EASTER COOKIE ROYAL ICING With Meringue Powder RECIPE FOR TODAY

How to Make Royal Icing With Meringue Powder

FROM creativesavingsblog.com

Step 1: Mix meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until slightly foamy.

There are a lot of recipes that say you must use a paddle attachment, and then there are those who say use the whisk. I’m not sure it matters, as I’ve tried it both ways, but I lean towards the whisk for mixing, and a paddle for colors if I need to.

If you don’t have meringue powder, you can just as easily find it on Amazon, or buy it at a local craft store. 

Step 2: Add in powdered sugar and cream of tarter, and mix on low speed for 10 minutes. The icing should take on a matte-like appearance.

Step 3: Transfer icing into separate containers based on how many colors or consistencies you want to use. You want a fairly stiff consistency for piping the outlines and decorating the tops of each cookie, and a more watery consistency for “flooding” the inside.

Step 4: Add a tsp at a time of warm water to the stiffest consistency that you want to use for outline and decorating, and stir by hand until fully incorporated {although sometimes I cheat and keep it in the bowl if I’m doing just one color}. Keep the lids of the other containers securely closed so the icing doesn’t harden and dry out.

When adding color, use gel icings rather than liquid, as they tend to set better. Only use a little at a time until you reach the color desired.

Step 5: Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie {I like to use Wilton tip #3}. Hold the tip close to the surface and slowly, but smoothly, follow the shape of the cookie. The farther away from the cookie you are, the more squiggle lines you will have!

Step 6: Store tip down in a glass with just a little bit of water in the bottom to keep it from drying out. You will use these later for decorating.

Step 7: Add a tsp at a time of warm water to the other consistencies to water down and use for “flooding” each cookie. You want it to be thin enough so that the icing drips off the spoon easily and then smooths in with what’s in the bowl within 5-7 seconds. If you make the icing too thin, just add more powdered sugar to thicken it up again.

Let icing sit for at least 10 minutes, then stir with a spoon to pop any bubbles that may have formed.

Step 8: Transfer icing to a squeeze bottle and “flood” the inside area of each cookie, pushing the icing around edges with the tip of the bottle, and filling in holes where needed. Allow to set at least 1-2 hours.

Step 9: Use the remainder of the thicker icing for piping decorations on top of the cookies, again, using Wilton tip #3. Let dry for about an hour, or until hardened, then pack carefully into a tupperware container, or into individually packaged treat bags for gifting.

EASTER COOKIE RECIPE FOR TODAY

Rolled Sugar Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

Parchment paper

Directions:

-In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

-In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This should take about 3 minutes.

-Add the egg and vanilla and beat another minute or so.

-Add the flour mixture slowly.  (Be careful not to add too much at a time or you will have a snowstorm of flour.)

-Blend until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

-Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a piece of parchment paper.

-Using your hands, knead the dough a few times.

-Place the dough in a large plastic (ziplock type) bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours.  If you want to speed up the chilling process, place the bag of dough in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. Just don’t forget it in the freezer, or it will become to firm to work with (and then you’ll have to wait for it to thaw).

-When it’s almost time to remove the dough from the refrigerator (or freezer), preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

-When the dough has chilled and is firm, take out about half of the dough, leaving the rest in the refrigerator (until you are ready to work with it).

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.  You’ll notice the sticks I have on either side of the dough.  These are paint stir sticks (available for free from the paint department of any hardware store).  There is a product on the market called Perfection sticks, which are sticks that usually come in a set of a couple different thicknesses.  They are designed to help you roll out the dough in a nice even thickness.  Since I don’t own Perfection sticks, I just glued two paint stir sticks together, which makes about the perfect thickness for sugar cookies. (So you need 4 sticks total, since you need a double thick stick for each side of your dough.)  If I want the dough a bit thinner, I just roll out the dough to the thickness of the sticks, then remove the sticks and roll just a bit thinner.

Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough.  This helps you roll out the dough without adding additional flour (adding too much flour can make the dough a bit tough, and can create little pockets of flour in the dough that cause bumps to form on your cookies during baking, making it more difficult to decorate later).

Roll out the dough to about 1/3 of an inch thick.

Cut the dough with your choice of cookie cutters.  Try to make the best use of the dough you’ve rolled out.  Every time you re-roll the dough you add a bit more flour, and can create the flour pockets I mentioned that can cause bumps to form in the cookies while baking.

Place cookie shapes on a prepared baking sheet.  I bake my cookies on heavy weight metal baking sheets, topped with Silpat brand silicone liners. Silpat liners are a bit of an investment, since you’ll probably want to have two (I have four) but they are such a great quality product and last a lifetime.
Make sure to only put cookies of similar size on each bake sheet.  If you try to bake smaller cookies with larger ones the small ones will be over done before the large ones are baked.

