Decorator’s Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
OR
2 tablespoons half-and-half
Food coloring, if desired
Stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 2
tablespoons milk or half-and-half until smooth and spreadable. This recipe
makes enough to frost 3 to 5 dozen cookies. Add more milk for a thinner
frosting or to create a glaze. Frosting can be tinted with food color.
Stir in liquid food color, 1 drop at a time, until frosting is the desired
color. If intense, vivid frosting color is desired, use paste food color.
Why? Because you would have to use too much liquid color to get vivid
color, and using too much liquid color will break down the frosting,
causing it to separate and look curdled.
Yield:
“2/3 Cup”
Per serving: 27 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (1% calories from fat); trace Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; trace Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates
Oatmeal Lacies
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine — melted
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Heat oven to 350ş. Grease and flour cookie sheet.* Beat all ingredients in
large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes;
remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, using wide, thin-bladed pancake
turner.
Description:
“These cookies spread quite a bit, so don’t be alarmed when they are
paper-thin and look like lace. The texture of the baked cookie is
delicate and crisp with a wonderful buttery, brown sugar flavor.”
Yield:
“30 Cookies”
Per serving: 57 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (38% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 7mg Cholesterol; 54mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates
NOTES : *Or cover cookie sheet with baking parchment paper. Peel away
parchment paper from cookies when they are cool.
Make It Your Way
Chocolate Oatmeal Lacies look elegant and sophisticated. To make
them, drizzle tops of cookies with 1/2 cup melted semisweet
chocolate. An easy way to drizzle chocolate is to put the melted
chocolate in a small, resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny bit
of one corner and gently squeeze the chocolate out through the
hole. Or you can dip a fork or spoon in the melted chocolate and
drizzle a pattern on the cookies.
ICING FOR DECORATING
1/2 c. shortening (Crisco)
4 c. (1 box) confectioners sugar
4 tbsp. water
Dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Makes a white icing. For decorating use a small amount and add coloring.
Royal Icing
1 pound powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder or 1/4 cup pasteurized egg whites
2 tablespoons water
Food coloring (optional)
1. Combine powdered sugar and meringue powder or egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat on low speed.
2. Add water drop by drop.
3. The amount depends on whether you used the powder or the egg whites and on the temperature and humidity in your kitchen.
4. Add the water slowly and do not let the mixture get runny – you will probably not use all of it.
5. Beat until the mixture holds a trail on the surface for five seconds when you raise the mixer from the bowl.
6. If you like, you can tint the icing with a few drops of food coloring.
7. Use a muffin time to make small batches of different colored icings and decorate with toothpicks and very clean, preferable new, tiny paintbrushes.
Yield: 6 cups.
Note: Note: we do not recommend using raw egg whites in this recipe because of the risk of Salmonella, especially if children, elderly, or pregnant women will be eating them.
Cookie Paints
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
4 drops red food coloring
1. Use one recipe for each color.
2. In a small bowl, stir the food coloring into the evaporated milk.
3. Paint onto cookies with a paintbrush before baking.
Chocolate Curls
To make any of the following curls, use a 4-ounce bar of Semi-Sweet, Bittersweet, or Milk Chocolate.
• For large curls, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
• Turn a baking sheet upside down.
• Using a plastic spatula spread the melted chocolate evenly over the baking sheet. The chocolate should be the thickness of a butter-knife blade.
• Refrigerate 10 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm but not brittle.
• Hold a metal spatula upside down and press firmly into the chocolate, then push steadily ahead until a curl forms.
• With a toothpick or a small skewer, carefully lift the curls and place them on the dessert, or store them on a plate in the refrigerator until needed.
• For small curls, let the chocolate bar stand in a warm place (65 to 70 degrees F.) until thoroughly warm but not melted.
• Using a vegetable peeler, make curls by drawing the peeler along the thin, flat side of the bar.
• Remove the curls with a toothpick and place them on the dessert, or store them on a plate in the refrigerator until needed.
• To make shavings, proceed as directed for small curls but use a short stroke when peeling.
• For a more splintered effect, use cool rather than warmed chocolate.
• Both shavings and splinter curls work best when made directly over the dessert being decorated. Practice first over a plate to be sure it’s working properly.
Chocolate Coating
This mixture has a great consistency and will cover all manner of sins and do whatever you ask of it, covering fruits or baked items.
8 ounces of semisweet chocolate
6 tbs. light corn syrup
• Using the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate together with the corn syrup over hot water.
• Don’t use the stove.
• Once the chocolate is melted you can sculpt shapes on parchment paper with it or paint edible leaves, or whatever you fancy.
Working time: 10 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Candied Orange Peel
This can go on any dessert. My favorite use is as a topping for good vanilla ice cream.
Peel one large unblemished orange
½ cup water
2 heaping tbs. sugar
• Using only the bright orange part of the peel, cut it into very fine julienne strips.
• Blanch the peel in a pan of boiling water for 1 minute.
• Drain and repeat, blanching it twice.
• Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.
• Boil the water with the sugar over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the peel and simmer until almost no liquid remains, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the peel to a baking pan and let it cool completely.
Makes more than ½ cup of peel
Working time: 25 minutes
Preparation time: 45 minutes
A Note about Edible Flowers
Some say please do eat the daisies, and feel free to chow down on the roses, pansies and violets. Perhaps you have heard of candied violets, but you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that many other flowers are not only a lovely visual addition to your dinner table, but also some believe, a tasty one.
Edible flower history
The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years with to the first recorded mention in 140 B.C. Many different cultures have incorporated flowers into their traditional foods. Oriental dishes make use of day lily buds. The Romans used mallow, roses, and violets. Italian and Hispanic cultures gave us stuffed squash blossoms. Asian Indians use rose petals in many recipes.
