around this problem is to buy a type of chocolate called 'coating chocolate'. This kind of chocolate is specially designed to hold a good shine without tempering. Most coating chocolates are of a lower grade and may not taste as chocolatey as the regular semi-sweet variety. These usually come in the shape of small discs for more convenient melting. White coating chocolate is also known as "almond bark". If you cannot find this type of chocolate at your local supermarket, it can be found at stores that carry candy making and cake decorating supplies.

Prepare to Dip:
Decorating with chocolate is easy, but it helps to be organized. First you will want to put your chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Set this on top of a pan of simmering water. Chocolate burns very easily and cannot be melted directly on the stovetop. A microwave oven also works well, just be sure to stir every 15 seconds or so.

While the chocolate is melting, arrange your workspace so that the cookies you wish to dip are on one side of you, and a couple of cookie sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper are on the other side. When the chocolate is mostly melted, remove from the heat and stir until smooth. This will melt it the rest of the way, and it will also cool it a bit so that you do not burn your hand.

Dip cookies halfway into the chocolate, and scrape the excess off of the bottom using your finger or the side of the bowl. Then give the cookie a gentle shake and once again, scrape the excess chocolate off. This will keep the chocolate from forming a puddle around the cookie while it sets up. Place the cookies onto the waxed paper starting at the farthest end and working inward. This prevents you from dripping onto the finished cookies.

Be Creative:
If you like nuts, dip one end of each cookie into ground up pistachios or peanuts while the chocolate is still wet. When the first coating has set up, another color of chocolate can be applied. Try dipping one half of each cookie in dark chocolate, and the other half in white. You can even color the white coating chocolate a nice pastel color. Striping also lends an elegant touch to the cookies.

To avoid getting your hands dirty, you can spoon chocolate into a plastic baggie and cut one corner to the desired size. Twist the top to close, and squeeze the chocolate through the hole.

Decorating Before Baking:
If you just want great looking cookies but don't want to make an all-day production out of it, there are a few ways to add a special touch before the cookies are even baked. One easy way to spruce up cookies is to roll them in colored sugar, finely chopped nuts, coconut, sesame seeds or sprinkles before baking. Even a light dusting of confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder, will give any cookies an elegant finish. Dust the cookies again, right before serving, to freshen their appearance.

Molds and Presses:
There are also beautiful ceramic, metal, and even plastic molds and stamps that will emboss each cookie with a beautiful design. Sandbakelser is a traditional Swedish molded cookie. Springerle is a traditional German molded cookie, which uses a hand carved rolling pin or board to print the design onto the cookies. Some cookies are molded into beautiful shapes by hand such as the Greek cookie Koulourakia, which are braided or twisted, and the Italian Bowknot Cookies, which are tied in loose knots. For those Bakers who are skilled with a cookie press or pastry bag, Spritz Cookies can be made into a variety of shapes. Crescents, stars and wreaths are some of the most popular. A few sprinkles or a dot of jam will add a touch of color to any spritz recipe.

Novelty shapes:
For the crafty baker, novelty shapes make fabulous conversation pieces. Some cookies are formed into the shape of fruit, which is great for garden parties. Austrian Peaches and Candy Strawberries are always a tasteful addition to the cookie tray. For a summer picnic, children and adults alike will be amazed when the Watermelon Cookies are served. They look like tiny slices of watermelon. For a dazzling centerpiece, or just eating, Cookie Pops on a Stick can be made and displayed in a vase.

Decorating cookies is terrific fun for anyone who enjoys being creative. Mix and match different techniques to fulfill all your cookie cravings. Frosted cookies striped with chocolate. Cookies on a stick dipped in frosting and decorated to look like bees and flowers. Dainty biscotti dipped in two flavors of chocolate. Most decorating techniques require little or no skill, so people of all ages can enjoy decorating together.