Goodies By Anna

Flourless Fudge Cookies

 

 

These Flourless Fudge Cookies are a totally different take on a traditional cookie because they contain no butter and no flour. The only fat in the cookies comes from the dutch cocoa powder!

 

 

 

The texture is a cross between a brownie and a meringue cookie, kind of airy-chewy and moist. The flavor is ultra rich and dark chocolately, the perfect foil for a hot cup of espresso.

 

 

I switched these up a bit by using a muffin top pan to give me uniformly sized cookies. These cookies are perfect for your favorite chocoholic and super easy to make. Because these cookies have no flour they are gluten free. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin top pan liberally with Pam and set aside.

 

In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, sifted dutch cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt. Stir in the egg whites (90 grams) and vanilla extract. Scrape bottom of bowl and stir until completely smooth.

 

Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop batter into muffin top pan and bake for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool for a few minutes before turning out and cooling completely on a wire rack.

 

Monogram Sugar Cookies With A Cause

 

I received a request for some monogramed sugar cookies from a local womens group called PEO. The initals PEO stand for Philanthropic Education Organization and they help women by sponsoring educational grants, loans and scholarships. These ladies are truly dedicated to the furtherment of womens education and provide a positive impact in their lives. I was more than happy to create these fun sugar cookies in the shape of their logo!

Each momonogramed star is approximately 3" and covered in bright yellow royal icing surrounded by a white royal icing outline decorated with clear sanding sugar. The monogram is piped with more white royal icing. Here is how I made them:

After baking my sugar cookie stars (I love this recipe) and letting them cool completely. I outlined and flooded each star with a flood consistancy yellow royal icing using a #3 piping tip. I use a metal scribe tool or toothpick to help move the icing around the cookie and pop any bubbles. I like to place my freshly iced cookies on a table with a fan blowing over them to help set the icing up quickly.

Once the base icing is dried I piped a white outline using a #3 piping tip around the perimeter of the star and quickly sprinkled clear sanding sugar on top.

When the outline has set up a bit, I piped the monogram in the center of each star. I let the cookies dry overnight before packing them up.

Peppermint Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

These cute and festive Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are a great addition to your holiday gift giving and they are super easy to make! The pretty red and white swirl with candy sprinkles all around screams "Holidays Are Here!" Adults and kids alike will enjoy these little gems. They look great on a buffett or bagged up in as a thoughtful gift. And the best part: you can make these in a snap! No cookies cutters needed. Here is how you can make your own.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat and set aside. Start with a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough. I used this recipe.

 

 

Make your dough and divide it in half. Keep one half white and color one half bright red, adding 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Roll out each color of dough into a rectangle around 11 x 8 1/2" each. Stack rolled rectangles on top of each other and roll up tightly into a log.

 

 

Cut the log in half and roll each half in colored sprinkles (pour the sprinkles into a baking dish for rolling ease and cleanup). Wrap each sprinkle covered log in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until completely chilled and firm. I like to cut a paper towel roll in half length wise and place the logs inside, then chill.

 

 

The paper towel roll helps the dough to stay nice and round while chilling. When the dough is chilled, remove plastic wrap and cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices.

 

 

Place slices on prepared baking sheet and bake until the tops are no longer shiny and bottoms on the vanilla dough are slightly golden, around 12-16 minutes or up to 20 minutes depending on how thick you cut the cookie slices. Cool on wire rack and store in air tight container.

 

Gingerbread House 2014: Video of House

 

Gingerbread House 2014

 

This years gingerbread house is a multi-level confection that took forever to make! All the little pieces had to be cut out and baked and iced together.... yikes! However, I think the little details are what make this gingerbread house special.

 

 

From the royal icing cupolas and railings to the tiny planter boxes and patio furniture, your eye is drawn right in to the house. We made one room see thru and inside you see a lit Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. The Christmas tree is made from an upside-down ice cream cone that I covered in green royal icing "pine needles".

 

 

Tiny shiny dragrees are iced onto the tree for ornaments and the tree lights are miniature battery operated lights that my dad found at Michael's. I wound them around the finished tree and voila, a lighted Christmas tree.

 

Details of front porch.

The clear windows are sheets of gelatin affixed to the back of the gingerbread windows with brown royal icing. The wreaths are made with royal icing and little Wilton Holly Mix Sprinkles. The planters are made from gingerbread and the decorations are various red, white and green candies all glued together with isomalt nibs.

 

Lighted Christmas tree made from ice cream cone and royal icing. The tiny lights blink on and off!

And speaking of isomalt, we used it, along with royal icing, to glue together most of the house. Isomalt is a sucrose derivative this is more stable than sugar but completely edible (lolly pops are made with isomalt). When heated it becomes liquid and can be used to instantly "glue" gingerbread and candies together into a rock hard bond.

 

Balcony with patio furniture. Tiny cookies are on the table!

Here are a few pics of the making of some of the house features. Lots of candies and gingerbread pieces make for some fun "accessories"!

 

Candy wreaths for the windows.

 

Planter box pieces made from gingerbread with piped gingerbread details.

