COOKIE RECIPES AND DECORATING IDEAS ARCHIVE 2

Recipes of the Month
   Chocolate Glaze
Sites of the Month
Kitchen Gadgets from KCI
Cookie Bouquet Inspiration
Decorating Hints the Tips
     Keeping Sticks in Cookies
     Cookie Decorating Tips from an Expert
HELP!
From the Editor

It's far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

A father and son went fishing one day. Sitting in the boat for a couple of hours gave
them not much to do, so the son started thinking about the world around him. He
began to get curious so he asked his father some questions.
"How does this boat float?"
The father thought for a moment, then replied, "Don't rightly know, son."
The boy returned to his contemplation, but soon came up with another one, "How do
fish breath underwater?"
Once again the father replied, "Don't rightly know, son." A little later the boy asked his
father, "Why is the sky blue?"
Again, the father replied. "Don't rightly know, son."
Worried he was going to annoy his father, he said, "Dad, do you mind my asking you
all of these questions?"
His father immediately assured him, "Of course not, son. If you don't ask questions,
you'll never learn anything!"

********

RECIPES OF THE MONTH

A reader wrote me asking for a recipe for a chocolate cookie glaze, I found these
two and thought the rest of you might enjoy them.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

In small microwave-safe bowl, place 1 cup Semi-Sweet
Chocolate Chips and 1 tablespoon shortening. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1
1/2 minutes or until smooth when stirred. About 1 cup glaze.

Chocolate Rum Glaze

4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate
6 tb Butter
1 tb Light corn syrup
1 tb Dark rum (optional)

In heavy saucepan on low heat, melt broken chocolate with butter,
stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in corn syrup
and rum. Place cookies on a rack over tray to catch excess glaze.
Spread a very thin layer of glaze over top and sides.
Chill 15 minutes to firm glaze. Reheat remaining glaze to thin and pour over
top again. When glaze is firm, remove cookies from rack to large plate.
Decorate if desired. For shiny glaze, store cookies at room temperature until
serving time.

********

SITES OF THE MONTH

Kitchen Gadgets from KCI

Our new collection of kitchen gadgets is up and running at:
http://www.kitchengifts.com/kitchengadgets.html
and we'd like to make a special offer just to the newsgroup. We're offering each of the
three items you see below (my personal favorites) for just $10.90 each.   You'll need to
call the shop to order. Our toll free # is 402/597-0980. Just tell them you're a member
of the newsgroup.

DECORATING HINTS AND TIPS

GETTING THOSE DARN STICKS TO STAY IN COOKIE BOUQUET COOKIES

On the subject of inserting sticks into cookie bouquet cookies, Wendie says she has
found that spraying the sticks with non-stick cooking spray first helps to get them
to slide into the cookie easily. She also cuts the sticks into thirds so they don't take
as much space on the cookie sheet while baking. After the cookies have cooled you
can remove the stick. This makes transporting the cookies easier. When ready to
assemble the bouquet, simply re-insert the stick in the cookie.

Rosann said that she first rolls her dough to just over 1/4 inch thick and cuts 4 to 5 inch
cookies. She bakes them on an Exopat mat and then cools them. She keeps a drill bit set
just for baking. She uses one of the drill pieces to manually drill a hole in the end of the cookie,
about 1/3 to 1/2 the way up the cookie. She then uses a thick bamboo skewer for the stick.
She puts a little frosting into the hole before inserting the stick. She then uses a pair of garden
sheers to cut the ends of the sticks as long as she wants them. She said they hold up very well
and don't show the either side of the cookie.

Pam wrote that she uses a drill as well.

Marci said that she always rolls her dough to 3/8 of an inch, never any thinner. She screws the
stick into the middle of the cookie about half way up, depending on the shape and size of the
cookie. She uses the no fail cookie dough recipe that appeared in last month's issue.

Nan wrote that she recently used the rolled paper sticks and inserted them immediately after
baking. She had no problems even the though the cookies were pretty good sized. After
decorating she put a cello bag of each cookie and tied it with a ribbon at the bottom.

Shirley said she has better luck baking the cookie on the stick. She places a small strip of
dough the length of the cookie on the pan, lays the stick on top of it and the cookie on top
of that. The stick bakes into the middle of the cookie and doesn't come out.

Tips from an Expert

Sabine lives here in a Omaha and owns a very successful cookie shop called
"The Cookie Artist".. Many of her cookies are featured on the KCI web pages.
Here are her tips for making decorated cookies:

DO:
1- Roll cookie dough out on parchment paper, cut out cookies, remove excess
dough, slide parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

2- Practice piping design on paper before actually working with a cookie. It's less stressful!

3- Don't worry about making mistakes. They are only cookies!

Kim turned her fish bowl cookie upside down to create this snow globe effect. She used glaze
for the globe and the Fun Fish sprinkles we carry at the shop to add the fish. (We now have
an actual snow globe cookie cutter, it's on our "What's New" page: http://www.kitchengifts.com/whatsnew.html

********

HELP!

Marci is looking for ideas for decorating her dragonfly cookies. Anybody have a
suggestion?

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email - info@kitchengifts.com We all rely on your input to make
this newsletter effective.

********

FROM THE EDITOR

I've added a total of 65 new designs to KCI's cookie cutter collection. I still have about 20
more here on my desk that I need to work on but you can find the finished ones at:
http://www.kitchengifts.com/whatsnew.html

We had such a tremendous response to the gift certificate drawing at Bella Online that
we decided to do it again. This contest runs until the end of June. You could win a
$50 gift certificate towards any item that Kitchen Collectables carries. Check it out
at: http://www.bellaonline.com/site/italianfood

Don't forget to check the "HELP" section an see if there is an answer you can provide.