Did you know that Chartreuse, a classic green liqueur developed in France in the seventeenth century, boasts carnation petals as one of its secret ingredients? And, dandelions were one of the bitter herbs referred to in the Old Testament.
Colorful and tasty
Yes those flowers look beautiful as garnishes. But what do they taste like? Bean blossoms have a sweet beany flavor. Nasturtiums have a wonderfully peppery flavor similar to watercress and their pickled buds can be substituted for more expensive capers. Borage tastes like cucumber and miniature pansies (Johnny-Jump-Ups) have a mild wintergreen taste. Violets, roses, and lavender lend a sweet flavor to salads or desserts. Bright yellow calendulas are an economic alternative to expensive saffron though not quite as pungent. Others may have a spicy or peppermint flavor. When in doubt, taste, but first be sure it’s not poisonous.
Frosted Fruit
• This is also known as Glacéed fruit.
• It looks beautiful but be very careful not to burn yourself working with the hot sugar.
• Use strawberries or grapes first to perfect this technique because they have stems to hold – or spear the fruit with bamboo skewers.
• These should be served room temperature and not refrigerated or the sugar will drip off.
2 cups fine, granulated sugar
¾ cups water
1 quart very fresh fruit preferably with stems, strawberry, grapes, oranges (dried), figs, or walnuts in half.
• Cook the sugar and water in a large pan to the hard crack stage (293 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
• Dip the bottom of a saucepan in cold water for 3 seconds to stop the cooking. Immediately dip the individual pieces of fruit into the sugar syrup.
• Drain quickly and place on greased wax paper.
Serve promptly.
Working time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 quart
Chocolate Leaves
White chocolate is most effective when used in contrast against a white frosting.
Use small fresh edible leaves such as nasturtiums or mint with good vein structures.
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate or white chocolate
• Edible leaves for painting
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over warm water until it is melted but not too hot.
• Paint the bottoms of the leaves with a pastry brush or new brush bought expressly to be used for foods only.
• Make an even layer and work away from the edge of the leave so it doesn’t get to heavy. Let the first layer harden and then do the second one.
• Refrigerate on wax paper sheets as you work — especially if the kitchen is hot.
Working time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chocolate Cups
These can be filled with berries or ice cream or any mousse.
6 ounces semisweet Bakers® Chocolate
1 tbs. unsalted butter
Small paper muffin cups
Melt the chocolate and the butter in the top of a double boiler over warm water.
• Using a pastry brush generously spread the chocolate over the sides of the paper muffin cups evenly over the surface.
• Allow them to harden and check to make sure they are evenly coated.
• You can correct holes with additional warm chocolate and then let that harden.
• Peel the paper off the chocolate cups and fill with whatever you like.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 10 cups
Caramels
• You need to experiment to get the right consistency – not too soft or too hard and the proof is all in how long you cook these.
• So do the first batch when you are feeling patient and you will learn what to look for.
• They are well worth the effort it takes to learn.
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cups light corn syrup
6 ounce container of frozen orange juice concentrate
Dash of salt
½ cup heavy cream
4 tbs. butter
• Boil together the sugar, corn syrup, orange juice concentrate and salt in a large heavy bottom pan until a candy thermometer produces the temperature of 245 degrees F. and keep stirring from the bottom up to prevent scorching.
• Gradually mix in the cream and the butter without stopping the boiling process and while stirring constantly.
• Then pour it into a greased 9 inch square pan to harden.
• Cut it into squares using scissors and wrap it all up in plastic right away.
Working time: 1 hour
Preparation time 3 hours
Yield: 100 squares of caramel.
Candied Flowers for Decoration
Rinsed and dried edible flower blossoms, separated from the stem.
Suggestions:
• apple or plum blossoms
• borage flowers
• lilac florets
• rose petals
• scented geraniums
• clover
• chrysanthemums
• crab apple blossoms
• dandelions
• elderberry blossoms
• freesias, geraniums
• gladioluses
• Johnny-jump-ups, and pansy petals
• lilacs
• marigolds
• nasturtiums
• orange blossoms
• pansies
• primroses
• roses
• violets.
Warning: I would not risk eating daisies or day lilies, though many people do and in fact I would do no more than really just admire these flowers on the plate, as you never know when you might become allergic to these plants during a lifetime of exposure. If you do choose to eat them never ingest more than small quantities of anything because even the smallest exposure can add up to an amount in the body that may be toxic to your particular system.
1 egg white egg at room temperature
3 drops of water
1 cup superfine sugar
A small paint brush
A baking rack covered with waxed paper
Instructions
• Good candidates for candying are apple or plum blossoms, borage flowers, lilac florets, rose petals, scented geraniums, and the violets, Johnny-jump-ups, and pansy petals.
• This job takes a little patience; it seems to go more quickly if you do it with a friend. The following recipe will coat quite a few flowers, but if you need more, mix up a second batch.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg white with the water and beat lightly with a fork or small whisk until the white just shows a few bubbles.
• Place the sugar in a shallow dish.
• Holding a flower or petal in one hand, dip a paint brush into the egg white with the other and gently paint the flower.
• Cover the flower or petal completely but not excessively.
• Holding the flower or petal over the sugar dish, gently sprinkle sugar evenly all over on both sides.
• Place the flower or petal on the waxed paper to dry.
• Continue with the rest of the flowers.
• Let the flowers dry completely.
• They should be free of moisture.
• This could take 12 to 36 hours, depending on atmospheric humidity.
• To hasten drying, you may place the candied flowers in an oven with a pilot light overnight, or in an oven set at 150 degrees to 200 degrees F with the door ajar for a few hours.
• Store the dried, candied flowers in airtight containers until ready to use.
• They will keep for as long as a year.