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HELPFUL HINTS FOR BAKING:
1.
Lightly flour the rolled out dough before cutting out your cookies, this reduces the number of times the cutter needs to be floured.
2.
Use a toothpick to clean out holes in cutter if they get plugged while cutting out cookies or wash the cutter.
3.
Press dough into cookie cutter to give the dough the deeply embossed look.
4.
Use a spatula to pick up cookie after it has been cut or slide the cookie off edge of table.
5.
To release dough from cutter gentle tap cutter in hand or on cookie sheet.
6. Water can be used to smooth areas in dough that may crack when baking.
7. Refridgerate cookies after the shapes have been cut and do NOT use an airbake cookie sheet when baking.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR DECORATING
Basic decorating tips:
1. If desired, press small pieces of raisins, cloves, snips of string licorice, or other candies for eyes, nose and mouths, ect. Simply, press into cookie dough and bake.
2. Colored Cookie dough may be placed on unbaked cookies as decorations. When the cookie is baked, the decoration will be firmly attached to the cookie. For example: little round balls of colored dough as ornaments on the Christmas tree. Food coloring gels and powders will hold their color better than luquid food coloring. Also when creating colored dough wear rubber gloves, so not to stain your hands.
3. When decorating, lay cookies out in a straight line, work down the line. They go a lot faster.
4. Make your own colored sugar by mixing together granulated sugar and powdered food colors. Powdered food colors are available at your local cake decorating and candy supply store. Colored sugar may also be made with either paste or liquid food colors, however, the sugar will lump-up and become hardened. If you use paste or liquid food color, spread the colored sugar on waxed paper to dry. When colored sugar is dry, crush colored sugar with a rolling pin.
5. Beat together one egg white with 2 teaspoons of water (do not use egg whites though if pregnant women or infants will be eating your cookies, corn syrup mixture should be used instead). Brush onto cookie and while cookie is still wet with egg white mixture, douse with colored sugar. Colored sugar may be added before or after baking the cookie. The colors are more vivid if the colored sugar is added after baking.
6. When decorating, always apply the sugar first. To apply colored sugar to cookies, use 1/4 cup white corn syrup with a few drops of water and add some red food color (egg whites can also be used). Brush the corn syrup mixture on the area where colored sugar is to be applied to cookie with a very "fine" artists paint brush. Immediately after applying mixture, douse with colored sugar, count to five, and shake off excess.
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