Thanks to those of you who contributed to this newsletter. You guys are such a source of
inspiration to me. I really appreciate you help. Anyone who has ideas, recipes, thoughts
or questions please feel free to send them to me: cookiecutters@qwest.net

Recipes of the Month
     No Fail Sugar Cookies

Sites of the Month
     We Love Chocolate
     Stained Glass Egg
     New Designs From KCI
     Lesley's Work in Progress

Decorating Hints the Tips
     Claire's Beautiful Cookies
     Sabine's Carousel Horse
     Making Powdered Sugar
     Marketing Uniced Cookies
     Keeping Decorated Cookies
     Taste of Home Recipe Software
     Using Luster Dust
     Shrink Wrap
     Cooking without Eggs
      Displaying Cookie Cutters
      Decorating Without Pastry Bags

HELP!
From the Editor

Newsletter from Jan 6 to March 7
Newsletters from Nov. 11 -Dec. 14
Newsletters from Oct 1 - Nov. 4
The Newsletters from Aug. 5 to Sept 23

NEW! Just the Recipes from this Newsletter

My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those
who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.

Did you hear about the big fight that Madonna, Cher, Jewel, and Fabio had?
They're no longer on a first-name basis.

********

I've used this recipe before I'm going to include it again this month for two reasons. First, there
are so many new subscribers that might not have it, and second, I am constantly getting emails for
people complaining that their cookie dough spreads when they make cut-out cookies. I don't even
remember who sent me this recipe so many years ago, but it is now my standard and that's why I call
it the "No Fail Sugar Cookie Recipe" I use it for all my classes and it never lets me down.

6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.
Mix well.

Chill for 1 to 2 hours or see hint below

Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe
can make up to 8-dozen 3” cookies.

HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess -- Rather than wait for your cookie dough to
chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper.
Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop
it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have
used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to
cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding
any additional flour to your cookies.

********

SITES OF THE MONTH

Anne, a longtime newsletter contributor has launched her own website. It's called "We Love Chocolate"
and can be found at: http://www.welovechocolate.com You'll find a wonderful selection of
chocolate, vanilla, spices, sugars and more. Check it out and send her an email letting her know
what you think.

Kim, friend, Cookie Club partner, and excellent cookie decorator, took the time to create step
by step direction for creating a stained glass egg cookie using glaze. I put it on our "Learn to
Decorate" page to inspire you. You can find it at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/learn.html

KCI has added 42 new designs to the line. The new designs include a really cute new heart, a
coffee cup with a saucer, bib overalls, two really cute rabbits, my son's addition -- a skateboard, and
many more. You can see them all at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/whatsnew.html

Speaking of new, we're adding more kitchen gadgets to the KCI line. They are all products that Al and love
and thought you might too. I don't have the page finished and it certainly isn't linked to anything
yet, but you can preview my work in progress at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/kitchengadgets.html
(The espresso pot is the only link that works right now, I'll be working on the rest of them this week)
Any feedback would be appreciated.

********

The pictures below were sent by Claire -- an incredible cookie decorator and a great inspiration
for all of us. Enjoy!

The Carousel Horse below was done by Sabine Berins who owns a shop called
The Cookie Artist here in Omaha. She does incredible work!

Melanie sent us this recipe for making our own powdered sugar. Mix 1 cup granulated sugar and
1 T. of cornstarch. Place in a blender at medium speed for about 1 to 2 minutes. She said she'd
try it without the cornstarch, making just enough for current need and make certain to sift it.

On the subject of marketing undecorated cookies, Melanie said that schools would be a good
source. Many preschools have ordered them from the supermarkets. Nan wrote to say that
she provides undecorated cookies to day care centers. Ann, a new subscriber said that she sold
undecorated cookies at Christmas time. She cut them then flash froze them for a customer who
wanted to decorated fresh cookies. It worked quite well.   Suzanne added that Dancing Deer Baker
in Boston is selling their 64 oz containers of frozen cookie dough with three cookie cutters for $39.99
on Yahoo.   She thinks Patricia out to go for it and perhaps include sanding sugars and icing ideas.

In response to the question about keeping decorated cookies, Carolyn said that she sprays on a
coat of shellac and hasn't had any problems. Jodi also suggested a spray acrylic sealer (found at
a craft store).

Ann mentioned the Taste of Home recipe software. She said it comes preloaded with lots of recipes
and you can add your own. It will do conversions on any recipe and you can search for recipes by
ingredients, names or other ways as well. You can read more about it at:
http://www.cooking-italian-food.com/recipewizard.htm

Using luster dust received many comments from you. Jeannine said she purchased gold powder
at Sur la Table a couple of years ago and the directions said to dilute the dust with vodka. There
would be no discernable odor or taste. Renee said she uses vodka too. Pam, of Cookies and More
in Mattoon, Illinois said that she uses luster dust to "pain the edges of buttercream roses. She also
uses vodka and says one of the nice things is that if you have leftover dust, simply let it dry
in the container and the alcohol with evaporate leaving just the dust. Then you can put it right
back in to the original container. Tara said she uses vanilla or vodka. She said the vodka can
be used safely with kids as the alcohol evaporates completely.

Judy said the best place to buy shrink wrap is The Box Depot, West Ridge Shopping center in
Westland, MI. The phone # is 311/721-2450. She said she buys it over the phone has had
never had a problem. The wrap is excellent quality and comes folded in half in a long tube. She
uses a hair dryer and glass tape.

On the topic of making cookies with no eggs, Lisa suggested that Melissa stock up on
Kosher for Passover confectioner's sugar because corn isn't allowed during Passover. She might
also check out http://www.kosher.com (after April) for a source. She also added that bottles,
not cans, of Coke that are marked K for Passover will not have corn in the product, even if the
bottles say they do. The cap will be a different color, but often they don't change the bottles.

