Creamsicle Cookies

As a child, my favorite treat in the world was a creamsicle.....orange sherbert wrapped around vanilla ice cream.  The thought of it still makes me giddy with delight. Unfortunately, I have not been able to eat ice cream for years, so I have to find alternative ways to enjoy my favorite flavor of summer.

3 variations on a theme:

#1 - Use my shortbread cookie recipe and bake it with only vanilla as the flavoring.  But instead of pure vanilla extract, I used vanilla bean paste.  Then, I used orange juice in the royal icing recipe along with a touch of orange food coloring to give it that "sunshine" look.  For serving the cookies the same day, I took a slice of mandarine orange and placed it in the royal icing as a juicy surprise.

#2 - Dice up candied orange rind and incorporate that into the cookie dough along with a few drops of orange extract and then make a vanilla royal icing with a piece of orange rind in the center for decoration.

#3 - Use the vanilla shortbread cookie base with candied orange rind and use a little orange food coloring in the dough to give it an more orange appearance, form it into 1 inch balls and bake.  Decorate with white royal icing and a green fondant or marzipan leaf.

These cookies are just too cute and work amazingly well for a ladies afternoon tea or a summer party.

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you,
Enjoy!!!
S.

365 in 365 - # 128 - Maple Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

De-Vine frosting for any pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, cupcake or cookie.  Or you can do what one of my staff members did today......she took 1/2 slice of pumpkin bread and about 1/2 cup of the frosting and sat quietly in her corner gorging on the dessert with her eyes glossed over and transported to another dimension.

For the frosting, you will need:

2 packages Cream Cheese, at room temperature.

1/2 cup real maple syrup, plus a little more...just in case

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Using a hand held mixer, blend until smooth and creamy.

Just lovely......

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you,

Enjoy!!!

S.

365 in 365 - #124 - Maple Whipped Cream

I made a version of pumpkin pie for the holiday that was simply fabulous, and I promise I will post it.  But, the whipped cream was a spur of the moment lightening strike.

I wanted to change the flavor profile of the pie to truly give it a New England feel, but didn't want to put the maple syrup in the pie filling until I have a chance to really play with the recipe.  So, I was whipping the cream and getting ready to put in the powdered sugar when "light dawned on Marblehead".....to use the maple syrup instead.  So I did and a whipped cream legend was born.

I used:
2 cups of ice cold heavy cream, beat until thick and it begins to hold it's shape, then add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, the real stuff and beat to incorporate and then begin to slowly drizzle in about 1/3 cup of maple syrup.  Taste to see if it has the amount of maple flavor that you like.

Dollop on anything that you think appropriate....pie, cake, trifle, use in a mousse or eat it right out of the bowl that it was whipped in.

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you!!!
Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #98 - Real French Toast

Get ready....I'm about to blast all of those pieces of egg "dipped" bread out of the pan......

I am always surprised at what I see being labeled French toast.  Most of the time, the bread has barely had the briefest of introductions to the egg and then it is slapped in a pan to fry.  What comes out is simply a piece of bread with fried egg on it....BLECK!!!!!!

This version is not for the calorie conscious.  This is a "special occasion" version of the recipe.  Tomorrow, I will follow with the "heart healthy" version.  So please let your arteries rest easy tonite, salvation is on the way.

For the French toast that I am about to show you, you will need:
1 dozen eggs, beaten very will with 1/3 cup of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
1/2 cup of real maple syrup
Optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
6 - 8 slices of home-made bread, cut at least 1/2 inch thick, preferably cut 3/4 of an inch thick

A well seasoned cast iron skillet with cover, heated on low to medium low heat.
Plenty of butter
Real maple syrup for pouring over the French toast
Or...you can use my recipe for Strawberry Jam with Dark Chocolate balsamic vinegar......complete YUMNESS!!!!!!

Soak each piece of bread in the egg batter.  You may need to squish it down with a fork until it is well soaked with the egg batter.  You also might need a spatula to pick it up and place it in the hot pan.  Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and let it melt, but don't let it get browned.  Place 2 slices of the soaked bred into the pan and place the cover on the pan.

Let this cook for at least 10 minutes then check to see if it is browned on one side by gently lifting up a corner.  It might take an additional 5 to 10 minutes.  The trick here is to be patient.  Once the first side is browned, add a little more butter if needed and flip the toast over and place the cover back on the pan.  Let it cook an additional 10 minutes and check to see if  the second side is browned.  When the toast is done, it should be nice and puffy in the center of each piece.  When this comes out of the pan, it will deflate, so don't be surprised if it does.  Repeat the process until all the egg batter is gone.

