Cathedral Cookies

It's about time I blow the dust off the old computer and rejoin the blogging world! Thank you for your patience as I entered the oh-so-scary mommy world. What a crazy 4 months it has been. Lots of ups-and-downs...but mostly ups! Nolan is an awesome kiddo and I've loved watching him grow up so incredibly fast. Ironically, now that I've finally gotten ahold of this parenting thing, I find myself back at work during the week. Just when I think "Ok, I CAN do this..." I have to schlep back in to an office and leave him at home to entertain the nanny. Although Im sad to leave him, the good news is that I love my job. In fact, I'm happy to be back designing and I'm even happier to pick my #1 hobby (baking and eating raw cookie dough) back up! Pretty soon Nolan will be my in-house taste tester and critic. Until then, I'll continue to let my 2 dogs assist me. They LOVE everything I make, so I may keep them around to boost my ego. 

These Cathedral Cookies came about as I spent many days and nights staring out of my apartment windows. The sunsets are spectacular and the way the light enters my apartment at dusk is a real treat. I remembered making stained glass cookies as a child and holding them up to the window to let the light shine through. They look complicated but really are one of the simplest to make on the cookie spectrum. Of course, I couldn't just make a standard stained glass cookie. These cathedral cookies may look fancy, but they're just as easy to make as the ones from my youth. The addition of multicolored candy and royal icing mimics a cathedral stained glass window. I used a chocolate cut-out cookie but you can use any flavor of cookie dough–plain vanilla, gingerbread (great for the Holidays!), lemon or, my personal favorite, honey-cardamom. 

Chocolate Window Cookies
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces dark chocolate (can be semi-sweet), chopped or chips
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
14oz. large bag of assorted Jolly Rancher candies

DIRECTIONS
1. Place chocolate in a bowl and microwave on 20-second increments, stirring after each increment. Be careful not to overheat and burn the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a medium sized bowl, sift or whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the chocolate, then add the flour mix in 2 batches. Mix until the dough is just incorporated, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Turn the dough out in 2 batches onto large sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Wrap tightly and press into flattened disks, then refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight). While the dough chills, unwrap the Jolly Rancher candies and place in plastic bags or dish towels according to color. Smash with a hammer until you have small pieces.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking liner. Take one disk out of the fridge and roll out onto a floured work surface. Use the window template (Download the template here) and a sharp knife to cut cathedral window frames out of the dough. Collect scraps and re-roll until you have enough window frames to fill up a baking sheet. If dough gets too soft, place in fridge to firm up. Once the baking sheet is full, place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.

7. Drop a heaping teaspoon of the crushed candies into the window frames. Get creative with color, but remember not to overfill or the candy will overflow when it melts. Bake on middle rack for 7-9 minutes, or until all the candy is melted and dough is slightly firm to the touch. Make the royal icing while the cookies cool.

Royal Icing

3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons water
Black gel food coloring

Beat ingredients together until icing is shiny and soft peaks form. Add black food coloring until icing is the desired shade of grey. Spoon into a piping bag or ziplock bag with the tip snipped off.

On a clean work surface pipe out stained glass details onto the cookies. I found inspiration and designs by looking up "stained glass windows" images on the internet. Let icing dry completely and store in an airtight container.

Confetti Cookies

Whether it's a birthday, holiday or just a cocktail party with friends, every real shindig needs confetti. By now, you probably realize where I'm going with this–Yes, I made edible confetti! Swap the boring old paper confetti for these cookies and you're sure to find a reason to celebrate. Just watch out, they're very easy to eat by the handful! You can use any sugar cookie recipe, but I recommend trying out the lime cookie recipe below. Lime juice adds an unexpected tartness and brightens each little cookie. The only question now is, what should we celebrate today?

Lime Confetti Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
food coloring

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until incorporated. Add lime juice and zest, then add the flour mixture. Beat until dough comes together, then divide into 6 equal balls.

2. Place one ball aside (it will stay that color), then toss another ball back into the mixer (You do not need to clean out the mixing bowl). Add one color and mix on low until the dough is the desired hue. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside. Repeat the coloring process with another dough ball and food coloring, until all of the dough has been colored and wrapped. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour your work surface and remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap one of the colors and roll out to about 1/8" thick, then use the small cookie cutters to create very small cookies. Fill up both cookie sheets, then bake for 6 minutes (or until edges darken just slightly.) Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

With a dab of milk and some sprinkles, this "white" confetti gets an upgrade

Rothko Cookies

"What is art? Are we are? Is Art, Art?"
-Lisa Turtle, Saved by the Bell

Back when I was in art school, art history classes gave me a strong appreciation for the American painter Mark Rothko. Even if you aren't artsy-fartsy, you'll probably recognize the unmistakable rectangular blocks of color and light. In fact, I often see prints of his work hanging in the homes and offices of people who aren't even abstract art lovers. There's just no denying Rothko's work is expressive and beautiful. Today's post is a throwback to my art school days. I'm pretty sure I was dreaming of cookies as I nodded off in those art history classes. Now, I'm sure Rothko would be livid with my lighthearted cookies, but my teachers would be proud..."see how the buttercream colors blend so wonderfully!" Perhaps I could even teach my own art history cookie class?

For these cookies, I made a simple chocolate cut-out cookie, but you could make any cut-out cookie for the base. Then I covered the cookie with a thin layer of white fondant and, voilà!, you've got a blank canvas. Make a simple buttercream to tint with gel food coloring, and you're only a few brushstrokes away from a Rothko cookie. 

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

makes 20 cookies

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt chocolate in the microwave and let cool slightly. Beat butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add in melted chocolate and mix well. 

2. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets. Heavily flour your work surface and roll dough out to 1/8" thickness. Use a ruler and sharp knife to cut 3x4" rectangles of dough. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown. Cool completely. 

Simple Buttercream 
(courtesy of Domino Sugar)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. box Confectioners Sugar

1/2 cup - butter (1 stick), softened

3 to 4 tablespoons - milk

1 teaspoon - vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl with electric mixer at low speed, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency.

2. Tint frosting to desired colors with gel food coloring. 

Roll the fondant out to about 1/16". Place the cookie on top of the fondant and use a sharp knife to cut a rectangle the same size as the cookie. Then trim the edges of the fondant rectangle so it sits just slightly smaller than the cookie.

Spread a teaspoon of white buttercream on the cookie (keeping a quarter inch border around the edges) so the fondant will stay put.

I literally had my computer propped up next to my workspace so I could compare colors as I mixed them. I found plenty of great Rothko works here. Keep in mind that as the buttercream sits, the color gets more intense. Use a clean paintbrush to paint the buttercream right onto the fondant. Now, that's some tasty paint!