What's Cooking

Cookie Press Icing

2 c shortening
2 c powdered sugar
6-8 T milk
1 T vanilla
Food coloring

**For chocolate icing, add 3/4 T cocoa to sugar.**

Beat shortening until very creamy. Add powdered sugar a cupful at a time beating on medium speed. Add milk until icing is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Icing can be divided into portions and coloring added.

Place icing into desired cookie barrel and add desired tip.  Pipe on to cakes/cookies/cupcakes.

 

Brown Butter Frosting

Brown 6 T butter. Remove from heat and strain through a coffee filter. Let cool to room temperature.

Place 1 lb powdered sugar, ¼ c milk and 1 t corn syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk to combine. With mixer on medium, drizzle in butter, waiting until it’s absorbed to add more. Beat in 1 t more of milk if necessary to make it creamier.

Seven Minute Frosting

1-3/4 c sugar
2 T light corn syrup
¼ c water
6 egg whites

Combine 1-1/2 c sguar, corn syrup and water in small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Rub between fingers for graininess. Raise heat and bring to boil. Do not stir anymore. Boil, washing down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, until thermometer registers 230 degrees. Can take anywhere from 4-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites on medium to soft peaks, then add remaining ¼ c sugar.

Remove syrup from heat at 230 degrees and pour in a steady stream down the side of the bowl containing egg whites with mixture on medium-low speed. Beat until cool, about 7 minutes. Should be thick and shiny, use it immediately.

Best Royal Icing Ever

I will never go through another holiday decorating marathon without this stuff. It tastes good, it stiffens up almost instantly, it spreads nicely, it holds vibrant colors. And, it's idiot-proof, as evidenced by the fact that I could both make it, pipe it and use it for flooding. In a word, it is PERFECT.

2 T egg-white powder
1 lb powdered sugar
6 T water, plus a bit more for flooding
1/4 t lemon juice

Mix eggwhite and sugar at low speed. Add water til thickened. Then add lemon juice.  Icing will be perfect for piping. Add as much paste food coloring as desired. Use thicker icing for piping – and pipe outlines first to contain flooding. 

To use for flooding, thin with 1/8 t water at a time until thin enough to pour off a spoon but thick enough to be gooey. Texture should be just a bit thicker than glue.  For piped cookies, frosting will be hard within 2 hours. For flooded, leave out for 4-6. Use pastry brush to apply flooding smoothly. Use remaining thicker icing to add dimenions by piping designs over flooding.

Ice Cream Frosting

12 medium yellow cupcakes
2 pints ice cream
Sprinkles or candy optional

Arrange cupcakes on baking sheet. Place in freezer 15 min. Scoop ice cream into mixer and beat until soft but holding shape. Spoon over cupcakes creating swoops and peaks. Decorate with sprinkles or candy and serve immediately or return to freezer and chill until ice cream is firm, about 30 minutes.

Basic Chocolate Frosting

3/4 c cocoa
4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c butter
1 t vanilla
1/2 c evaporated milk

Whip together. Frosts 1 2-layer cake, including as filling.

Texas Brownies

Brownies
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 c shortening
1 c coffee or water
1/4 c dark unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 c butter
2 T dark cocoa
1/4 c milk
3-1/2 c unsifted powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Combine flour and sugar, set aside.

In heavy saucepan, combine buter, shortening, coffee/water and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling.

Pour boiling mixture over flour/sugar mix. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well, using wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer. Pour into well-buttered 17x11" jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until brownies test done at the center.

While brownies bake, prepare frosting. In a saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and milk. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth.

Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool. Cut into 48 bars.

Sour Cream Walnut Brownies

Brownies
1 package brownie mix
3/4 c sour cream
1 egg
1 t water

Chocolate glaze:
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
2 t shortening

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9x2 pan.

Combine brownie mix, sour cream, egg and water in large bowl. Sir with wooden spoon until well blended. Spread in pan. Sprinkle walnuts if they are in brownie mix. Bake for 25-28 min.

For chocolate glaze, melt chips and shortening by placing both in a plastic ziploc, then placing ziploc in a bowl of hot water for several minutes. Dry bag with paper towel. Knead until blended and chocolate is smooth. Snip a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over brownies. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Ganache Brownies

Brownies
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c + 2 T butter
3/4 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 eggs
1 c sugar
2 T vanilla

Line a 9x9-1/2 pan with wax paper. Melt chocolate, cool five minutes. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream eggs, sugar andvanilla. Add chocolate in 3 increments. Add dry ingredients. Spread into lined pan, bake 35 minutes at 350. Cool to room temperature, then invert out of pan. Frost with ganache as prepared below.

Ganache
6-1/2 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 c cream
Boil cream,pour over chocolate, stir, cool 20 minutes and frost brownies. Refrigerate.