This is a great make-ahead breakfast.  The toast freezes very well if wrapped tightly.  If you choose to reheat this in a microwave, reheat the toast by covering it with a damp paper towel on the defrost setting. This will keep the toast from becoming rubbery and tough.  I reheat this in a 325' (F) oven, wrapped in tin foil for about 15 minutes and then unwrap it and heat for an addition 5 minutes, just to crisp it up.

Tomorrow...the heart healthy version.

From my purple kitchen to you.

Have a great evening!!!
S.

365 in 365 - Royal Icing Recipe

I wanted y'all to know that I have updated the royal icing recipe for the cookies and it seems to be working very well.  One of the issues that I was having was with the flavor of this concoction and the original amount that recipe made.  First, there was no flavor except for sweet and secondly, there was tons of it left over and no cookies to dress, unless I wanted to make a triple batch of cookies.  So, here is the recipe with all the updates:

Royal Icing - These flavor and the amounts have been adjusted for the shortbread cookie recipe so that not very much is left over

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1 - 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar, add 1/8 cup of the water and vanilla mixture to start with and beat on medium with a hand held mixer until mixed and thickened and a bit fluffy.  You may or may not need a little bit more of the vanilla water that remains. 

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie and let the icing dry.  This icing will dry to a firm consistency, but will not be so hard that it will crack or crumble.  You can use a bit more if you like.  Also, using a pastry bag with a very small tip works well too.

I will be working on various flavors of this icing and once I get those nailed down, I will share these as well.

365 in 365 - #75 - Basil & Ginger Shortbread Cookies

This idea for a cookie came to me by way of a co-worker.  He had been talking about a gelato that he had at a restaurant somewhere and mentioned that the flavor was basil & ginger.  I thought that was very interesting, so on my way home, I stopped at the store and bought some fresh basil and some crystalized ginger.   I decided to go with the crystalized ginger because of the sweet heat that it provides and because of the texture......sort of like a raisin, but with an attitude.   Now, don't get me wrong, raisins have their place....in oatmeal cookies, in trail mix, etc., but not necessarily in my mouth.   They are not my favorite dried fruit.

When I got home, I took a small leaf of basil, wrapped it around a little piece of ginger and popped it in my mouth.  Can you hear the choirs of angels singing??  Well, I sure did.  The flavor was incredible.  That sweet, almost licorice note from the basil with the mild, sweet heat from the crystalized ginger made me sit up and sing.

So, I made the basic shortbread cookie dough, and kept the vanilla in the mix, but added 2 teaspoons of dried basil and 1/2 cup of minced crystalized ginger.  Baked them and before the cookies could cool off and have the royal icing applied to them, my husband at 7 of them, right off the cookie sheet.  He unhinged his jaw and they were G-O-N-E, gone!!!!

Now, the next time I make these, I will use fresh basil to see what happens with the favor and will let y'all know how that turns out.

But in the mean time.....these are pretty darn great.  Taste testers loved them.  One person was not that fussy about them, but she is not crazy about ginger.  Most importantly, I have several other flavor combinations up my sleeve for this simple cookie dough and as I work through the recipes and the amounts of ingredients, I will post them for you.

In the mean time, please try this flavor combination......they are phenomenal.  Here is the entire recipe for you:

This recipe makes 30 cookies

For the cookies

1 cup of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1/2 cup of minced crystalized ginger

Beat until completely mixed

Then, add 2 1/4 cups flour, a pinch of salt and beat until mixed

Preheat oven to 400' F.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into discs, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick

Place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown

I frosted my cookies with royal icing, but you can frost them with any plain icing that you like.

Royal Icing - These amounts have been adjusted for the recipe so that not very much is left over

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1 - 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix the meringue powder into the powdered sugar, add 1/8 of the water and vanilla mixture to start with and beat on medium with a hand held mixer until mixed and thickened a bit fluffy.  You may or may not need a little bit more of the vanilla water that remains. 

Spread about 1 teaspoon of icing on each cookie and let the icing dry.  This icing will dry to a firm consistency, but will not be so hard that it will crack or crumble.  You can use a bit more if you like.  Also, using a pastry bag with a very small tip works well too.

From my purple kitchen to you!!!

S.