Kristy had a nice idea for displaying her beautiful copper cutters. She uses them on seasonal
wreaths. At Christmas time she uses a fresh green wreath and ties on her favorites with raffia.
In the spring she uses a grapevine wreath and ties on the springtime cutters with pastel ribbon.
She said it's easy, pretty, always changing, and she still can use her cutters when she needs to.

Have I told you that I have completely quit using pastry bags when I teach beginning cookie
decorating classes? Now we use just squeeze bottles and my beginning decorators seem so much
happier. Obviously, we can't get tons of designer effects, but when the mission is to get a
couple of colors on some cookies the flow icing in the squeeze bottles works great. We
use the little paintbrush end of our tip cleaning brush to "paint" the icing we've squeezed on
to the edges of our cookies. If you're a novice cookie decorator, I really recommend you
get yourself some squeeze bottles -- they're great for working with kids too!

********

HELP!

Jennine is looking for other newsletter people that compete at county or state fairs. Anybody
out there do that?

The subject of inserting sticks into cookies for cookie bouquets has reared it's ugly head again.
Does anybody care to offer their thoughts on this issue?

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email - info@kitchengifts.com We all rely on your input to make
this newsletter effective.

********

FROM THE EDITOR

We do have our drawing going on BellaOnline. You could win a $50.00 gift certificate
from KCI. Check out my page there at: http://www.bellaonline.com/site/italianfood

Al and I just finished remodeling our master bedroom. It started out as a paint the walls and
change the carpet project then escalated to move a doorway, add crown molding and paint
the woodwork in the bedroom and master bath. Of course, being married to mister handyman
meant that we did all the work ourselves. I don't think I'll ever get over the trauma but it does
look beautiful! Does anybody know how to get paint out of hair???

Don't forget to check the "HELP" section an see if there is an answer you can provide.

Kitchen Collectables, Inc.
Home of the world's largest collection of copper cookie cutters and
hard to find cookie decorating supplies.
Visit our Web Site at: http://www.kitchengifts.com
Toll free: 888/593-2436
Email: info@kitchengifts.com

Recipes of the Month
    Torta di Ricotta
Sites of the Month
    Changing Fahrenheit to Celsius
    OXO.com
Decorating Hints the Tips
    Andrea's Cookie Bouquets
     Denise's Luster Dust Cakes - and hints on that subject
    Patricia's Valentine Cookies
    Denise's Wedding Cookies
    Great Icing Tip from Nan
    Miscellaneous answers to last month's questions

HELP!
From the Editor

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you
when you have forgotten the words. -- unknown

JOKE OF THE MONTH

TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND
10. Cats' facial expressions.
9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.
8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds.
7. Fat clothes.
6. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.
5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.
4. Cutting your bangs to make them grow.
3. Eyelash curlers.
2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.
AND, the Number One thing only women understand:
1. OTHER WOMEN

********

I suppose Ida was thinking of my BellaOnline Italian site when she sent us this
wonderful sounding tart recipe.

Torta Di Ricotta

Sifted powdered sugar (optional)

Separate eggs. Place egg whites in a large bowl; cover and allow to stand at room
temperature for 30 minutes. Grease an ovenproof 12-inch skillet*; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer on medium
to high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Add 1/4 cup of the
granulated sugar. Beat until combined. Add the ricotta cheese and flour; beat on low
speed just until combined. Set aside.

Wash and dry beaters thoroughly. Beat egg whites with the electric mixer on medium
speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add remaining granulated sugar,
1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

Fold half of the beaten egg whites, the chocolate pieces, and orange peel into the egg
yolk mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites. Turn mixture into the prepared skillet.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 40 minutes or until set in center, top is lightly browned,
and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in skillet on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
before serving, if desired. Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 231 cal., 11 g total fat (6 g sat. fat), 163 mg cholesterol., 131 mg sodium,
18 g carbohydrates., 1 g fiber, and 13 g pro. Dietary exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate,
2 lean meat, 1 fat.

*Test Kitchen Tip: If your skillet has a handle that may not be ovenproof, wrap it securely
with a double thickness of foil, crimping the foil securely where the handle joins the skillet
and at the end of the handle.

********

SITES OF THE MONTH

Elicia was kind enough to send us this link that she says makes it easier to convert
Fahrenheit to Celsius or the other way around. For those of us who love our older
cookbooks, this is great information to have. Check it out at:
http://www.webwinder.com/wwhtmbin/jtempcon.html

OXO is a product you are probably all familiar with. They make those utensils with
the black rubber handles. If you haven't check out their web site you should, they
also have some pretty great recipes. You can find them at: http://oxo.com

Andrea was nice enough to send us these pictures of her first attempt at cookie
bouquets. I'd say she has a future!

In response to Barbie's question in last month's newsletter about dusting powders, Denise
sent us the pictures below. She said dusting powders are also called luster dust. She uses
them by mixing a small amount with lemon extract to "paint" on the buttercream icing. She
also uses them dry from the container and applies them with a fine brush to fondant beads.
This makes the beads look very realistic, like pearls. She said if you plan to eat what you
dust you need to make sure you purchase the non-toxic version.

Also on the subject of luster dust, Kim wrote to say that she read about using a tea infuser. You put a small
amount of powder into the infuser, attach an extension tube onto canned dust remover for a focused spray.
(purchased from an office supply store in the computer section. Spray air through the infuser to blow
luster dust onto the tops of cookies or cakes as desired. Be sure to have a paper back ground behind and
under to keep dust from covering the kitchen. She added that she thought this sounded incredibly messy and
would probably stick to the Toba Garret method of painting it on with lemon juice.

