FitSugar

Cookie Cutter Ornaments - For Any Holiday!

ALSW — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:09:58 -0800

From Sewing.Org

You can make any holiday celebration special by using selected cookie cutters to decorate with. Cookie cutters are non-denominational and come in any size and shape. A fun winter break project to share with your kids. You can decorate with left over bits of ribbon, small buttons, and small pieces of fabric or felt.

Cookie cutters provide a variety of shapes to be used as patterns for holiday ornaments. To make the patterns simply trace around the cookie cutters and add 1/4 inch (6 mm) seam allowances. Stitch the ornaments wrong sides together and leave the seams exposed for a homespun look.

Make the ornaments from cotton or cotton-blend fabrics. Add decorative details to the ornaments with fabric paints in fine-tip tubes. Hand-paint your own designs or follow the imprints of plastic or metal cookie cutters as a guide for painting the details. For best results in painting, prewash the fabrics to remove sizing.

Practice painting on a scrap of fabric before painting on the ornaments to perfect the painting techniques. To keep the paint flow even, tap the tip of the bottle gently on the table to eliminate air bubbles. Wipe the tip of the bottle often while painting, to prevent paint buildup. If the tip becomes clogged, squeeze the tube to force paint through the tip onto a sheet of paper or a paper towel. If necessary, remove the cape and unclog the tip with a toothpick or needle.

Cutting Directions

Make the patterns (see step 1). For each ornament, cut two pieces from fabric, wrong sides together.

You Will Need:

Scraps of cotton fabric in desired colors
Polyester fiberfill.
9 (23 cm) length of ribbon or cording, for hanger.
Fabric paints in fine-tip tubes, for decorating ornaments.

How to Make a Cookie Cutter Ornament

Transfer cookie-cutter design to paper by tracing around cookie cutter with a pencil; add (6 mm) seam allowances.

Cut fabric pieces for ornaments. Fold ribbon in half to make hanger; glue-baste to top of ornament as shown.

Place the fabric pieces wrong sides together; pin. Stitch (6 mm) from raw edges, using short stitch length; leave 1 (2.5 cm) opening for stuffing.

Stuff ornament with polyester fiberfill; use eraser end of a pencil to push stuffing into smaller area.

Stitch opening closed, using a zipper foot. Trim seam allowance to 1/8 (3 mm), taking care not to trim off hanger.

Add painted details to the ornaments as desired, using fabric paints.

Tips for Making Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Mark stitching lines lightly with pencil or chalk when the seam allowances overlap.

Paint details on ornaments using paint tube as a pencil; keep point on fabric while painting to get the finest line.

Trim around the ornament using pinking shears, if desired, for a decorative edge finish.

Thumbprint Cookies Are a Norwegian Tradition

YumSugar — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:00:26 -0800

One of my good friends was recently explaining how much she missed her Norwegian grandmother's Christmas cookies. She recalled them as a simple butter cookie marked by her grandmother's thumbprint and sprinkled in sugar. I took note of all of the details and luckily, I was able to find a recipe that matched her description.

I gathered up all of the ingredients and got to work. These treats turned out to be simple and dense butter cookies, perfect for a quick dip in a cup of coffee. While the thumbprint was not her grandmother's, she was thrilled to receive a plate full of such a familiar cookie. If you want to give these traditional Scandinavian cookies a try for your holiday, keep reading.

Come Party With Me: Cookie Swap - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:50:44 -0800

During December, many people host cookie swaps. Organizing a festive cookie party is a great way to cut back on your holiday baking. Instead of making a million cookies, you and your friends each bake a different cookie. Then you get together and trade cookies; everyone walks away with an assortment of treats. To ensure that you don't end up with 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies, ask your guests what type of cookie they will bring. Throw the party on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in between lunch and dinner.

Don't worry about serving a bunch of appetizers, but do offer a couple of easy nibbles like mixed nuts, cheese, and homemade savory cookies. Thyme, lemon, and sea-salt shortbread is crisp and buttery, while blue cheese pecan crackers are rich and addictive. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see my suggested sweet cookie recipes, but you can learn the techniques for the salty shortbread and cheesy crackers when you keep reading.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 1 - Almond Lace Cookies (Florentines)

CiaoBella — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:13:49 -0800

Almond Lace Cookies
These Tuscan cookies are a Christmas classic. They're nutty, lacy and crisp, as well as deceptively simple to make. Drizzle them with chocolate for a perfect holiday indulgence.

From Food Network Kitchens

1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Topping, optional:
2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping:
Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.

For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

12 Days of Cookies - Day 2 - Moravian Spice Cookie Wafers

CiaoBella — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:18:59 -0800

Moravian Spice Cookie Waffers
From Food Network Kitchens

This cookie comes to us from North Carolina by way of Central Europe; it's a classic, peppery spice cookie brought to the U.S. by Moravians in the 1700s. The key to this cookie is rolling it super-thin to get that characteristic snap; it's a lot easier to roll it that thin between waxed paper. If you don't have the patience, go thicker, for chewy gingerbread-style cookies. Either way, these cookies would be fantastic on your holiday table.

