COOKIE RECIPES AND DECORATING IDEAS ARCHIVE 2

IN THIS ISSUE:

Recipes of the Month:
    Lime Sugar Cookies
Sites of the Month
    Halloween Cookie Sites
Decorating Inspiration
    Lidia and Marci's incredibly beautiful cookies
Decorating Hints and Tips

HELP!
FROM THE EDITOR

If you have formed the habit of checking on every new diet that comes along, you
will find that, mercifully, they all blur together, leaving you with only one definite piece
of information: french-fried potatoes are out. -- Jean Kerr

During the first few weeks after quitting smoking, one fellow was difficult t
o live with. Apologizing to his wife for his short temper, he commented,
"I've gone from 'Happy' to 'Grumpy.' What's next?"

"Lonely," she replied.

********

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lime sugar (see recipe below)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat together butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons lime sugar
with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift flour,
baking powder, and salt together over egg mixture, then beat on low speed
until just combined.

Form dough into a 10-inch log (2 inches in diameter) on wax paper, then wrap
in wax paper. Chill dough until firm, at least 4 hours.

Remove wax paper and cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Bake cookies 1/2 inch
apart on ungreased baking sheets in batches in middle of oven 10 to 12 minutes, or
until pale golden. Immediately transfer with a metal spatula to a rack set over a sheet
of wax paper and sprinkle tops with remaining lime sugar. Cool cookies.

Cooks’ notes:
o Dough can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, wrapped well in plastic wrap.
o Cookies keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 2 days.

Makes about 36 cookies.

This sugar, used in the cookies and lime ice, is great to have on hand for
sprinkling on cut fruit or to add a boost to iced tea.

Remove zest from limes in strips with a vegetable peeler and cut away any white
pith from zest (pith imparts a bitter flavor). Chop zest (about 1/2 cup), then grind
in a food processor with sugar until mixture is pale green with bits of zest still visible.

Cooks' notes:
o Lime sugar may be made 3 days ahead and kept, chilled, in an airtight container.
o The sugar becomes aerated in the food processor; do not pack when measuring

SITES OF THE MONTH

Lidia was kind enough to send us the great Halloween cookie websites you might want to check
out before you start your baking. Enjoy!

Here is a great Halloween site if you have a diabetic child in your family.
http://diabeticgourmet.com/articles/183.shtml

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COOKIE DECORATING INSPIRATION

Marci, my new best friend from New Jersey sent us the pictures of the sneakers, books and
skyline below. I added images of the cutters so you can see the transition. Marci made these,
and more, packaged them and sent them to Michigan for her aunt. I can't remember
who sent me the porcupine (sorry) but isn't it great? Just tan icing and a few jimmies!
The cats and book readers are from Lidia. I am so inspired by the details on the
readers!

DECORATING HINTS AND TIPS

On the subject of drying cookies more quickly, Cindy said she puts her cookies back on
the cookie sheet and pops them into a barely warm oven for a while.

I keep telling you how much I love my plastic squeeze bottles to decorate cookies. My problem
with them has been the filling part. I had a heck of a time getting thicker icing into that little opening
at the top. OK, so most of you are smarter than I am but for those of you who aren't, here is what
I finally figured out. I put my icing into a pastry bag -- no coupler or tip -- then insert the narrow
end into the bottle top and squeeze it in. No mess, no fuss!

A KCI customer wrote to me and asked about our Alien cookie cutter. She had a
great idea for baking it with green lifesavers for eyes. If you want to add lifesavers
to cookies (jolly ranchers work too) just bake the cookies halfway then add the lifesavers
and finish baking. Make sure your cookies are on an Exopat or parchment paper lined
baking sheet. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet before moving them.

HELP!

Sandie wants to know if anybody has ideas for decorating Beatles cookies. Don't look at me!

The holiday season in moving toward us -- something like 98 shopping days left -- anyway, if you
get a chance, share your favorite holiday cookie recipe with us. You can email it to me at:
lesley@kitchengifts.com

********

FROM THE EDITOR

Al just informed me that 7 MM silver dragees are very shortly going to be impossible to get. Our supplier
is out and his supplier is out until after the first of the year. (Since ours our a pretty common brand I assume
other retailers will have the same problem) We do have some in stock so if you know
you're going to want some -- the 7MM are the larger ones -- call our toll free # 888/593-2436 and
get them while you can.

