Martha's Fireworks Cookies

It's a little silly just how happy seeing decorated cookies on the cover of Martha Stewart Living can make a person.

{By "a person," I mean me.}


I happened to spot it in the grocery store before my issue arrived in the mail...it was like I had tunnel vision...I might have run to the magazine display. I'm not sure now...it's all a blur. ;)  What I *do* know, is that I HAD TO make them.


These cookies are really, really simple to make...all you need are a few tricks.  And toothpicks.  Lots and lots of toothpicks.

You will need:

• circle-shaped cookies
• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Super Red, Bright White and Royal Blue (or Navy Blue)
• disposable icing bag
• coupler and #2 tip
• squeeze bottles (3)
• toothpicks

 
First, outline all of the cookies using a #2 tip.  Then, thin all 3 icings with water to the consistency of a thick syrup.  Let sit for several minutes covered with a damp dish towel.  Stir with a silicone spatula to pop any air bubbles that have risen to the surface and transfer to squeeze bottles.


Working 3 cookies at a time, fill in the circles with white icing; use a toothpick to guide to edges.

Starting with the first filled cookie, pipe the thinned red and blue icing in circles on top of the wet white icing.


If you want fireworks that burst straight out, like these...


Place your toothpick in the center of the cookie and drag to the outside.


Then, drag the toothpick from the outside to the center.  Continue alternating all around the cookie.

(For a "cleaner" look, wipe the toothpick off after every drag through the icing...wear your apron. ;).)


For a curvy, "pinwheel" fireworks effect, like these...


Drag the toothpick through the icing as described above, but curve the outward pull.


Want a swirly center, like this one?


Go all the way around the cookie with the toothpick.  When finished, make a small circle in the center with a toothpick.

Be sure to let the cookies dry uncovered for 6-8 hours or overnight before stacking or packaging. 


Aren't they fun?


Isn't Martha smart?

Let's start a petition to put cookies on EVERY cover, whaddya say?

{Psst...if you want to see a couple more examples of fireworks cookies (can there ever be too many?) head on over to see Lori's at Recipe Girl and Shaina's on Babble.}

Happy, happy Independence Day to all of you US folks.  If you don't live in the US...come visit us! We'll make you cookies!

4th of July Ice Cream Sundaes . . . (with cookies!)

 
It all started with a cookie cutter.  A sweet little cookie cutter sent to me by my friend, Cindy, over at Sweet.


It's a star with a little cut-out to rest on the edge of a glass. How cute is that?!?

Now, my mind immediately went to martinis, but Mr. E thought of dessert in a glass....duh.  {He's good to have around.}


So, what we have here is homemade strawberry ice cream, topped with a sweet strawberry-blueberry "sauce," whipped cream (ok...it's Cool Whip), and a cookie!  Perfect little dessert for the 4th of July.

First, make the cookies.  These are just vanilla-almond sugar cookies decorated really simply with royal icing.

The ice cream...
...let me tell you, I NEVER order strawberry ice cream at the ice cream shop.  I mean, it's right.next.to.the.chocolate.  Chocolate wins every time.

BUT...this homemade ice cream has me rethinking my priorities.


Here's how you *know* it's going to be good...the melted ice cream makes a ♥-shaped drip on your ice cream maker.  Yep, it's a sign.

Strawberry Ice Cream
{modified from the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert Book}

2 cups sliced & hulled strawberries
1/3 c. sugar
juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. milk

Stir together the strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Mash with a potato masher or a pastry blender.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. (Use pasteurized eggs if raw eggs make you nervous.)  Gradually whisk in the 3/4 cup sugar, whisk for an additional minute once all has been added.

Stir in the cream and milk.  Add the strawberry puree.  Pour into a chilled ice cream canister and process according to manufacturer's directions.  Place the ice cream in a freezer-safe container to harden for several hours.

Twenty minutes before assembling the sundaes, make the sauce.  Combine more sliced and hulled strawberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir in some frozen blueberries.  Let sit for 10 minutes more.

Scoop  ice cream into glasses.  Top with the strawberries and blueberries along with the sauce from the bowl.  Dollop on whipped cream (OR Cool Whip)
...don't forget the cookie!

{psst...this is the link to the cutter from Sweet.}

My heart beats true for the red, white and blue

Yep....that's red, white and blue sugar cookie dough!  If you're looking for something to bring to a 4th of July get together or maybe pack in a care package for a soldier, these are really fun...and easy!

I originally planned to cover the tops of these in royal icing, but once they came out of the oven, I thought they didn't need much embellishment at all.  A  little royal icing, some sprinkles, you're set.

First, you'll need to make your sugar cookie dough and divide it into 3 equal (ish) sections.  Tinting dough is easy, but don't try it with your mixer.  Using AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Color knead the color in with your hands....not on your counter.  I used AmeriColor Super Red and Royal Blue.  Just a few drops will do it.

Roll out the dough on separate pieces of wax paper.  Roll it thinner than normal, about 1/8 inch. Stack the colors on top of one another.  Roll lightly until the dough is the thickness you want.

Cut with floured cookie cutters, getting the shapes as close to each other as possible.