 

Planter boxes made with various sprinkles.

 

Little benches made from sprinkles and gingerbread.

This gingerbread house stands 19 1/2" tall x 15" wide. Thanks for checking out my gingerbread house and happy holidays to you all!

Building Gingerbread Houses: Tips & Tricks

Gingerbread House 2013

This is a terrific time to start planning your gingerbread house whether you're going for an intricate multi-level structure or a simple candy covered wonderland. I've made a list of some tips and tricks that I use and thought you might find helpful in your own gingerbread house building adventure. Above I have some examples of past houses i've made to give you some inspiration. Another great source for ideas is Pinterest: type in "gingerbread house" and be prepared to be dazzled by all the fantastic houses from the simple to unbelieveable! I also recommend this terrific book by author Teresa Laymon called Gingerbread For All Seasons. This book is a great source of ideas and how to''s to guide you thru the process.

Labled Template Pieces Ready To Cut.

• Once you decide on a design you will need to make a template of each piece of the house. My dad (gingerbread architect extraordinaire and all around problem solver) makes our templates using a thin white poster board. Make sure to label all your template pieces, including if you will be needing duplicates of the same piece (i.e.  Bay Windows = same piece 3X).

• When rolling out dough, use two slats of wood to ensure even thickness for all your pieces. I roll mine to 1/8" thickness. Cut your pieces out directly on parchment or Silpat ON the baking sheet to help preserve the shapes.

Piped Gingerbread Details Around Windows.

• For nice architectural details I like piping gingerbread onto my cut outs before baking. The piped gingerbread keeps its shape after baking adding dimension and interest to the pieces, especially around windows and doorways. To make piped gingerbread add a teaspoon of water at a time to a lump of fresh gingerbread dough. Mix well and continue adding water until you get a nice piping consistency, like royal icing. Place piping gingerbread into piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice and pipe onto unbaked cut outs. Bake pieces, the piped gingerbread will keep its shape!

 

Ryobi Rotary Saw For Trimming Gingerbread.

• Inevitably your pieces may bake up a little crooked interfering with the assembly of your house. My dad uses a rotary saw to trim off any offending areas and sandpaper to smooth edges.

 

Crushed Werther's Butterscotch Candies For Opaque Windows.

• For opaque glass windows I use finely crushed Werther's Butterscotch Candies. Bake your pieces then remove from oven and let cool for 5 -10 minutes. Generously fill window openings  with crushed candy then bake again until the candy is just melted and fluid. Don't let the candy boil or your will get bubbles in your windows. Let cool completely before removing from baking sheet. When lit from behind the windows give off a warm golden glow.

 

Gelatin Sheets Used For See Thru Windows.

• For see thru windows i've discovered these fantastic gelatin sheets. These clear sheets are used for cooking and baking but they make terrific window panes for gingerbread houses. The sheets are embossed with a pretty diamond pattern that looks like antique glass window panes. Each sheet is approximately 4" x 2" and easily cut with a pair of scissors. I adhere the sheets to the back of my baked windows with isomalt or royal icing. You can buy these gelatin sheets here.

 

Isomalt nibs are great for "gluing" pieces together.

• When putting together a more elaborate house I like to use melted isomalt nibs to initially "super glue" pieces together. The isomalt creates an immediate and rock hard bond, but unlike royal icing, the pieces can't be repositioned so make sure you place them together correctly when using. You can buy isomalt nibs here. This site also has terrific you tube videos that explain how to melt the isomalt.

 

Gingerbread colored royal icing is great for constructing you house.

• Think of gingerbread colored royal icing as the "mortar" of your gingerbread construction. This icing works well to adhere pieces together as well as fill in any holes or gaps in the house. Cover any visible isomalt with the icing to help seal it and create an opaque finish. I make my gingerbread colored icing by adding cocoa powder to white royal icing until it becomes brownish in color. Then I add brown food coloring  and a drop of red until the icing takes on the shade of the baked gingerbread.

Hope these tips were helpful and good luck with your gingerbread house baking!

(Thanks Michelle for the editing help!)

 

 

Homemade Caramel Apples

 

Homemade caramel apples are a lot of fun to offer as party favors at your Halloween party. Almost everyone likes the combination of apple and caramel along with chocolate. You can customize the toppings and the size of the apples to appeal to kids or adults. Here I used small Granny Smith apples for their crisp texture and slightly tart flavor.

 

 

I also made my own homemade caramel but you can certainly melt caramel squares to save some time. Make sure that you scrub your apples well while washing them to remove any wax as this will ensure that your caramel will stick to the apple! Here is how you can make your own:

Wash and dry the apples and insert a wooden stick into the top of each apple. Place the apples on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and place in the fridge while you make the caramel.

 

 

Here is the homemade caramel recipe that I used (lots of caramel, enough for over 12 medium sized apples). Or you can melt Kraft caramel squares. Pour the melted caramel into a pyrex measuring cup and let cool down to 200 degrees. Remove the chilled apples from fridge, one at a time, and dip into caramel.