Take a minute to look through the two questions in the "Help" section. Any thoughts would be
appreciated. Send them to me at: lesley@kitchengifts.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

Recipes of the Month:
   Zucchini Bread
    A to Z Bread
    Carrot, Zucchini, Apple Muffins
    Rolled Honey Cookies
    Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Sites of the Month
       Brand Name Recipes
Decorating Inspiration
      Cookie Club Rep Carol's Incredible Cookies
Decorating Hints and Tips
        Deli Paper from Sam's Club
        National Cookie Cutter Convention???
HELP!
FROM THE EDITOR
    Don't miss this section!

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
-- Doug Larson

JOKE OF THE MONTH

How Many Do You Remember?

Head lights dimmer switches on the floor
Ignition switches on the dashboard
The popular chewing gum named for a game of chance
Butch wax
Eeny-meeny-miney-mo
Cooties
Smelling mimeographed papers in school
Using a pop bottle filled with water to sprinkle clothes before ironing
Blue Flash Bulbs

********

Last month a reader asked for a good zucchini bread recipe. Deb was kind enough to send us the
following one and another recipe for her A to Z bread. Enjoy!

Jodi sent us this recipe for Carrot, Zucchini, Apple Muffins. She said Jane could
always bake this recipe in a loaf pan.

2C flour
2C shredded carrots
1 1/4C sugar (I used 3/4C and found it was plenty sweet)
1C shredded zucchini
1 Red Delicious apple shredded
3/4C raisins
3/4C shredded coconut
1 TBS cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1C vegetable oil
1/8C pineapple juice unsweetened.

Preheat oven to 375 -   Mix all except eggs and oil. Beat eggs and oil together to blend.
Stir flour mixture into the egg mix. Spoon 1/4C batter into greased cupcake tins.
Bake until tester is clean - 25 min.

For Melissa, here's a recipe for some rolled honey cookies (that came from the Betty
Crocker's kids' cookbook) that Jodi used to make when she was younger (in the late 60's - yikes!!).
They are a good rolled cookie, with a mild honey taste. We decorated them with the egg yolk paint -
(Directions below).

1/3C sugar
1/3C shortening
2/3C honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt.

Preheat oven 375 - Mix first 5 ingredients thoroughly in bowl. In another bowl mix together remaining
dry ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into first mixture. Chill dough 1 hour.

Roll out on lightly floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes and decorate with egg yolk
paint (see below). Bake 8-10 minutes (do not let cookies brown).

Egg Yolk Paint
Beat well in small bowl 1 egg yolk and 1/4 tsp water. Divide into several small cups and add
food coloring to make bright colors. Paint onto uncooked cookies with clean brush.

I was hungry for cherry ice cream with chocolate chunks the other day but my local ice cream
shop had no such combination. In frustration I surfed the Internet and found this recipe. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
48 undrained maraschino cherries (about a 10 oz jar)
1-6 oz pack semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

In a medium bowl combine flour and cocoa powder. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat
butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, salt, baking powder,
and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually beat
in dry mixture.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls: place on ungreased cookie sheets. Press down center of each
ball with thumb. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Place one cherry in the center of each cookie.

For frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk.
Heat and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of reserved
cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry.
If necessary frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice.

Bake in 350 degree oven about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.

********

SITE OF THE MONTH

In June I took my son to Kansas City for a weekend. I had promised him we could stop
at White Castle so he could fill up on their mini hamburgers. Alas, we were disappointed (he more
than I) to discover that our White Castle was gone. At about the same time my friend Cynthia
sent me a web address that had TONS of brand name recipes. I found and tested a recipe for White Castle
burgers and the guys at my house think they're just as good as the real ones. You can find the
White Castle recipe and probably your favorite recipe at: http://dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/Brand_Name_Recipes/

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COOKIE DECORATING INSPIRATION

Cookie Club rep and expert cookie decorator Carol Personate sent us these pictures. I love
the way she displayed the salamander cookies on the puzzle board. Thanks a bunch Carol!