Susan said she uses lemon extract when applying dusting powders. She also uses dusts when making Easter
candies but said sometimes the lemon taste doesn't add to the chocolate so if anyone knows what else
works she'd be interested.

Patricia sent us this picture of some Valentine cookies she made for her boss and his family. The
family was so amazed by them that they spread them out and took a picture -- including their
son in the shot. Patricia said she was glad they did because she had forgotten to take a picture
before she sent them. Nice job!

Denise as playing with some extra cookie dough and came up with the cookies you see below.
Her daughter has proclaimed them good enough for her to make as favors at her upcoming
wedding. She covered them with a thinned royal icing, piped on trim with thicker royal icing
then added flowers she had on hand. She'll be making 150 of them!

Nan, who is an incredible cookie decorator, came up with this tip after a near disaster: If you've ever had
trouble with your base coat you'd better read this!

"I have heart cookies in three colors to deliver today and iced the last of them last evening
(obviously too late). I hadn't waited for the red icing to get to room temp. and it did not flow
enough, so this morning I found the cookies looking very uneven. In the thousands of cookies
I've decorated, this is the first time that's happened. I figured if I used a thin enough layer of icing
on a new batch of cookies, it might dry sufficiently to get them delivered on time. Since everything
the red touches becomes permanently red, I figured a little bit would be enough. So to ice the new
batch, I tried a small fan shaped brush I bought long ago for brushing on luster dust (it isn't good for that).
I used sort of a "slow flow" icing consistency. Without making a dam, I used the brush to do the edges
(it allowed me to be very exacting on the heart shape) and then filled in the center with the brush, using
just enough to cover smoothly. There was very little problem with drips over the side. It went
quickly (especially once I got the hang of the technique) and I am most pleased with the result.
This will now become a standard for me, especially with dark colors. I've negotiated a later delivery time
( as a home-based business, I deliver locally) with my customer who was pleased I cared enough to redo
part of her order."

Barbie checked in to let us know that she gets shrink wrap supplies at AC Moore or at Michael's craft store.
Kim concurred on Michael's but said Hobby Lobby also sells it in small sizes. If you don't have a Hobby Lobby
near by you can find their web site at: http://www.craftsetc.com She said it works great but you have to use a
hair dryer to shrink it and that might be tough on iced cookies.

Kim suggested that Jane try the Martha Stewart bulletin boards for quick answers to cooking questions. She
said that Wilton also has bulletin boards but they can take a few hours to post questions.

Elaine reminded me of an easy technique for piping chocolate, especially when you only need a little. Put
chopped chocolate in a zipped-up small plastic bag, pressing most of the air out while closing it. Microwave
the bag on medium for 1 minute and in additional 20 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Snip one
corner of the plastic bag, making the hole as big as the line you wish to draw. Voila!

Last month Bob was looking for cookbook software. Marci did an MSN.com search and came up with
a bunch of sites. Also Vicki suggested AccuChef. She said she uses it and loves it. I downloaded it from
http://www.acuchef.com and took a brief look. It's pretty amazing!

Melissa, who runs a "slightly profitable" cookie business has discovered that she is allergic
to eggs, corn, chicken and onions. Since there is corn starch in powdered sugar and
meringue powder she has real problem. Does anybody have any ideas to help her continue her
business other than wearing a respiratory mask?

Nan would like us to share our best cookie bouquet dough recipes. Also, she'd like to know if anybody
has used the pencil pop sucker sticks for cookies. Are they sturdy enough?

I haven't, but Patricia wonders if any of us ever have requests for undecorated cookies? You know,
for folks who like to decorate but don't have time to bake. Personally, I think the baking is a lot
easier than the decorating.

Elaine has been using Casey Lester's basic cookie recipe, substituting butter for margarine. She also
uses her glaze recipe which I don't have at home right now. Anyway, she's having trouble with the
glaze. It does not want to cover the cookie evenly -- it pulls away from certain areas. Do you think it's
the butter in the cookies? She's also having problems with little white flecks on the back of her cookies.
She says she stirs the glaze frequently. Any suggestions?

Jane's nieces decided to keep the cookies their aunt decorated for Christmas. Does anyone have ideas
for long term storage? The girls would like to hang them on their bedroom walls.

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email -- cookiecutters@qwest.net We all rely on your input to make
this newsletter effective.

********

FROM THE EDITOR

If you haven't checked my BellaOnline Italian food page lately, do so. There's a contest
going where you can win $100 gift certificate for beautiful Italian pottery. It's VERY classy and
you can't win if you don't enter. Next month KCI is going to host a contest for a $50
gift certificate -- so stay tuned.

Al and Michael are in Colorado this week. Michael is learning to snowboard. I guess he's
having fun, but his back side was pretty sore the first couple of days. I have REALLY enjoyed
having the house to myself while they have been gone.

Don't forget to check the "HELP" section an see if there is an answer you can provide.

Recipes of the Month
    Royal Icing Times 3
Sites of the Month
    Chinese New Year Sites
     Home Baking Association
Decorating Hints the Tips
     Marcie's beautiful cookies
      Chaya's Sunglasses
     Wilton candy discs
     Deborah's incredible orchid bouquet
     Thoughts on Icing Pens
     Learn to Decorate from KCI
HELP!
From the Editor

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped. -- Elbert Hubbard

JOKE OF THE MONTH

A guy's wife and kids all came down with the flu. Upon returning home from the pediatrician's
office with his four kids, he turned his attention to his ailing wife.

After preparing some chicken soup for her, he picked up the phone to call her doctor.

