Any Home Bakers Here?

[3goodeggs]

I agree, diets really stink. I have tried many different ones, and I can never stay with them because I have no will power to deny myself what I crave.
We eat cookies on Weight Watchers all the time. I have calculated the points for all my recipes and we work them into the diet as needed. It makes it easier to stay with the plan if we don't have to deny ourselves the good stuff all the time. 3 of my Ginger Cookies are 4 points ... of course my cookies are only about 1" in diameter.
It makes it more of a lifestyle than a diet that way, and I hope to be able to maintain my weight loss once I reach goal. Hopefully the portion control will be second nature by then.

I don't bother with small cookies.
I mean when i eat two gigantic cookies- it still feels less evil than eating three dozen tiny cookies.

So, enough BYC and off to the elliptical.
If I have no will power, I have to exercise. It's the only time I am not eating.

 

[sunflour]

@3goodeggs

I have only made royal icing for ginger bread houses, it dries really hard - even if you make it thinner - that's why it's great for cementing the houses together. Haven't eaten any, but it does smell good and lasts a really long time…..not an issue for cookies..

Same reason I really don't want to use fondant (spelling?) shaped icing, not really great taste.

But seems that a softer icing may be more tasty, altho messy. And when blowing a diet…go all the way.

I did find a couple of recipes using corn syrup for a thicker icing not as hard as royal. May try one of those. But I hate the idea of GMO corn sweeteners.

 

[sunflour]

Found this recipe:

A cross between royal icing and buttercream frosting for cookies. Has enough form to detail but stays softer in center with good flavor. Only negative listed on the site was it does bleed a little more than RI so if thin for glaze, let it really dry before adding details.
Meringue Powder Buttercream

• 1/3 cup water
• 3 T. meringue powder
• ½ cup shortening
• 4 ½ cups powdered sugar (1 lb. 3 oz. If you have a scale)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing)
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Place half of the powdered sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together well. Turn on mixer (use whip attachment) and, while motor is running, slowly stream in the water. Mix until everything is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings and mix well. Change to paddle attachment (for stand mixer) or dough hook (for Bosch). If using a hand mixer, use the same beaters you were using before. Add remaining powdered sugar and shortening and whip for 2-3 minutes more.

Note: Don't skimp on the whipping time after adding the shortening. You really need to whip it well to prevent separation later.


And no corn syrup needed!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Found this recipe:

A cross between royal icing and buttercream frosting for cookies. Has enough form to detail but stays softer in center with good flavor. Only negative listed on the site was it does bleed a little more than RI so if thin for glaze, let it really dry before adding details.
Meringue Powder Buttercream

• 1/3 cup water
• 3 T. meringue powder
• ½ cup shortening
• 4 ½ cups powdered sugar (1 lb. 3 oz. If you have a scale)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing)
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Place half of the powdered sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together well. Turn on mixer (use whip attachment) and, while motor is running, slowly stream in the water. Mix until everything is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings and mix well. Change to paddle attachment (for stand mixer) or dough hook (for Bosch). If using a hand mixer, use the same beaters you were using before. Add remaining powdered sugar and shortening and whip for 2-3 minutes more.

Note: Don't skimp on the whipping time after adding the shortening. You really need to whip it well to prevent separation later.


And no corn syrup needed!!

I've used this recipe for things and, yes, it does have a tendency to bleed a bit, but it is SO nice to work with and I love the flavor.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

@3goodeggs



Same reason I really don't want to use fondant (spelling?) shaped icing, not really great taste.

SO not a fan of fondant -- yes, it's makes for some great decorating, and can be fun to work with, but BLECH!!!!!!!

 

[sunflour]

Baked my cookies…..know I better not give up my day job… Most looked more like buzzards than baby chicks…

And of course had to eat all those ugly ones.

Not quite what I had in mind. Tried several things that sounded good on paper…But they do taste quite good...



Don't know if I'll bother to ice these - yup, that's all that's left. but DH did help with eating the rest.

Haven't cooked cookies in a while. Chilled dough was easy to roll, but warmed up too quickly. The larger egg with chick imprint was cut from softer, warmer dough, smaller one was when it was still cool.

Anyone give cookie lessons?

 

[N F C]

You all talking about icing and fondant reminded me of the glaze I used on the gingerbread cookies in December. It was pretty easy to make, it's soft when you put it on but it dries to a sort of hard shiny coating. It does use some corn syrup but just a tiny bit. The glaze tasted good on the cookies too! (Of course my gingerbread folks were not pretty but I'm no decorator, lol).

Here's a link to the glaze recipe I used:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/simple-cookie-glaze-recipe

 

[N F C]

Isn't this a cute idea? With one cookie cutter you could have rabbits, chicks,
multi-colored eggs, and tulips.
and some of the rabbits could be brown.


diets stink.

Those are some seriously cute cookies! Nice how they used 1 cutter to make different animals.

 

[N F C]

Found this recipe:

A cross between royal icing and buttercream frosting for cookies. Has enough form to detail but stays softer in center with good flavor. Only negative listed on the site was it does bleed a little more than RI so if thin for glaze, let it really dry before adding details.
Meringue Powder Buttercream

• 1/3 cup water
• 3 T. meringue powder
• ½ cup shortening
• 4 ½ cups powdered sugar (1 lb. 3 oz. If you have a scale)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing)
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Place half of the powdered sugar and the meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together well. Turn on mixer (use whip attachment) and, while motor is running, slowly stream in the water. Mix until everything is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings and mix well. Change to paddle attachment (for stand mixer) or dough hook (for Bosch). If using a hand mixer, use the same beaters you were using before. Add remaining powdered sugar and shortening and whip for 2-3 minutes more.

Note: Don't skimp on the whipping time after adding the shortening. You really need to whip it well to prevent separation later.


And no corn syrup needed!!

Where do you get meringue powder...do most grocery stores carry it?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Baked my cookies…..know I better not give up my day job… Most looked more like buzzards than baby chicks…

And of course had to eat all those ugly ones.

Not quite what I had in mind. Tried several things that sounded good on paper…But they do taste quite good...



Don't know if I'll bother to ice these - yup, that's all that's left. but DH did help with eating the rest.

Haven't cooked cookies in a while. Chilled dough was easy to roll, but warmed up too quickly. The larger egg with chick imprint was cut from softer, warmer dough, smaller one was when it was still cool.

Anyone give cookie lessons?

I think their cute.