By Roxanne Roberts
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
It's Christmas cookie time, when millions of home bakers pull out the mixer, cookie cutters and decorating supplies for the annual extravaganza of edible good cheer. If you're a sane individual who sprinkles colored sugar on your cookies and calls it a day, you can stop reading right now.
If, on the other hand, you are a crazy person who decides that elaborately decorated cookies are an essential part of the holiday experience -- the kind of baker who stays up until 3 a.m., tweezers in hand, placing gold dragees on a gingerbread reindeer -- honey, come sit next to me.
I realize I could make hundreds of gorgeous, sophisticated cookies in the time it takes to create a handful of decorated cutouts. But one big, beautiful cookie on the top of stocking is worth two dozen rum balls in my book. I've picked up a few tricks along the way, and share in the spirit of the season. Merry Craziness to you.
COOKIE DOUGH
My Holy Grail is the perfect cutout cookie dough: one that tastes wonderful but retains its shape after you spend all that time rolling and cutting. The perfect decorated cookie looks too pretty to eat -- and tastes as good as it looks.
I prefer a gingerbread recipe at Christmas because the spices in the cookie are a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the icing, but a butter cookie works, too. The secret is to not use too much leavening (baking soda or powder), or else all those lovely shapes will puff up into an unrecognizable blob. I once spent two hours painstakingly cutting tiny designs into snowflakes, only to see the cookie expand into a weird, unattractive circle. I said bad words and scared the cats.
ROLLING, CUTTING, BAKING
Every expert baker recommends chilling dough overnight to let the moisture be absorbed and make it easier to handle. I divide the dough into four parts, flatten them like pancakes, wrap in plastic and plop into the fridge for a night or two.
When I'm ready to cut the cookies, I grab one of the pieces of dough, lightly dust it with flour, then roll it out between two pieces of wax paper. You can roll thick or thin, depending whether you like your gingerbread chewy or crisp. Peel off the top layer of wax paper, dip the cutter in flour, and cut designs into the dough. Slap the wax paper back on, slide the whole thing onto a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
The trick is then to transfer the cutouts intact onto a baking sheet. You have to work fast -- if the dough gets too soft, put it back in the freezer. I take the dough out of the freezer and pop the cookies out onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or Silpat. I re-roll scraps once, and after the cookies are baked, I let them cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. This technique works especially well for big cookies with delicate designs, such as reindeer legs, and prevents most breakage.
ROYAL ICING
Royal icing is your best decorating friend. It dries to a perfect finish, and it lasts for decades. I always sift the confectioners' sugar to minimize those tiny pieces of sugar that clog icing tips. I use meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites because it's easier to store, and I add a bit of orange extract to cut the sweetness. After the icing is whipped into stiff peaks, I cover it with plastic wrap to prevent the surface from drying.
To color, transfer stiff icing into smaller bowls and add gel or paste coloring to get vivid hues. Some red and black colors can leave a bitter taste, so use sparingly.
To cover a cookie in icing, most decorating books tell you to pipe a thin outline and then "flood" the surface with thinned icing. I prefer to paint the cookie -- literally. I carefully add drops of water to colored icing until it's the consistency of white glue. When you paint the icing over the surface of the cookie, it should spread nicely but not leave brush marks or run over the edges. Let the icing dry completely (a couple of hours or overnight) to create a smooth base coat.
Decide which cookies get which colors and create your Christmas assembly line. Think color-by-numbers, but better tasting.
DETAILS, DETAILS
Now, the fun part. Mix some stiff icing into the colored icing so it's thicker than glue but not as thick as frosting. I use clear, disposable icing bags. Snip off the top of a bag, add a coupler and tip, fill it halfway with the icing, twist and pipe a few lines in the sink. If the icing is too thick, the lines will break; too thin, and it will run amok. Just right is a smooth line. It takes years of practice, so don't feel bad if it's wobbly. The smaller the decorating tip, the finer the line. I mostly use sizes1 and 2.
Piping gives nice raised surfaces and details, but I use small artist's brushes to paint on eyes, a snowman's coal buttons and other touches. This is also an easier way to write names and numbers. I've been doing this for 25 years, and I still can't pipe a decent "Noel," but I can paint it.
To add sparkle, sprinkle colored sugar on the wet piped lines or any painted surface on the cookie. The sugar will stick to the wet parts, which allows for interesting patterns on ornament cookies. There's also edible glitter, which makes snowflake cookies twinkle like real snowflakes. To add gold or silver balls (dragees) or other candies, I pipe a tiny dot of icing then place the dragee on with tweezers. It's nuts, I know, but it gets them where I want them. You can also use luster dust, a dry powder that adds a beautiful sheen.
Last, but never least -- real gold. Gold powder is edible and transforms even a humble mess into a mini-masterpiece. Decide where gold should be placed on the cookie -- it's most effective when used sparingly -- and pipe or paint white icing there. Let it dry completely. Scoop a tiny bit of gold powder onto a small plate and add a few drops of vodka or clear extract, such as orange or lemon, and stir. The gold will become paint, and it can be brushed on the cookie.
After the cookies have dried completely, package them in clear cellophane bags, and they'll last until someone finally breaks down and eats them. No starving artists here.
Gingerbread Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen small cookies
or 20 large ones
I favor gingerbread for my cookie canvas, but shortbread or butter cookies also work well. If you go with one of those, just make sure your recipe doesn't have a lot of baking soda or baking powder, which would cause the cookies to lose their shape. This recipe was handed down by my mother, and I've tweaked it over the years. For instance, now that Crisco makes butter-flavored shortening, I use that.
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup butter-flavored vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses
2 eggs
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves and cinnamon until well mixed. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer on low speed, blend the shortening and sugar. Add the molasses and eggs, then gradually stir in the flour mixture until combined. The dough will be sticky. Divide into quarters, shape into flattened disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Position an oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
Lightly dust each disk with flour and place it between sheets of wax paper. Roll it 1/4 -inch thick for chewy cookies or 1/8 -inch thick for crisp cookies. Lift off and reserve the top layer of wax paper. Dip cookie cutters in flour and cut designs in the dough, leaving excess dough in place. Put wax paper back on top, slide a baking sheet under the lower sheet of wax paper and transfer the dough and baking sheet to the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is firm but not frozen.
Transfer 1 sheet of dough, with the cold baking sheet still under it, to a work surface. Remove the top sheet of wax paper, lift up the dough and push the cutout cookies from behind to free them. Quickly place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake small cookies for about 6 minutes, medium for 8 and large for 10 to 12, or until edges are light brown (baking time will vary, depending on thickness of dough). Let sit for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. If not iced immediately, they may be stored for 4 weeks in airtight containers at room temperature or wrapped in plastic and frozen.
Royal Icing
Makes enough to cover and decorate
5 dozen small cookies
Icing is best used fresh, but it can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to a week. If the icing separates, beat it lightly.
1 pound confectioners' sugar (about 4 cups), sifted
1/4 cup meringue powder
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract
Gel or paste food coloring*
Using a stand mixer on high speed, beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, water and orange extract for about 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Unless using immediately, place plastic wrap directly on the icing. To create different colors, transfer some icing to small bowls and add gel or paste food coloring. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for 4 weeks.
*NOTE: Gel or paste food coloring is available at craft stores or baking supply stores.
Per serving: 108 calories, 1 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 1 g saturated fat, 77 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber
Recipes tested by Roxanne Roberts; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com
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