The receptionist answered and he related the situation to her. She then told him that the office
was going to be closed for a couple of days, but that his wife could have an appointment in 3 days.

He went ballistic and yelled into the phone, "Three days?! The doctor can't see her for three days?!
She could be dead by then!"

Calmly the voice at the other end of the line replied, "If so, would you please call to cancel
the appointment?"

********

I get tons of emails every month from people asking me about royal icing. What I'm going to
do this month is give you three recipes for cookie icing. The first one is the royal icing recipe
from Sugarbaker's Cookie Cutter Cookbook. They are of course, the standard. The second
one is from Toba Garrett's book, Creative Cookies. She calls her recipe Glace' Icing and says
it dries to a perfect sheet. From looking at the pictures, her cookies sure are pretty! Finally, there
is my recipe. I can't follow exact recipes for royal icing because sometimes 6 T. of water isn't
enough and sometimes it is. Royal icing is pretty forgiving, too thin? add sugar. Too thick?
add water. Simple stuff.

Royal Icing from Sugarbaker's

Makes 3 cups of base consistency icing

3 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 T meringue powder
6 T warm water

Beat 4 to 5 minutes
By hand, stir in optional flavorings and desired tints.

1 lb. confectioners' sugar
3/8 cup milk
3/8 cup light corn syrup
flavoring as desired

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and milk first. Add corn syrup just until combined. Divide
to flavor and add color.

Lesley's Royal Icing

1 bag confectioners' sugar
4 T. meringue powder (actually, I just dump some in but that sounds about right)
2 t. flavoring (usually almond)
warm water

Put confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in mixing bowl. Start beater and mix slowly
for a few seconds. With mixer running, add 3 to 4 T warm water. Add flavoring. Continue
mixing and adding water a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Divide and color!

NOTE:
Remember that royal icing only takes a long time to dry after you put it on a cookie. Until then,
it turns to concrete in seconds. Keep your containers covered until you are ready to use it.

********

SITES OF THE MONTH

I'm going to try something new here and see how many complaints I get. I'm going to
tell you about the sites and hyperlink them without listing the entire address. You should
be able to just click on the underlined words and reach the site. I'm sure you'll let me know
if it doesn't work for you.

Lidia was kind enough to help us out with our Chinese new year plans. She forwarded
these sites to us. The first one is from the Family Crafts section of About.com. You'll
find all kinds of fun activities to do with your family.

The second site, give you all kids of information about the history and traditions of the
Chinese New Year.

The third one would be great fun for those of you who teach school. It's coloring book
pictures provided by Southwest Airlines. Your kids would have a great time working on
-- and learn something too!

Here's a nice site from the Home Baking Association. You'll find lots of recipes, tips,
and a very helpful glossary.

Marci, from New Jersey was ever so kind to send us pictures of her beautiful
work. Do you love those sun glasses or what? Thanks again Marci!

Speaking of incredible glasses, Check out Chaya's sunglasses on KCI's
Need Cookies? page. They are way too cute. Chaya is the newest addition
the page and she is an incredible decorator.

A couple of you wrote to us regarding Ceri's question about the taste of the Wilton
Candy discs. Charlene says they have a vanilla flavor that you can alter with Wilton's
candy flavoring. Linda said she has used them for years she also suggested using
the flavorings designed just for candy making. Susan said she tried to melt really
good white chocolate and then color it. She had disastrous results until she
used powdered food colors.

Deborah, our wonderful new friend from Brazil sent us this picture of a cookie
bouquet she did. She did it for a floral exposition called "semana verde" (green
week). The orchids that she did are the symbol of her home state, Santa Catarina.
Get ready to say "WOW!"

Several KCI customers have asked if we sell the icing pens. We don't but dutifully Al brought
some home for me to try. I had trouble with the consistency -- of course my handwriting is
pretty nasty anyway. The first one he brought me was black -- Michael ended up eating most
of it straight from the tube -- tasted like chocolate. I had slightly better results with the gel
pen. Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I have decided that I can get the same or
better results by putting royal icing, slightly thicker than flow icing in my 2 oz squeeze bottle.
If you have other thoughts on those icing pens, let me know.

While I haven't been doing the newsletter weekly, I have been a busy girl. I've completely
redone all the web pages to, hopefully, make them more navigable (is that a word). One
thing I did that might interest you is add step by step directions for decorating some of
our cookies including our lips cookie cutter -- very cute for Valentine's Day.
You can find them on our brand new "Learn to Decorate" page. Enjoy!

********

Susan is looking for information about using fondant as cookie icing. (My advice is to get
herself a copy of Toba Garrett's book, Creative Cookies. Toba does a lot with fondant.
What are your experiences?

She also wonders if you can run fondant through a hand cranked pasta machine.

Jane would like to know a good web site for posting cooking questions and getting QUICK
answers.

Bob, the owner of the White House Bed and Breakfast. Would like to find a software
package that would enable him to publish his own cookbook. I'd like one too!

Barbie would like to know how to use dusting powders. She has received some as a gift
and is at a loss. (Is that the stuff you mix with alcohol?)

Finally, Deborah sent me two pictures of cookies that a friend in the US bought for her.
Both were shrink wrapped. Does anybody know a source for shrink wrapping products?

FROM THE EDITOR

Thanks for your patience with me as I take this newsletter from weekly to monthly. I know
some of you aren't happy about the decision, but it was the right one for me. I was feeling
kind of stale and at my age I don't need to be any staler (is that a word?).

As I mentioned earlier, I have been busy updating the web pages for KCI. I'd appreciate
any feedback you care to offer. Speaking of KCI, the girls at the shop have been busy
doing the design work for a huge selection of mini cutters. I don't have images of them all
yet, but you can see the list on the Mini Cutters page. Each of them are approximately
2" and yes the price is the same as the bigger ones -- they're a LOT harder to make.

