The great icing experiment...

[AuntJamelle]

I'm taking the plunge this year!!! I'm going to try my hand at making really pretty, professional looking decorated cutout cookies.

You know...the ones you see in magazines and think...no way! Too hard! Too complicated!

Pioneer Woman had a great post a while back that broke it down for me and I'm going to give it a shot!

Here is the link:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/decorated-christmas-cookies/

I just ordered meringue powder from Amazon and I'm going to place an order for a couple of the recommended food gels too - just red and green to start. And also a few of the squeeze bottles they used to do the icing...I think it will make it a lot easier!!!

Since I am planning to only do cutout cookies and one drop cookie recipe this season, I feel like I can spend the extra time on this decorating technique. That is my theory, anyway!

For the cookie part of things I am using a Hershey's recipe for Jolly Peanut Butter Gingerbread Cookies.

I'd give the link but even though I could pull it up on their site yesterday, today it says page not found! I have it in a cookbook at home though, so I can share if anyone wants it. One batch makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Since the royal icing is more decorative than ohmygosh tasty - it is important to have a cookie with good flavor. I've made these before and they are quite yummy!

I will experiment when all my ingredients and tools arrive and let you guys know how it goes.

Cost wise, the investment wasn't too bad. $10 for 5 oz of a good meringue powder and with shipping about $8 for 3 squeeze bottles and two things of food color - all of which I hope to get lots of use out of!

Here is the site I used for the bottles and food coloring:

www.sweetbakingsupply.com

Wish me luck!

 

[Kim Loves Snow]

Good luck! I've had many inspirations to do beautiful cookies like that. I can't wait to hear how yours turn out. Maybe you can share some pictures of the finished project?

 

[luludou]

Wow - really great Christmas cookies. Hope they turn out great!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

The Hersey site was working just now:
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/4810/Jolly-Peanut-Butter-Gingerbread-Cookies.aspx

This site has less graphics and loads faster:
http://lynnescountrykitchen.net/cookingkids/jollypeanut.html

How to marble:
http://sweetopia.net/2010/12/video-how-to-marble-or-swirl-royal-icing/

I love these cookies:
http://tinyurl.com/89pg5q7


I've always wanted to do this too. Looking forward to seeing what you do.

 

[Doodlebug]

Aunt Jamelle,
You can buy meringue powder in the cake decorating department of walmart and hobby lobby

 

[candysprinkles]

I watched a Christmas Cookie special last year (I think it was on Food Network.) They didn't use royal or regular icing. Instead, it was fondant that was cut with the same cookie cutter the cookie was made with--and the cookies looked amazing. Cookies get bigger when you bake them, so the fondant cut icing leaves a little border around the edge.

Then, they make these tiny little fondant cutters in lots of basic shapes so you can decorate them in several colors and layers. You can buy sheets of fondant in the Wilton section of Walmart or a craft store. But, somewhere online I found a recipe so you can make your own and roll it out really thin. I haven't tried it yet...but plan to do it this year.

I bought the squeeze bottles and the icing food coloring at Hobby Lobby, also.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Love the links and info!!! Thank you!!!

I considered just buying the meringue powder at Hobby Lobby or Michaels (using a coupon of course ) but after reading a few blogs that talked about a big difference they found in taste and just the success of their royal icing I decided to just bite the bullet and buy one of the recommended brands.

I used the same reasoning on ordering the food coloring gels I did. Maybe silly of me - but there it is! lol We'll see how it goes!

I've not heard of the fondant technique, I'll have to look that up. Sounds interesting! I've always been intimidated by fondant. Someday...someday...

 

[Snowey]

I love cutout cookies, but have alawys been afraid to make them.. LOL
Lets us know how yours turn out !!

 

[Doodlebug]

What kind of meringue powder do they recommend? I buy Wilton brand.

 

[candysprinkles]

If you use the newer store bought fondant that comes in page like sheets there is nothing to it. It is a blank sheet, ready to cut with cookie cutters when you pull it out of the package. There are also sheets that are similar to those holiday cookies you can get from Pillsbury--just a sheet of dough with the cuts already made for you. The craft stores now have fondant pages with things like ABCs or shapes that are precut on the sheet and ready to put right on the cake, cupcake or cookie. Of course, you will pay a pretty high price for that convenience which is why I was looking for the fondant recipes online.

 

[AuntJamelle]

So would you believe that I never DID try making the royal/flood icing??? I ran out of time that holiday season and then by the next we had our fire and POOF all those things were gone...

I just recently picked up more meringue powder (Wilton brand this time) and gel food colors from JoAnn's. They had plastic squeeze bottles too.

I'm going to make sugar cookies (I have several recipes to test) and cut them in Easter shapes and finally try this decorating technique!!! So help me!!!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Sound like fun. I’ve always wanted to try it. Good luck.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

AJ good luck with the cookie decorating. Hopefully you will have a great success.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Well I made the cookie dough and I made the icing...even though dough SAID it could be in fridge for an hour and be ready it was not something I could roll out after several hours in the fridge! Even tried putting it between sheets of parchment paper to roll and no dice.

Then I did not have time to try again yesterday...so tonight I will give it a go! If I still can't roll it out I will scrap the dough and make something else. Might just practice with the icing on wax paper or something so that the whole endeavor isn't a total waste

 

[Minta]

Well I made the cookie dough and I made the icing...even though dough SAID it could be in fridge for an hour and be ready it was not something I could roll out after several hours in the fridge! Even tried putting it between sheets of parchment paper to roll and no dice.

Then I did not have time to try again yesterday...so tonight I will give it a go! If I still can't roll it out I will scrap the dough and make something else. Might just practice with the icing on wax paper or something so that the whole endeavor isn't a total waste

add more flour (1/2 c to 1 c) to the cookie dough then chill for an hour.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Good idea Minta.
Hope that AJ gets a result.

 

[MinnieCo]

This has been on my TO-DO list for years. Each year I say it's going to be the ONE thing I focus on and I never do. Then I say I'm going to do it in July when life is way less complicated, but in reality July is so busy for me I never do. Maybe what I need to do is find NO reason to make them and just do it out of the blue "JUST BECAUSE". So my point..I'm going to follow this post closely!!!

 

[AuntJamelle]

It's like an icing curse! lol I have not gotten a chance to try this again yet. This weekend we are having a bunch of family over - some from out of town - for DH's older brother's 50th birthday. Next weekend we're celebrating our wedding anniversary. The weekend after THAT is Easter. So it's looking like mid April before I'll be able to reasonably dedicate time to this learning curve.

I'm really hoping that is the biggest part of this - until you DO it and get a feel for it the whole thing just seems so overwhelming! Like baking bread from scratch!

 

[MinnieCo]

Oh I can relate even more now..I love cooking, I love baking goodies, but bread from scratch just SCARES ME..LOL...and I've never made homemade cinnamon rolls. That's also been on my to-do list for 5 years!

 

[Lana]

I have 2 bread recipes I like. One is a 90 minute one from start to finish.