Cookies - Very Tasty or Very Pretty

[njduchess]

I volunteered to make home-made cookies as favors for a Baby Shower in about two weeks. There is an on-going debate in my head as to whether to make a tasty assortment of nice round cookies that would stack in a cellophane bag tied with a pretty ribbon or one or two larger rolled sugar cookies nicely decorated also in a cellophane bag. In searching for cookies cutters, I found a rocking horse and a teddy bear. I probably have enough time to actually mail order something else if I do it today.

Can anyone suggest a recipe for a rolled cookie that really tastes great? Is there something special that I can do with the icing to add flavor? My decorating skills are lacking, but I have two cousins who said that they would help with that.

I saw some printed cellophane bags, that would be decorative, no matter how plain the cookies were inside. Is that a better route for better tasting cookies?

There are supposedly 65 people coming to the shower, so it's going to be a fairly large amount of baking. Creative advice for my dilemma would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Marie

[Kim Shook]

I love the look of decorated cookies, but personally I think that they are all lacking in flavor compared with the type that you could put in the pretty bags. I make these Dream Cookies a lot and they are the best cooky in my repetoire - tender, buttery and rich. Everyone who has ever tasted them has loved them. And they couldn't be simpler. I'd go with the pretty bags. Let us know how it works out!

Kim

[K8memphis]

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.

[K8memphis]

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...

[Kim Shook]

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...

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OOOOhh! Could you explain more for me (I am not terribly knowledgable ). This sound intriguing!! What is gelatin water? Just a mix of gelatin and water? In what proportions? I like the sound of this!!

[K8memphis]

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.

[njduchess]

Thanks for your suggestions. I think I'm going to go with a stack of cookies in a bag with the top one and bottom one (face down) decorated. Kim, I'm going to try your dream cookies. Do you think they come out flat enough for easy decorating? I really love the idea of an icing that's creamy and not crunchy, K8. Are the ingredients simply powdered sugar and gelatin water and coloring, of course, or are their other ingredients.

Thanks.

Marie

[K8memphis]

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.