Oh, by the way, BellaOnline is back up and running - under new management. Of course
this is after I did tons of work creating the links which I didn't keep copies of. I'm slowly
but surely working resurrecting it. You can take a look at what I've got so far and see my
pretty face at the BellaOnline Italian Food Link.

Don't forget to check the "HELP" section an see if there is an answer you can provide.

Recipes of the Week
    Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Sites of the Week
    All Homemade Cookies.com
Decorating Hints the Tips
    Using Sparkling Sugar
    Fahrenheit vs. Celsius
    More Cookie Bouquets from the Sugar Shack
HELP!
From the Editor

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be
a time when we fail to protest. Elie Wiesel

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford,
as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny
as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners.

Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as
Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry
Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford -but you'll take him
anyway. - Judith Viorst

********

3 large egg whites
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. salt
1 cup sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
3 T semisweet chocolate mini chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt at high speed until soft
peaks form. Add sugar, 1 T at a time, beating until stiff peaks
form. Sift cocoa over egg white mixture; fold in. Fold in minichips

Cover baking sheet with parchment paper; secure to baking sheet with
masking tape. Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared
baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until crisp. Cool
on pan on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining batter, reusing
parchment paper. Store in airtight container. Yield 4 dozen cookies.

********

SITE OF THE WEEK

I just found this site and it's full of wonderful recipes, great tips,
kid friendly ideas, and some great links. Check out All Homemade
Cookies at: http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/

In previous issues several readers offered their tips for decorating
cookies with sparkling sugar. Here they are for your review.

"Make a thin glaze of meringue powder and water. No recipe, just an
unscientific eyeballing of about a spoonful of meringue powder and a bit
of water.

Paint the cookie and sand with sugar. I use a small child's paint brush
(one never used for paint) and then I can use multiple colors. Use the same
method to sand the cookies before baking.

"I recently attended a cookie class taught by a lady from Austin, TX
who bakes and decorates cookies professionally, and this is what she
does. She makes a "paint" of egg white and water (1 egg white and 1/4 tsp.
water) and 'paints' the UNBAKED cookie with this colorless paint. Then
she sprinkles the sugar right onto the cookie and the egg white paint causes
the sugar to stick. She then baked the cookies as usual.

"To keep sugar on cookies, before baking, brush with beaten egg. Then
put sugar on to moist cookie and bake. The sugar will stay on the cookies.
You can use different colors of sugar on one cookie with no problem.

"Paint the area of the cookie you want sugared with a small paint brush
dipped in a mixture of meringue powder and water. Sprinkle the sugar
over the cookies. Let the cookies dry for 10 minutes before shaking off
excess. When the surface is dry you can pipe on outlines to add detail to
your cookies.

"For cookies with both icing and sparkling sugars, pipe an outline and fill
in cookies with royal icing. When the icing is just starting to dry, carefully
pick up and dip each cookie, icing side down, into a bowl containing plenty
of sparkling sugar. Tap the cookie lightly on the side of the bowl. Return the
cookie to the cooling rack and allow to dry completely. This works great for
stars and Christmas ornaments. Extra sparkling sugar in the bowl can be
returned to the container for later use."

In response to Kim's question about keeping her candy canes until next year
Debbi said that they'll be fine as long as they are sealed tightly -- perhaps two
bags instead of one.

Deborah (remember the incredible cookie decorator from Brazil?) was having
trouble making the transition from Fahrenheit to Celsius. As she'd browse
through American magazines she was always struggling with how to adjust
her oven temp. She found this translation in a German cookbook. She said
it works perfectly

Fahrenheit to Celsius (X means the number of the temperature)

XF -32 x 5 : 9=XC

Here are some more cookie bouquets from the Sugar Shack in Sioux City to inspire you!

Ceri was reading last week's newsletter and was intrigued by Deborah's
cookies that she coats with a raspberry filling before covering with white
chocolate. She was wondering if she puts anything under the raspberries
to keep it from soaking into the cookies.

Ceri is also wondering how Wilton's candy colored discs taste? Anybody have
any experience with them?

Allie has been trying to dip cookies in carob but cannot find the right mix so that
the carob doesn't come out crumbly. Anybody have a solution?

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email -- cookiecutters@qwest.net

********

FROM THE EDITOR

We finally broke down and got cable television at our house -- my son
swore he would be scarred for life if all he had to watch was the networks
and educational television. Anyway, I have become addicted to the Food
Network. I can't wait to get everybody settled for the night so I can curl
up and watch "Good Eats", "Food Find", or "The Naked Chef". Can't
say Emeril does much for me but Martha is always interesting. I wonder
why they don't have an entire program dedicated to cookies???

Emails from you have been pretty slow for the last several weeks. I've been
thinking about -- and have finally decided to do it -- start writing the
newsletter just once a month instead of every week. I'll try to get it
to you mid month.

Thanks to those of you who contributed to this week's newsletter. You
know that I depend on your input to keep this newsletter interesting.
Anyone who has ideas, recipes, thoughts or questions please feel free to
send them to me: cookiecutters@qwest.net

Recipes of the Week
    Two recipes for cookies with mace
    Strawberry Cookies
Sites of the Week
    Mardi Gras
    Elizabeth's web site
Decorating Hints the Tips
    Some GREAT cookie bouquets
    Decorating cookies without Icing
    Hints for black and small amounts of colored icing
HELP!
From the Editor

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from
themselves." - James Barrie

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Getting Old in Florida

At a nursing home in Miami, Florida, a group of Senior Citizens were sitting
around talking about their ailments:

"My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee, " said one.