DECORATING HINTS AND TIPS

Katherine wrote that she found a box of pop-up sheets of deli paper at Sam's Club. She uses this
instead of parchment paper when rolling out dough. (Like me she rolls her dough between two sheets
before chilling it) Katherine says the paper sheets fit her Dobord well and she doesn't have to hassle with
cutting or tearing off sheets. They also fit well in one of her big Rubbermaid containers so she just
stacks them up to go into the refrigerator to chill.

Did you know that there is a National Cookie Cutter Club? They're having a convention
in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2004. I don't have any specifics, but you can contact Ruth Capper
who is a member of the Ohio Valley and Beyond Cookie Cutter Club. Send her a stamped, self-
addressed envelope at 1167 Teal Road, Dellroy, OH 44620. She should be able to tell you
more about it.

HELP!

Katherine would appreciate any thoughts on faster ways to dry cookies iced with royal icing.

FROM THE EDITOR

Speaking of the Cookie Club (see Carol's pictures above), Kim Gourley has taken over the
job of managing the Cookie Club reps and she'll be happy to hear from you if you are interested
in becoming a rep. You can make some extra money selling all of KCI's incredible cutters and decorating
products via home parties. It's GREAT fun and such an exciting new concept in home parties that
your friends won't run away when you mention it. You can contact Kim via email at: cookiequeen@tconl.com

You can still find the offer for free shipping on orders of $40 or more at Kitchen Collectables.
This special will end Aug 18.

I don't have them online yet, but at KCI we now have not only "2000", "2001" and "2002", we have all the
way up to "2010" -- for those of you who REALLY plan ahead. I also see that Al has added
a "USA" design to our ever growing collection. If you're interested you'll need to call the shop to order.
If you just want to see what a cutter looks like, I can email you a blackline drawing. (lesley@kitchengifts.com)
To order, the toll free # at the shop is (888) 593-2436.

A few weeks ago I was passing along one of those endless computer jokes to some friends. I inadvertently
sent it to those of you in the newsgroup that I have in my personal address book. So far, nobody wrote back
anything rude, in fact some of you enjoyed it, but I do apologize for hitting the wrong key. Sometimes
I worry about myself.

Take a minute to look through the two questions in the "Help" section. Any thoughts would be
appreciated. Send them to me at: lesley@kitchengifts.com

"When my cats aren't happy, I'm not happy. Not because I care about their
mood but because I know they're just sitting there thinking up ways to get
even." --Penny Ward Moser

A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church,
"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" Annie replied, "Because people are sleeping."
____________________________________________
A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to
Jerusalem. A small child replied: "They couldn't get a baby-sitter."
____________________________________________
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and
six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and
thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to
treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy answered,
"Thou shall not kill."
____________________________________________

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Kim sent us this sugar cookie recipe, a cookie glaze recipe, and her royal icing recipe.
She says the cookie recipe is used by Penny McConnell who owns Penny's Pastries
in Austin. She said it is absolutely the best dough ever and doesn't require the chill time.

Butter Sugar Cookie Dough

1 cup butter, salted
1 cup sugar
1 Large egg
2 T. whipping cream
2 T. vanilla
1 t. almond extract
3 cups unbleached flour, unsifted
1 1/2 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or in a heavy-duty mixer, combine butter and sugar
using low speed with mixer. Do not over mix

Ad egg, whipping cream, vanilla and almond extract all at once to butter/sugar mixture.
Mixture will probably looked curdled. Mix just until combined.

In separate bowl, mix flour with baking powder. Ad dry ingredients to liquid. Mix
to form dough.

Give dough a quick knead, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of
about 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.

Bake on parchment lined sheets until set and very lightly browned around edges,
about 8 minutes. Cool before decorating. Makes 3 dozen cookies

Cookie Glaze

Kim says she tints this glaze pink or lavender and dips sugar cookie hearts in it.
Then, she pipes on white royal icing designs.

1 T light corn syrup
1/4 t. flavoring (almond, orange, lemon, etc.)
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 t. liquid whitener (optional-- this makes the glaze opaque)

Add syrup and extract to warm water in mixing bowl. Mix to dissolve syrup.
Add powdered sugar. Mix on low until smooth glaze forms.

Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze. Turn cookies over and place on wire rack
until glaze sets completely.

When you have finished making the glaze, store it in plastic, covered containers. No
need to refrigerated and it will stay fresh for over a week. After storing, it is not unusual
for the heavier syrup to settle to the bottom. Simply put the glaze in the microwave to soften
it again and mix thoroughly.

Royal Frosting Using Meringue Powder

6 T warm water
3 T meringue powder, sifted
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 t. cream of tartar (optional)

Put warm water in mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients. Put mixer on low. Mix until
they form a thick frosting. Put mixer speed on high. Beat at high for 7 to 10 minutes.
Humidity may require a longer beating time

When your icing is done, keep it covered with a damp cloth at all times or it will crust over.

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SITES OF THE MONTH

Martha Stewart is such a great source of information. You can find great information
about packaging and shipping cookies if you CLICK HERE. You can also find
some great recipes and neat ideas for making heart shaped cookies if you
CLICK HERE.

HGTV's web site has some great cookie decorating tips from Mary Ellen Pinkham,
CLICK HERE.

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COOKIE DECORATING INSPIRATION

Marci, an incredible cookie decorator from New Jersey, sent us these pictures
to inspire us. Enjoy!

Jeannine was kind enough to send us these pictures of her beautiful work.
She used KCI's girl's dress and our casual dress for the dresses you see
on the left and our fork, knife and spoon cutters for the designs on the
right.

DECORATING HINTS AND TIPS

Carol checked in to let us know how she decorated her dragonfly cookies. She used
deep green icing for the body and then sprinkled them with blue edible glitter. That
gave them a nice iridescent effect. She piped the wings and eyes in white.

Adirenne did dragonfly's for her nephews and she also used edible glitter. She used
buttercream or royal icing for the body and head. Then she did a thin line around the wings
and filled them with glaze. She sprinkled edible glitter on the wings for a nice shimmery
effect. She agreed with Carol about using different colors. She used pale green glaze
and blue glitter or pale orange glaze and yellow glitter.

I added another "how to" page for those of you who will be baking and decorating cookies
for a baby shower. You can find step by step directions for this adorable stork at:
http://www.kitchengifts.com/decoratestork.html

I was in one of those scrap booking stores yesterday and as I looked at the thousands of stickers they had for sale it
occurred to me that they would be a great source for cookie decorating ideas. You name the animal,
vehicle, heart, flower, holiday design, etc. and they've got it. Keep that in mind the next time you're trying
to figure out what to do with your T-Rex cookie cutter.

HELP!

Jane is looking for a wholesome loaf style cake recipe such as zucchini bread.

Melissa is looking for a good honey cookie recipe -- rolled or drop.

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

For a limited time, KCI is offering FREE shipping and handling on orders of $40 or more.
That includes cutters and supplies. Take advantage of this great savings to stock for
upcoming holidays and buy those special gifts.

OK, so time kind of got away from me this month. I am now officially looking forward
to the start of school. Great kid but...... We're also redoing our backyard. With the
master bedroom finished we moved on to the back of the house and have landscaped
and are adding a deck. (The kid finally outgrew his swing set, playhouse, and other items
that destroy grass and shrubs) Of course, we picked the hottest June/July on record to do
this but it will be great when it's finished.

Check out our "What's New" page. I'm up to 108 designs and will soon have to
start removing some of them from that page.   Al even designed a cutter he calls "Road Kill"
and believe it or not we've sold quite a few of them. I have no clue what the buyer's are
doing with them -- I don't ask.

Last weekend I spoke to a group of ladies at a brunch. They were the wives of a group
of Model-A owners who were in town for their regional convention.   What a wonderful
audience they were. Anyway, I told them about our business and how it started and just
a little bit about cookie baking and decorating. I also mentioned that our shop was just
a couple miles away from the hotel. I kid you not, I left the brunch, went to the shop to
drop some stuff off and before I could turn around 30 women and a few husbands had
followed me from the hotel.   I guess they were in the mood to shop! The big sellers were
the dobord and the pepper ball!

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



Marci used the Omaha skyline cutter and turned it into New York