Goodies By Anna

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage- This years house stands approximately 18" tall x 15" wide x 15" deep and comes complete with an actual flickering fireplace seen thru the front door (the fireplace is made of gingerbread & royal icing, the logs are cinnamon sticks and the "fire" is a tiny flickering nightlight bulb all designed by my dad!) as well as two lighted Christmas Trees behind each front window. Each tree is made of sugar ice cream cones covered in piped royal icing then decked out with strings of real working lights. This years theme is "Candy Cane" and the sweet treats are used throughout the house from the roof to the pillars to the tiny green, red and white candy canes used to support the royal icing fencing. Tiny gumpaste presents are stacked up at the front door. The giant wreath is made of royal icing and various holly & berry shaped candies and dragees. The red ribbon is made of fondant. 

 

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage- The opaque golden windows are crushed butterscotch candies that have been melted right into the circular opening in the gingerbread. I usually add the crushed candies during the last 5-10 minutes of baking, just enough to melt the candies smoothly and finish baking off the gingerbread. I let each finished gingerbread piece cool under a layer of parchment paper topped with a heavy book. I find that this process helps the pieces become more compact and straight which is much better for building.

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage- The "clear windowpanes" are actually pieces of German gelatin sheets. Each sheet has that pretty diamond effect that mimics old windowpanes perfectly! They are attached to the back of the windows with royal icing.

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage- The windowboxes are made of piped royal icing and piped leaves and tiny red royal icing poinsettia flowers.

Gingerbread House 2019: Candy Cane Cottage

 

And Here Are A Few Photos Of The Construction Process:

This is the paper template of the house that my dad designed using poster board. 

 

Here are a few template pieces laid out on the rolled gingerbread. I try to cut out as pieces onto one slab of rolled gingerbread as possible! The rolling, cutting and baking is a long process and usually will take a full day or two!

 

Here is a selection of some baked pieces waiting to be iced together. I bake the candy windowpanes directly into the piece! To do this I bake the cut out piece and in the last 5-10 minutes of baking, remove piece from oven and fill the window opening with crushed butterscotch candies then bake for the remaining 5-10 minutes. This is usually long enough to melt the candy into a nice smooth opaque surface.

 

This photo shows some of the framing of the house. My dad uses wooden dowels to create support for the larger pieces, like the roof, so they don't break under their weight.

 

 

This was a pretty rainy December here in Northern California and the moisture was causing some of the gingerbread pieces to warp and pull apart. My dad came up with the brilliant idea of using clamps to secure the pieces together until they were completely dried (usually around 48 hours with royal icing). This process really helped keep the pieces secure and in place.

 

Here we are checking the lighting and adding some candy cane details. In a large house its a good idea to check the lighting as you go along, making sure that everything is well illuminated. The lighting is such an import aspect of the house and really gives it warmth and helps it to come alive!

 

Here we have added some dormer window & small roofs,  as well as more decorative details. 

 

Various spice jars help to support the delicate sugar fences as they dry in place. Each fence in piped out with royal icing on a template and when dry, carefully glued with more royal icing to the structure. Tiny green and red candy canes make excellent fence posts when topped with white candy balls. Round peppermint candies support the front porch and also serve as bases for the candy canes. The flower boxes are made of piped royal icing and filled with more royal icing leaves and flowers.

 

2018 Gingerbread Reindeer and Sleigh

Merry Christmas and welcome to the 2018 Gingerbread Reindeer and Sleigh full of goodies! My dad and I decided to switch it up this year and try something a little different than the traditional gingerbread houses that we usually build.  We decided on 3 dimensional reindeer and a sleigh filled with Christmas treats. I found this clever blogger on The Unknown Orchard Blogsite that made this fantastic template for 3 dimensional reindeer! You can read all about it and see her downloadable template here!

Here are some of the pieces of gingerbread cooling and ready to be decorated. Some have an egg wash that i brushed on before baking to give a glossy colored sheen to the gingerbread.

 

The partially assembled sleigh gets candy cane runners attached. I brushed on an egg wash tinted with red food color before baking the sleigh to give it a red glossy finish.

 

Beginning the assembly of the reindeer.

 

My dad creating the "seat" inside the sleigh.

