K8memphis

Well if you feel like messing around, y'know testing it, I think I'd just ditch the water and decrease the flour by a half cup. That would make a pretty nice brownie I think.

You can still yeast it of course. They are called angel biscuits.

'Should be' is good enough if it is for yourself. 'Should be' is not good enough for my retail establishment.

I would not take the risk myself. How can you be sure your area is peanut free from previous usage?

Make it four. Use a non-flexible board.

If I were making those cookies, I would thin some of the cookie batter with water to get a nice piping consistency, add coloring and pipe the smilie faces on before baking. Then I'd dip the bottoms in melted choco. That's how I'd do that. Because I agree royal icing sucks.

I taught my daughter "home economics". For her first recipe she chose Belgian waffles. They are yeasted and you have to separate the eggs, big deal I can do it in my sleep. It took her all dang freaking day. She literally hung up her spatula for the next ten years. If I did not use refrigerated crescent roll dough for 6 year olds, I'd surely use self rising flour. I mean she was 14 when the waffles wept.

Agh, why isn't there any fat in your recipe?

Substitute an egg for an equal part of the liquid would be one way. For six year olds, I'd use refrigerated crescent roll dough for pigs in a blanket. Have fun!

Charge the same though. It's just as much labor and expertise. Consider sanding/trimming the top edge so it's not as sharp to cut the fondant. These are also called dummy cakes and can be purchased at cake deco stores & online too.

It's five seconds.

I mean like ask a chef what was his favorite meal, the best dish he ever had. Out pops a very passionate memory.

Can you please elaborate? ← A person (the chef) enjoys making and creating and designing it. The recipient enjoys seeing and interpreting it and eating it so it becomes a memory, disappears. ← That's true. But what did you mean about it having to become a memory to reveal the full potential of its art? (And by the way, here again, music unfolds in time. So does a play, a movie, etc. This is a commonality of a bunch of different art forms and just plain experiences.) ← When it gets eaten it then becomes a memory. Once the chef prepares it, if it doesn't get eaten it's only partially appreciated. It's full potential is in it's consumption so the communication between creator and consumer can be fully realized.

Can you please elaborate? ← A person (the chef) enjoys making and creating and designing it. The recipient enjoys seeing and interpreting it and eating it so it becomes a memory, disappears.

I've been hassled like that before at the fish counter like I was gonna blow my nose on their damn fish. I've got a jar labeled "Ashes of Idiots" for times like this.

Muffins can be reheated with great success but no they do not 'hold' well, same as biscuits or scones. Just depending on what kind of ingredients you are using. At my tea room I baked and immediately froze my mini-muffins then reheated them for serving a la minute. Served them hot at each table.

The deal with muffins is using ingredients that are lightly mixed, stuffed quickly into a hot oven and using fresh baking powder. Each muffin just naturally bakes around the edges first and then shoots up the middle crowning up nice & high. A good recipe is important of course but there's no particular secret to this. I sprinkle cinnamon sugar on all my muffin tops before baking.

I mean how much more abstract can it be to have to make it become a memory to reveal (the full potential of) all the art there is therein.

Because it is a canvas unto itself. I offer these poor illustrations, but it makes the the point. Happy Birthday Cycle-boy and wheat to eat and a pond made of lilie pad cookies and water lilies and swans. This food makes a communication unto itself. I have done tomato logos and chalices and sheesh just lots of stuff that is food and art. In fact many of my online pictures have ulterior motives as food. And I'm not even close to the op's idea of the deep expressions communicated from the heart of a chef to the diner by what speaks from the plate. I recently made angel wing cookies for some folks going though tough times in the hospital. Is that abstract? A tasty Hallmark moment?

It's just powdered sugar, butter, salt, flavor and gelatin bloomed in the water. My recipe is 2# sugar, 1 cup fat, 1/2 cup liquid, bit of salt & whatever flavor. Umm, the packet of plain gelatin blooms in 1/2 cup water so it's perfect. I would check Sarah's Baking 911 for directions on how to bloom gelatin if you're not familiar. It's easy but there's some steps to follow. I recommend that you make a half batch or so to see how you like it.

Flower cookie and basketball cookie. The basketballs were baked plain thick cookies then doused/brushed with a splash of orange food color and alcohol, the alcohol evaporates and then marked with a brown edible ink marker.

Oh yeah, y'know what else I've been doing? Making regular powdered sugar icing with gelatin water instead of milk. It sets up nice nice. Because the cookie is crunchy or chewy you don't notice the extra stiffening in the icing. It does not crunch like royal and it sets up quickly. So you get a relatively creamy decorating icing with your cookie. I've got pictures somewhere...

No but explaining white powder to customs & etc can get dicey. ← Funny, my little red can of Rumford never got a second glance. ← That was a joke, my friend.

How about the best of both worlds? You could do Kim's dream cookies and before baking the little rocking horses & teddy bears water down some of the cookie dough to a piping consistency. Add whatever colors you want and pipe little details. Y'know practice on a few so you can see how it turns out after baking. You can do tasty and pretty easy peas-ily.

Baking soda you may find everywhere now, while I think it's a good idea to schlep baking powder from overseas. Raising agents don't make up for heavy luggage anyway. ← No but explaining white powder to customs & etc can get dicey.