Place entire baking sheet (with cookies on it) in the freezer or refrigerator for about 3-5 minutes.  Chilling the cookies this way will help ensure they keep their shape while baking.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.  Bake until they are just barely beginning to take on a golden tone.  They will continue to bake as long as then are on the pan, so don’t let then get too brown.  Cool for just a minute or so on the pan, then carefully remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack.

This recipe yields about 30, 2 1/2 inch cookies or 16, 3 1/2 inch cookies.

Once cooled, the cookies can be decorated with frosting, royal icing or rolled fondant.

EASTER COOKIE DECORATING II ~Making the bunny~

~Making the bunny~

1.  Outline and flood the bunny shape.  Allow to dry (6-8 hours).

2.  Pipe thick white icing on the tail and sprinkle with white non-pareils (tiny white ball sprinkles).  Pipe some thick white icing in the center of the ear and sprinkle with white sanding sugar.  Add a black dot for an eye with an edible marker.

EASTER COOKIE DECORATING ~Making the Chick~

~Making the Chick~

1.  Outline an egg shaped cookie.

2.  Flood with thinned icing and allow to dry completely (about 6-8 hours).

3.  Pipe thick yellow icing in a half circle shape on either side of the chick, as wings.  Sprinkle with pale yellow sanding sugar.  Add a beak with thick orange icing (using a #1 or #2 sized tip).  Add eyes using a black edible marker.

And let’s not forget a few woolly sheep…

Italian Easter Bread RECIPE FOR TODAY

Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients:
1 package Rapid Rise yeast or your favorite instant yeast
1.25 cups scalded milk, cooled to room temperature
pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
3.5 cups flour (approximate)
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
6 dyed Easter eggs
sprinkles

tip: The Easter eggs do not need to be hard boiled. They cook when the bread bakes. I usually just dye the eggs right out of the fridge, without hard boiling them. Saves time. Just be careful they don’t crack!

Instructions:
In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm (not hot) milk, salt, butter, eggs and sugar.

Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook.

Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.

Don’t worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore.

Knead until smooth with either dough hook attachment or turn out on floured board and knead.

Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces.

Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long and, taking two pieces, twist to form a “braid”, pinching the ends, and loop into a circle.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. Brush each bread with beaten egg wash.

Put on the sprinkles. In the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg, making an indentation with the egg.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden – about 20 – 25 minutes. Cool on rack.

Belizean Hot Cross Bun RECIPE FOR TODAY

Belizean Hot Cross Bun

Ingredients

1/2 c. Warm Water
2 eggs (beaten)
4 1/2-5 1/2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
2 pkg. or 2 TB active dry yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp vanilla
1 c seedless raisins
1 c milk
1 egg yolk
1/4 c Blue Bonnet margarine
2 TB cold water
1 c sugar, light brown
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Measure 1/2 cup warm water into a large bowl. Stir in 1 tsp sugar and
active dry yeast. Let stand 10 minutes, then stir well.

2. Meantime, combine milk and margarine in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquid is warm and margarine melts.

3. Stir in 1 cup sugar and salt.

4. Add liquid to dissolved yeast.

5. Add ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, vanilla, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth.

6. Stir in an additional 3 1/2 cups (about) flour to make a soft dough.

7. Turn out onto lightly floured board: knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

8. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk. about 1 hour.

9. Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured board; knead in raisins.

10. Divide dough into 18 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball; place balls in 2 well-greased 8-inch round cake pans.

11. Combine egg yolk and 2 TB cold water, brush buns with mixture.

12. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk. about 1 hour.

13. Carefully cut a cross on the top of each bun with a sharp knife.

14. Bake in moderate oven (375 F ) about 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Hot Cross Bun RECIPE FOR TODAY

Hot Cross Bun
Ingredients:

Dry

* 3lbs flour
* 2 packs of yeast
* Spice seeds
* Raisins
* ½ lb shortening
* 1 cup brown sugar

Wet

* Lukewarm coconut milk
* Vanilla (about 1 tablespoon)
* Essence of your choice

Preparation Method:

Add flour, yeast, spice seeds, raisins into a mixing bowl
Add in the ½ lb of shortening, followed by 1 cup of brown sugar.
Mix everything together until incorporated.
Pour in the lukewarm coconut milk – just until the dough starts coming together smoothly. You don’t want too much milk to make the dough wet and sticky, or too little milk that will make the dough stiff and dry.
While kneading the dough, add in vanilla and whatever essence you have chosen and knead well.
Continue kneading until dough is smooth and pliable.
Roll dough off into medium sized balls and set them on a baking sheet.
From the excess dough, cut 2 thin strips and make a cross across each bun.
Let the dough balls rise – about 20 minutes.
When the dough has risen, place baking sheet into oven at 375oF and let bake for 20-25 minutes.

Hot cross buns are traditionally enjoyed with fried fish, but can also be eaten as a snack with jam, jellies, cheese or plain with some hot coffee.