Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for the ‘Other Cookies’ Category

All those beautifully iced cookies you see online that make up cookie bouquets are created using Royal Icing. It works especially well when making cookie bouquets or decorating cookies that you are going to mail somewhere because it dries hard and holds up well.  Royal icing decorated cookies will arrive looking as good as they did when you decorated them.

Standard royal icing recipes call for powdered sugar, meringue powder and water. Basically, the water is added until you achieve the desired consistency.  You can find meringue powder in upscale grocery stores and craft stores such as Michael’s (in the cake decorating section).

Here is a great Royal Icing Recipe to get you started on your delicious creations!
—————————————
Standard Royal Icing Recipe
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar – sifted
3 Tbsp. meringue powder
6 to 8 Tbsp. water (depending on consistency desired)

In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Then add water a little bit at a time (until the desired consistency) beating with an electric mixer on medium speed. NOTE – a thicker consistency (6 Tbsp water) is used for outlining the cookie while a thinner ‘flow’ consistency is used to flood thecookies inside the outline. If you’d like almond flavored icing, consider substituting 2 Tbsp. almond extract for the first 2 Tbsp. of water.

After the icing is fully mixed and the desired consistency, just divide it up and add color.  Keep the icing containers covered until you are ready to use the icing as it will turn hard quickly.

Here’s another fun and delicious cookie to make for Valentine’s Day!  The center each heart shaped cookie is a sparkling red heart-shaped “window”.   This amazing cookie is easy to make and the results are breath-taking.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/3 cup crushed clear red hard candy (Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour. Cut out centers with a 1-1/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter; set aside to re-roll. Place cookies 1 in. apart on lightly greased foil-lined baking sheets. Fill centers with crushed candy.

Bake at 375  for 7-9 minutes or until candy is melted and edges of cookies begin to brown. Cool completely on baking sheets. Carefully peel cookies off foil.

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 3 cups flour

• 2/3 cup cocoa

• 1 tsp. soda

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 bag of miniature marshmallows

Cream together sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Then add the eggs and vanilla stirring well. Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Add to the mixture.  Fold about a 1” ball of dough around a single mini-marshmallow (so there is a marshmallow in the middle of each cookie). Roll the tops of the cookies in sugar.  Bake cookies at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until they crack.  Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.