 

 

Twirl apple around and upside down for a minute to let the carmel set onto the apple. Place caramel apple back in fridge and continue with remaining apples. Let the caramel apples sit in the fridge for around 15 minutes while you melt the chocolates and get the toppings ready.

I drizzled bittersweet and white chocolate on top of my caramel apples and sprinkled them with a little smoked sea salt and dark chocolate sprinkles.

 

To finish off your apples, sprinkle the caramel with a little smoked sea salt then drizzle on some dark and white chocolate, finishing off with some chocolate sprinkles.

Place the finished apples into cupcake papers and store in the fridge until ready to eat or bag up and give away. These will stay fresh and delicious in the fridge for around a week.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

 

These cute little Candy Corn Sugar Cookies are sweet and cute, just like the little candies that they are named after. The dough is a simple sugar cookie recipe divided into thirds, each tinted yellow, orange and one left white.

 

 

 

The doughs are then stacked on top of each other in a loaf pan and chilled for 30 minutes. The chilled "loaf" is cut into slices, then the slices are cut into triangles, topped with sparkling sugar and baked. No rolling, cookie cutters or icing involved! You can easily bake up a bunch of these for a Halloween party spread in no time. They look hard to make but they're actually really easy. Here is how you can make your own.

Line a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan with plastic wrap and set aside. To create these cute cookies I used a double batch of my standard go-to sugar cookie recipe to completely fill the 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.

 

Divide dough into white, yellow and orange pieces.

After you make a double batch of the cookie dough, divide it into three equal pieces. Set aside the "white dough" and cover in plastic wrap. Starting with the yellow dough, place second dough ball back into mixer and add yellow food coloring until desired shade is reached. Cover yellow dough in plastic wrap and set aside. Make the orange color with remaining dough ball, adding orange food color until desired shade is reached. Cover orange dough with plastic wrap and set aside.

 

Press each layer of dough firmly into pan.

Starting with the white dough, unwrap and press evenly into bottom of prepared loaf pan. Add the orange layer of dough and press firmly into the white layer. Add the yellow layer of dough and press firmly so that all layers are tightly compacted. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes to one hour.

 

Cut chilled dough into slices.

 

Remove chilled dough from loaf pan and slice into approximately 1/4 inch to 1/2 slices (you can just eyeball this). When all slices are cut, transfer them back to the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up. When slices are well chilled, trim off sides then cut into triangles.

 

 

Trim edges of slices then cut into triangles.

Continue until all triangles are cut. Return triangles to freezer while preheating oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is heated, place triangles onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

 

Topped with sparkling sugar and ready to bake.

 

Sprinkle each triangle with sparkling sugar if desired and baked for 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies are just barely browned at the edges. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or bagging up for gift giving or party favors.

 

 

Fall Front Porch | Nor Cal Style

Here in San Francisco Bay Area we are experiencing our typical October Indian Summer with temps in the high 80's and low 90's, but I still like to get into the fall frame of mind by decorating with pumpkins, pinecones, haybales and corn stalks.

 

 

To create this fun fall theme, I went to a local fruit and veggie stand called Larry's Produce in Fairfield, CA. During the month of October the entire back lot of the place is turned into the most fantastic pumpkin patch with amazing varieties of pumpkins, gourds, indian corn, dried corn stalks and haybales. The prices are outstanding and you can collect a lot of great pieces to create your own fall decorating masterpiece. They also have a fun haybale maze for the kids! If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping by and checking out the great selection (and picking up some farm fresh fruit and veggies too!).

 

Italian Almond Cookies

 

These tasty Italian Almond Cookies are a perfect treat with an afternoon espresso or latte. These cookies are not hard and crunchy like biscotti, they have a softer interior with a chewy texture, kind of like a french macron. The ingredients are simple and highlight the almond flavor perfectly.

 

 

 

The addition of a few tablespoon of apricot jam add a little tangy moistness and brightness to the cookie. Rolling the outsides in sliced almonds hints to the flavor within while added a nice crunchy texture to pair with the chewy interior. Here is how you can make your own.

 

You can find the entire recipe here.  Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour and sugar. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment whip the three egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks, like whipped cream. Fold the egg whites into the almond flour mixture, then fold in the apricot jam (I processed my jam in the food processor to make it smooth).

 

 

Add a few drops of almond extract and mix until a semi-firm dough ball (similar to sugar cookie dough) forms. You may need to add more almond flour if the mixture is too wet (I ended up using my entire 1 lb. bag of almond flour).

 

In a small bowl lightly whisk 1 egg white (33 grams) and set aside. Place sliced almonds in shallow bowl. Scoop dough using a #60 scoop and form into little ovals.

 

 

Dip in egg white and then roll and press the sliced almond into each oval of dough. Place on prepared cookie sheet, 4 across and three down. These cookies do not spread in the oven.

 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (I baked mine for 25 minutes) until cookies and nuts are light golden brown. Let cool before serving.

Variation: You can alternatively coat the cookies in pine nuts or just bake them plain. They would also be very good with a drizzle of melted bittersweet chocolate on top.