 

Assembly and decorating of the reindeer and sleigh.

 

A snowman and snowflake and candy cane gingerbread cookies to ride in the sleigh. Merry Christmas!

 

Details of sleigh and goodies!

2018 Gingerbread Reindeer and Sleigh

Gingerbread House Village 2017!

Gingerbread House Village 2017

Welcome to the Gingerbread House Village 2017! The village is made up of three houses, the middle house is a row house style and was constructed as three separate houses then moved together to make it look connected. The village was designed by my dad! He made all the templates and engineered the lighting and base for the village. All the houses are made of gingerbread and decorated in royal icing and various candies. The windows are melted butterscotch candies and the trees are rock candy. The fences are made of piped royal icing and the road is made of mini Christmas baking M & M's.

Front view of Gingerbread House Village 2017

 

Gingerbread House Village, design and template created by my dad.

Example of dough with templates ready to be cut and baked.

These are just SOME of the baked pieces waiting to be assembled.

 

Here is my dad fine tuning some pieces for assembly.

Many mini Christmas baking M & M's being glued down with royal icing to create a cobblestone path.

Here is some detail of the path.

Gingerbread House Village 2017! Enjoy!

Lemon Snowball Cookies

These melt-in-your-mouth shortbread style cookies have a nice sweet-tart lemon flavor. The tiny size is perfect for popping right into your mouth for minimal mess! I used a #100 scoop to create even sized balls of dough and baked for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

The recipe says to bake at 350 degrees but I found that 325 degrees helped to keep the dough from spreading and over browning. I also added 1 tsp. lemon extract and 1 Tablespoon True Lemon Powder to the dough for a vibrant lemon flavor. For the powdered sugar coating I reduced the powdered sugar to 1 cup (4 ounces) and added 2-4 Tablespoons of the True Lemon Powder. The addition of the True Lemon Powder in the coating really gives the cookies a little extra lemon flavor.

You can find the entire recipe for Lemon Snowball Cookies here.

Pink Lemonade Bars

It's that time of year again: bumper crop of Meyer Lemons! Came across this recipe for these simple Pink Lemonade Bars and couldn't resist. The bars are made pink by using a puree of raspberries, and the raspberry and lemon flavor go together great!

These bars are simple to whip up with a buttery shortbread base and the silky smooth lemony-raspberry filling on top. Cut them into triangles for a different look (with an 8x8 pan cut 4 across then 8 down. cut the bars across on the diagonal using a sharp knife, sprayed with Pam to avoid sticking. wipe and respray knife with each cut). I followed the recipe but I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the filling and to the crust. I strained the eggs and lemon juice before incorporating into the filling. After the filling was completely mixed together, I strained it one last time to make sure that I had a completely smooth and silky layer.

You can find the ENTIRE RECIPE HERE. Start by lining a 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment or I used non-stick aluminum foil, and spray with Pam. Make sure there is an overhang  of foil or parchment so you can easily lift the bars out. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shortbread Base: In a food processor pulse together the sugar, zest and salt until combined. Add the butter pieces (I kept mine cold in the fridge until just before adding) and pulse until evenly distributed, and I added a tsp of vanilla extract. Add the flour and pulse until a sandy crumbly mixture comes together, don't worry if it doesnt look like "dough". Dump into prepared pan and press into the bottom evenly and firmly using a small measuring cup over a layer of plastic wrap, I didn't bother pressing the dough up the sides of the pan, just the bottom. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm. Let cool on rack while you make the filling. LEAVE THE OVEN ON.

Lemon Raspberry Filling: Puree the raspberries in the food processor until completely smooth. Strain out the seeds and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs (I strained my eggs before using), sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in 3 Tablespoons of raspberry puree. Stir in the flour. At this point I strained the entire mixture to get it as smooth as possible. Pour the mixture into cooling crust and bake until set, around 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 15-20 minutes on rack then cool completely in fridge before cutting. I cut mine into 4 pieces going across then 8 pieces down. Then i cut them on the diagonal into triangles using a sharp knife sprayed with Pam for each cut. This comes out to around 64 triangles.

Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart

This Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart is a close cousin to the Lemon Meringue Pie, the main difference being a crispy crunchy cookie like tart crust instead of a tender, flaky pie crust. The tart crust is much more sturdy and stays crisp, even after sitting in the fridge overnight or for a day or two. Making the tart crust is so incredibly easy: just stir a few ingredients together in a bowl until a dough forms then press the dough into and up the sides of a tart pan, bake until deep golden brown. How easy is that? The filling is my go-to lemon meringue filling because it smooth and silky and tastes fantastic.

It also holds its shape when cutting slices which is a major bonus. I used a more mildly flavored Meyer Lemon for this tart as they are currently in season here in Northern California and a little less tart that a traditional lemon. The Meringue is an Italian meringue that marries well with the filling and doesn't weep as much as other meringues i've tried. Here is how you can make your own:

Start by spraying the bottom of a 9" tart pan with removable bottom with Pam for Baking. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust oven rack to lowest position.

Crust (adapted from America's Test Kitchen):

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons melted butter

In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients until a dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Place pan on a wire rack set into a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes rotating once and continue baking until crust is a deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Lemon Filling by Not So Humble Pie blog:

You can find the entire fantastic recipe for the filling here at Not So Humble Pie blog. I used Meyer Lemons instead of regular lemons.

In a medium heavy bottom sauce pan combine all the ingredients for the filling except the boiling water and whisk until starch has dissolved and the mixture is combined.

Whisk in the boiling water and place the sauce pan over medium high heat until it boils then turn the heat down to medium low and cook for an additional minute stirring gently. At this point I like to immediately pour and press the hot filling thru a sieve into the cooled tart crust. You have to move very quickly before the filling starts to set up. I like the smooth silky texture of the strained filling but you don't have to do this if you don't want to. Set the filled tart aside in the fridge to cool while you make the meringue.

Italian Meringue (adapted from Cook's Illustrated):

1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites (reserved from the filling)
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan and bring to rolling boil over medium high heat. Once syrup is boiling cook for 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat egg whites on medium low speed for 1 minute. Add salt and cream of tartar and gradually increase speed of mixer to medium high for around 2 minutes or soft peak stage. With mixer running slowly pour hot syrup down the side of the mixing bowl into whites. Add vanilla and beat until meringue has cooled and is very thick and shiny 9-12 minutes. You can then mound the meringue over the lemon filling or scoop into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto filling. To brown the meringue I use a culinary torch or you can bake the pie in a 400 degree oven until the meringue turns golden brown. Cool pie before serving.

 

Valentines Day Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentines Day! These giant heart shaped sugar cookies are 5" each! They are decorated with hot pink and white royal icing.

Rum Balls

If you are looking for a nice hostess gift or an tasty addition to your holiday dessert table look no further than these delicious Rum Balls. Unlike most rum ball recipes that use store-bought cookies as a base, this recipe uses a homemade, rich chocolate brownie-like cake for a base. The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate but I used a 60% bittersweet chocolate for a richer, less sweet chocolate flavor. To enhance the chocolate I included a teaspoon of instant espresso to the melted chocolate and to the batter I added a teaspoon of rum extract. Place the finished rum balls in individual mini cupcake papers to package up for gift giving. For best consistency, keep the rum balls chilled before serving. Here is how you can make your own:

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by lining a 12" x 17" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper keeps the cake from sticking to the pan and makes clean up a breeze. Set pan aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a double boiler or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the butter, and chocolate (I used 60% bittersweet chocolate and I added 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor). Set melted chocolate mixture aside. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, (i added a teaspoon of rum extract too), and salt. Stir in slightly cooled chocolate mixture and fold in flour. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with off-set spatula. Bake for around 10 minutes or until top of cake is shiny and a few crumbs come off on a toothpick. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack.

When cake is completely cooled, break into small pieces and put into the bowl of an electric mixer fitter with the paddle attachment. With machine on low speed add the rum and mix until a dough comes together. Shape dough into 1 inch balls using a #100 scoop (you can make larger balls using a #70 scoop).

 

Roll balls in sparkling sugar and transfer to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Chill balls for 2 hours. Serve balls chilled or at room temperature. Store rum balls in an air tight container in refrigerator. If giving as a gift, place individual balls in mini cupcake papers and place in bag or gift box.