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard together in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until just combined and lightly fluffy. Beat in the molasses and egg yolk. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix together on low speed until dough is just combined and still crumbly, about 3 minutes. Give dough a few turns with a spatula to bring together.

Lay out wax paper on a clean work surface and put about 1/3 of the batter on top. Lightly press down and top with another sheet of wax paper. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently pat into a rectangle. Roll out with a rolling pin until dough is as thin as possible without breaking, no thicker than 1/16 inch thick. This is the key to these cookies: they really can't be too thin. Gently peel back the layer of waxed paper and then replace it loosely.

Transfer rolled batter to a flat baking sheet and freeze until firm and can easily be peeled away from the waxed paper, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cut dough using a small (2- to 3-inch) fluted round cookie cutter and return to the freezer for 15 minutes to set. Transfer frozen cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until crisp and lightly, evenly colored (but not brown), about 10 minutes.

Busy baker's tips: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days. The dough can be frozen, between sheets of waxed paper and well-wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month.

Cook's note: Don't be intimidated by how many cookies this recipe makes. This dough freezes well, and you can roll out far in advance -- so when you need cookies, you can cut and bake as needed, which is a great holiday timesaver.

Coconut Macaroons

Carissaa — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:13:11 -0800

Makes about 4 dozen

These are great for Holiday gifts, as well as for a party or something. This is also one of the most affordable, and easy cookies to make!

Ingredients:
1 lb. Shredded Coconut
1 can Sweetened Condensed milk
2 tsp Vanilla

To Do: Mix well. Drop by the teaspoonful on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Come Party With Me: Cookie Swap - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:30:13 -0800

The cookies are the star of a cookie exchange, so if you're hosting one, be sure to set out plenty of platters. When guests arrive, give them a serving tray and have them arrange their cookies, placing cards with the name of each cookie nearby. Also stock up on takeout containers and cardboard boxes so everyone has a place to put their newfound treats. I recommend selecting a recipe that produces a large batch of popular cookies like these chocolate-espresso snowcaps coated in powdered sugar. Crunchy peanut butter cookies and spicy ginger cookies are a crowd-pleasing classics, while lemony almond coconut macaroons are chewy and delicious. To check out these favorite cookie recipes, read more.

Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
Confectioners' sugar, for coating

Directions

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes 18.

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Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts (optional)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° and position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds.
In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter with the sugar, baking soda and egg. Stir in the peanuts and chocolate chips.
Roll tablespoons of the dough into 24 balls. Set the balls on 2 baking sheets, and using a fork, make a crosshatch pattern on each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes, shifting the baking sheets from front to back and bottom to top, until the cookies are lightly browned and set. Let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

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Ginger Spice Cookies
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger.
Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Makes about 30.

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Lemony Almond Macaroons
From Real Simple

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large egg whites

Directions

Heat oven to 325° F. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, almonds, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Mix in the egg whites.
Drop mounds of the mixture (each equal to 2 tablespoons) onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
Bake, switching the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Makes 24 cookies.

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12 Days of Edible Gifts: Date Balls

YumSugar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:27:00 -0800

Latkes, Russian tea cakes, and plenty of other treats remind me of the holidays - but nothing feels more like Christmas than making my mother's date balls. Every year for as long as I can remember, my mother has given friends, neighbors, and co-workers her date balls. When I was a child and my main role was that of date-ball-roller, I thought the whole process was a big production.

But once I grew up and learned to make them, I realized that these no-bake crispy confections actually aren't that hard to put together - which explains why they became a regular part of our holiday cookie circuit. If you're pressed for time to make an edible gift, or you want to set yourself apart at a cookie exchange, then wow your loved ones with these festive date balls. Get my mother's recipe when you read more.

Come Party With Me: Cookie Swap - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:50:05 -0800

Host the cookie swap in the biggest, most open room of your house. You'll need two tables: one for displaying the cookies and another to act as a packing station. On the large table, place platters, serving trays, and napkins. Don't forget name cards for the cookies, these are essential - you wouldn't want a guest who is allergic to peanuts accidentally nibbling on a peanut butter cookie. Place paper boxes, takeout containers, tissue paper, ribbon, and scissors on the smaller table. Light candles and fill a vase with festive flowers. When guests arrive help them find a place for their cookies, then offer them a drink.

Have you hosted or attended a cookie exchange party? Please share your experience and tips below!

Holiday Gift Ideas: Cookie Convention

crispet1 — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:49:09 -0700

In lieu of traditional gifts this year, maybe youd like to gather the gaggle of girls over to celebrate the holidays. This would work well with coworkers, neighbors, etc as well.

Invite a bunch of baking divas to your house, requesting that each bring 3-4 dozen signature/holiday cookies. During the course of this laid back get-together, everyone will take a turn swapping out their cookies for other baked delectables, probably in groups of six cookies. By the time each guest heads home, they have a variety of fun treats!

Try a few of these tasty cookie recipes:

Coffee Macaroons:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_10742,00...

Chocolate Walnut:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_22523,00...

Molasses Drop:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe1245&catid...

Apple Currant:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe1186&catid...

Send all of your guests off with a cute container for their cookie creations:
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e04522

*If not for the holidays, this would be a fun activity to do at a baby shower.*