"Yes, I know. My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my coffee," replied
another.

"I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a third, to
which several nodded weakly in agreement.

"My blood pressure pills make me dizzy," ... another went on.

"I guess that's the price we pay for getting old," winced an old man as he
slowly shook his head. Then there was a short moment of silence.

"Well, it's not that bad," said one woman cheerfully. "Thank God we can all
still drive."

********

Last week somebody requested a cookie recipe that contains mace. Several of you were
right there when we needed you!

Chris, from Pittsburgh sent us this one

Sugar Cookies with Mace

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract (almond also works well)
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mace

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla. Add dry ingredients.
Divide dough in half and shill approximately 1 hour before rolling.

Rolled cookies made with ground mace.

Makes 3 - 4 dozen

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

1 Combine flour, baking powder and mace. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375
degrees F (190 degrees C).
2 In large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs, then
beat in the milk and vanilla extract. Beat in lemon zest. Gradually blend in
dry ingredients. Cover and chill for at least four hours.
3 Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Use a 2 inch
round cookie cutter and cut into rounds. Place 1 inch apart on prepared
cookie sheets.
4 Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly colored. Cool on cookie racks

Brenda sent us this recipe in reply to Adirenne's request for Strawberry cookies.

Strawberry Cookies

1 lb Angel flake coconut
1/4 lb blanched almonds or pecans
2 T. sugar
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1/2 t. almond extract
Strawberry jello

Mix ingredients well. Shape a small amount into a strawberry shape and then roll in
strawberry jelly which has been mixed with 4 T. of sugar and a few drops of red food coloring.
Make leaves with purchased marzipan leaves or use royal icing and a leaf tip. These
freeze well. Makes 90 to 100 strawberries.

********

SITES OF THE WEEK

Judy, from Mobile, Alabama was kind enough to send me an email letting me
know that it was time update the date from our Mardi Gras page. Mardi
Gras is on February 12 this year (27th last year). She said that the Mardi
Gras really started in Mobile -- New Orleans just borrowed it. You can find
out more about this year's Mardi Gras and even order the new poster by
going to: http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/mardigras.html You can see KCI's
Mardi Gras collection at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/mardigras.html

Remember the beautiful cookies from Deborah in last week's newsletter?
She has a web address too. You can find more of her incredible work at:
www.flynet.com.br/deborah She told me a little more about herself. She and
her cookies are pretty famous in her little town of Blumenau - Santa Catarina but
because of Brazilian laws she can't sell them using her own name. She sells to stores
who then sell them under their own name. She said it is very difficult to get
cookie decorating supplies and cookie cutters in Brazil, hence she makes many
of them herself. She even makes her own cookie cutters.

********

A KCI customer and owner of a cookie bouquet shop called "The Sugar Shack" in
Sioux City, Iowa was kind enough to send us these pictures of her incredible cookie bouquets.
Feeling inspired?

I know we have covered this before, but for you new guys, did you know that you can color
your sugar cookie dough and pipe it onto your cookies before they are baked? If you have

kids or friends who don't like or can't eat icing, you can still add color. Simply
take a small amount of dough, thin it with a little water, mix in the gel color of
your choice and put the dough into a pastry bag. Pipe the dough onto your cookies
in any design you wish and then bake them as usual. This is a nice way to add
dimension to cookies as well. Here is a partially decorated ice cream cone
that I did. The orange portion on the bottom is simply colored cookie dough.

Two quick hints from a reader:

    For black frosting the canned Pillsbury Hot Fudge works great.  It's so hard to get a dark
black frosting.  There's works great, and tastes good too.

    For small amounts of red (like Mickey Mouse's tongue), rather than mix up a whole batch --
melt a couple red chocolate wafers (like the kind Wilton makes for making candy).  Paint it in,
or use a toothpick to dab it in.  It works great.  (You could also use any of the other colors
that Wilton makes.  When you only need a tiny bit, like the centers of flowers, it's a lot simpler
to melt a little chocolate than to mix another whole color of frosting.)

Kim was wondering if she could freeze the 200 leftover candy canes she has? Will they
still be OK for next year? If not, do you have any suggestions for using them?

KCI cannot keep edible glitter on the shelves. It is amazing how much of it goes out
every day. I am curious about what you guys are doing with it? If you get a chance,
drop me a note about how you use edible glitter.

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email -- cookiecutters@qwest.net

********

FROM THE EDITOR

We have a new addition to our "Need Cookies?" page. Elizabeth Erenz sent me some
beautiful cookies to photograph for the page. She makes her cookies a little differently
than you and I. She tops each cookie with a raspberry filling and then uses white
chocolate for the icing. I kid you not, it was all I could do to get the pictures taken before
I ate one of them. Check out her cookies at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/needcookies.html
then click on her web site to see her beautiful wedding cakes. She is definitely one talented
lady!

Thanks to those of you who contributed to this week's newsletter. You know that I depend on
your input to keep this newsletter interesting. Anyone who has ideas, recipes, thoughts or questions
please feel free to send them to me: cookiecutters@qwest.net

Recipes of the Week
     Strawberry Cookies
    Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Sites of the Week
   Chinese New Year
   Groundhogs Day
    King Menus
    Oscar Cookies???
Decorating Hints the Tips
     Incredible Cookie Pictures to Inspire You
    Hershey's Hard to Find Products
HELP!
From the Editor

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and
those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there

Your family automatically heads for the table every time they
hear a fire siren

Anyone has ever broken a tooth eating your homemade yogurt.

Your kids know what "peas porridge in a pot nine days old"
tastes like.

Your kids favorite drink is Alka-Seltzer.

