Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Sugar Cookies



I finally tackled royal icing!  After all of my unnecessary worrying, it actually wasn’t that scary.  I am pretty proud of the way they turned out, considering that it was my first attempt.  I think that the consistency of my icing wasn’t quite right.  I was scared of the icing being too thin, so I think it was too thick.  After I was about halfway through the cookies I had gotten the hang of it and changed the consistency, which made it a lot easier.  I used Bridget of Bake at 350’s royal icing recipe.  I did not have corn syrup.  Next time I decorate cookies (Yes! There will definitely be a next time!) I will make sure I have corn syrup because I did feel the icing dried a bit dull. Corn syrup is the ingredient that is supposed to make it shiny. 

I did extensive research and planning before beginning this project.  I normally do a lot of reading and planning before trying something new to make sure I get it just right.  I went a tad bit overboard on this project though! Aside from the countless blog posts, I also drew out many different options for decorating with crayons so I would be prepared! Aren’t I such an artist? ;-)




The first step was to make the icing.  Beat together the meringue powder and water.


Sift the confectioners sugar and slowly add to the mix.  Beat for 5 minutes or until the icing can hold a peak.



My next step was to color the icing.  Another thing I will be investing in for next time is better coloring products.  My dye is pretty old and not a good quality.  I have heard good things about Americolors, so I will probably try it out.  I chose to use yellow, pink, green and purple icing.  I also set aside a small amount of uncolored icing for detailing.



Next I piped the outlines.  This is where I had the most trouble.  I tried using a #2 tip, but the tip kept getting clogged.  I am sure this is an amateur mistake because of the icing consistency.  I ended up using a #3 tip for most of the cookies.



The next step was to flood the cookies.  Again, this was a bit of a guess and check procedure to get the right consistency.  I loved making flat designs!  The polka dots were absolutely adorable.




I let the cookies dry overnight.  The next day I added some detailing like names and dots, etc.  I definitely need some practice piping.  Even though they are not perfect, I am pretty proud of them for a first attempt.




Verdict: I will definitely try these again.  I will buy better food coloring and flooding bottles for next time.  Hopefully I will get better with practice in regards to consistency and piping.  I plan on using the cookies with my family’s names on it as place cards for our Easter dinner.   The worst part about the whole project was the clean up.



Next time: Still up for Easter baking are Easter Cake Pops, Mini Coconut Custard Pies, Easter Noodle Pie and maybe Carrot Cake, if I have time. 

Happy Baking!
Jenna xoxo

P.S. Only one cookie was harmed in the making of this blog post. 



P.P.S. Check out Bake at 350 for the icing recipe and awesome cookie decorating techniques.  Bridget is the expert, not me!

P.P.P.S. More pictures because I am so proud of myself. hehe.











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