You have to buy 25 pounds of dog food twice a week for your toy
poodle .

Your kids got even with the neighborhood bully by inviting him
over for dinner.

Your kids got suspended from school for trying to smuggle toxic
waste in their lunch bags.

Your husband refers to the smoke detector as the oven timer.

No matter what you do to it the gravy still turns bright purple.

You burned the house down trying to make jelly.

********

Adrienne was looking for a strawberry cookie recipe. A reader sent us this one.

Strawberry Cookies

Stems:
1/4 cup water
1-2 drops green food color
1 2 ounce package slivered blanched almonds (about 1/3 cup)

Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 of a 3 ounce package strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour

red colored sugar
green colored sugar

1. to make stems, mix water and green food color in a shallow bowl. add
almonds. allow to soak and absorb color, stirring several times.

2. to make cookies, beat butter, powdered sugar, gelatin, vanilla and salt
in a large bowl, with electric mixer until fluffy. on low speed, gradually
beat in flour. chill 30 minutes.

3. drain almonds on several layers of paper towels. Heat oven to 375.
have baking sheets ready.

4. form dough into 48 balls, about 1 inch in diameter. taper one end of
each to make a strawberry shape. roll in red sugar. dip wider end in green
sugar. insert an almond stem in the wide end of each berry. insert an
almond stem in the wide end of each berry. place 1 inch apart on baking
sheets. bake 11-12 minutes until set, but not browned. cool on wire racks.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup oats
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

In a mixer with a paddle combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl stir together wet ingredients
then blend them into dry ingredients. Drop spoonfuls of batter, spaced far apart, onto nonstick sheet
pans and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 3 dozen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

********

SITES OF THE WEEK

Terri wrote to remind us that 2002 is the year of the horse. If you're interested in more
information about the Chinese New Year, go to: http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/zodiac.html
(The year of the horse includes: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 and 2002)

She also reminded us about Groundhog's Day on Feb. 2 (Just saw that movie the other night)
She said she made groundhog day cookies for an elementary school class and the kids loved them.
You can find everything you ever wanted to know about Groundhog's Day at: http://www.groundhog.org/

My friend Cynthia and I discovered King Menus when we were looking for cloth napkins. We
ordered a bunch of 18" x 18" restaurant quality cloth napkins for about $1.40 each. We were both
able to get colors to match our kitchens. They also carry chefs hats, aprons, and other restaurant
apparel. If you order, they will probably ask for your company's name but they don't verify. You can
request a catalog at 1800-888-6368 or online at http://www.kingmenus.com

Michael and I are putting together our page of Oscar inspired cookie cutters in preparation for
the upcoming Oscar nominations. Unfortunately, I haven't seen very many of the movies that
are being suggested as nominees. I would really appreciate it if you'd take a look at the page
as it stands and let me know if you think of some other design I should add. You can find
it at: http://www.kitchengifts.com/oscar.html You can find me at: cookiecutters@qwest.net

You guys are always a great source of amazement to me. These pictures were sent to me by
Deborah, a reader from Brazil. She decorated these cookies!!!!

I sent her an email asking for information about how she did it -- I knew you'd ask. Here is a translation
of what she told us:

"I use royal icing only (white egg with powder sugar) with water to make the consistency of the glace
for using with a brush ( like the same to make painting in handcraft works)

I paint the cookies, one color at a time and then with royal icing without water I make the details.

In the picture that I sent you, I don't use only painting.

I send you a new picture where I use the two forms of royal icing.

For this technique ( royal icing painting) you must very careful to do this glace.
Not too much liquid and painting the cookie from the border to the center.... less glace in the borders.
Soft brushes and practice."

Eicia, a KCI customer was kind enough to send us this picture. She raises dogs like this and
this was one of her first attempts at cookie decorating. I think the dog is incredible! It also proves my
point that you don't have to be an expert to create beautiful cookies. Frequently, less is more!

Andrea asked about locating flavored baking chips. I just checked Hershey's and they do
carry raspberry chips. Go to: http://www.hersheys.com/findproduct/index.shtml to find
their hard to locate products. (Take a look at their recipes if you get a chance -- pretty
yummy sounding)

A reader is frantically looking for a cut-out sugar cookie recipe that contains mace.

Sally is looking for a drop cookie that uses Nesbit Orange Soda Pop as all or part
of the liquid. (Boy, does that drink bring back memories) Does anybody have that recipe?

As always, if you have suggestions, recipes, or just a thought on any of these questions,
PLEASE send me an email -- cookiecutters@qwest.net

********

FROM THE EDITOR

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. How was yours? Isn't it amazing how
quickly the holidays come and go? I'm feeling so incredibly blessed as we start 2002. As a
child I remember trying to imagine what my life would be at my age. I think I've exceeded my
expectations. My wonderful family, incredible friends, our little company, our beautiful home, and all
the knowledge I've acquired over the years have made my life a place where each new day
brings a smile. You have been a big part of my life, and thank you for being here with me.

In the last newsletter I told you about my new endeavor with BellaOnline. Well, a few days
after that the sight was gone. I have NO clue what happened. I'm a little unhappy about
all the work I put into my section and then received no explanation -- I'll keep you posted.
Thanks to those of you who did have an opportunity to look at it and then send an email.

Thanks to those of you who contributed to this week's newsletter. You know that I depend on
your input to keep this newsletter interesting. Anyone who has ideas, recipes, thoughts or questions
please feel free to send them to me: cookiecutters@qwest.net

Odd Sized Measuring Cups	Just $10.90 instead of $12.45
See Through Liquid Measuring Cup	Just $10.90 instead of $12.25
The World's Best Pepper Grinder	Just $10.90 instead of $12.25