{I wasn't even sure this would work, but when the stars were cut out, I started to get excited.  There may be a tinted-layered-dough obsession starting at Bake at 350.  You've been warned.}

Place the cut-outs on cookies sheets and pop in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking.

If you're like me, you hate to see cookie dough go to waste.  This dough can be re-rolled ONE time for a psychedelic patriotic look.  If you try to re-roll it again, it starts to look muddied.

To decorate, make some royal icing and pipe only the edges (I used a #4 tip).  Sprinkle with white sanding or sparkling sugar....

....or non-pareils.

You know....I think they're pretty cute without the royal icing, too!

So, for all you Americans out there...have a wonderful Independence Day!  Be safe!

And for our international readers....we'll eat a hot dog (and cookie) for you!  You guys be safe, too!

I'll be linking these up to TidyMom's I'm Lovin' It linky party!  Come check out all the fun!

Soldier Boy

These cookies are special. A blog reader asked me to make them for her husband who was coming home from a year long deployment in Afghanistan. I know from watching my sister whose husband came home from Iraq last year what an emotional and happy time it is when they finally come home!!! I was happy that the cookies could be a just little part of it for this family.


Because I've never made soldiers before, I was nervous, but in the end...I'm a little in love with them. :)

All week, I've had that 1960's song by The Shirelles "Soldier Boy" running through my head....

Soldier Boy,
oh, my little soldier boy,
I'll be true to you....

Here's how to make them:

1. Using a #2 tip and olive green icing (AmeriColor Avocado mixed with Super Black and Lemon Yellow) pipe in the putline of the shirt, pants and hat.
   
2. With a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the face and hands using a flesh tone icing. (AmeriColor Copper/Fleshtone)
3. Thin olive green, ivory, brown (for the camouflage) and flesh tone icing to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes.(AmeriColor Ivory and Chocolate Brown)
   
4. Stir gently to pop bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle and fill in outline of the face and hands with flesh tone. Use a toothpick to coax the icing into all corners and to edges.
5. Fill in the shirt and pants with olive green, ivory and brown. Use a toothpick to swirl slightly.
6. Let dry at least one hour.
7. Using a #1 tip, pipe hair in brown icing.
   
8. With the black icing and a #2 tip, pipe eyes on the face, make a belt and draw on shoes.
   
9. With red icing and a #1 tip, pipe on a smile. (AmeriColor Super Red)
   
10. With olive green icing and a #1 or 2 tip, pipe over the edges of the clothes and cap. Add button and pocket details to the shirt.
    
11. Let dry overnight and give to a soldier! :)
    

Welcome Home, Dale!!!

Want to support the troops? Check out these organizations:

• Operation Baking Gals
• the USO
  

July 4th cupcakes!

I really couldn't resist after seeing red, white and blue cupcakes here and here...and maybe somewhere else. The red, white and blue swirls of batter just looked too fun!

We had plans to meet our neighbors for the local 4th of July parade this morning, and I thought cupcakes seemed like a good way to start. It was only 9am, but hey, it's a holiday.

My son helped me with the batter (although, I think he had more fun eating them than making them). Just make any yellow or white cupcake batter, divide into 3 bowls and tint one red and one blue. (Use gel paste food coloring, and it doesn't take much at all.) The recipe I used comes from this book....Cupcakes! by Eleanor Klivans (love this book!). The link to the recipe is here; it's delicious!

Drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the cupcake liners. Some we swirled with a toothpick and others we left as is. Both looked really neat on the inside.

{I just loved the way these looked after inverting them out of the muffin tin!}

For the frosting, I did the same thing...tinted some of the frosting red and some blue. I put the blue and red frostings up the side of my icing bag and the white in the middle.

Hope you all are having a wonderful 4th of July! Get out there and see some fireworks!!!

♥Have you taken the Flavor-of-the-Month poll? Wondering what the heck I'm talking about?!?!?♥

Gearing up for the 4th…get your STARS on!

It's an age old dilemma….what to bring to the 4th of July cookout or any summer get-together?



{For the rest of the story, please visit my post over at Blissfully Delish! See you there!}

Operation Baking Gals

With everything going on these days....the election, the economy, the new season of Desperate Housewives....it's easy to forget that many of our soldiers are still away from their families and sacrificing for our country. When my brother-in-law was deployed to Iraq, my sister sent him something every day (I'm not exaggerating here), but sadly, some of the guys and gals don't get many...or any...packages from home.

Through Danielle's blog, Make No Little Meals, I found out about Operation Baking Gals. Here's a little information from their website:

"Baking GALS (GALS stands for Give A Little Support) is a group of volunteer bakers who bake and ship homemade goodies to our heroic troops that are currently deployed. Each soldier is "Hosted" by a blogger, and potential bakers are "recruited" from the bloggers own site as well as the GALS site. Each Host recruits between 20-25 bakers, meaning LOTS of goodies get delivered to our soldier...so many, in fact that he or she has plenty to share with their fellow troops!"

Just go to the Operation Baking Gals website and register (it only takes a minute...no long form to fill out), then join a team. I joined Danielle's team...Team Dani's Delightful Darlings. (I think there is a delay in showing up on the team list, so don't panic if your name doesn't show up right away. )

This is Round 4 of Operation Baking Gals with packages being shipped out from October 30th - November 10th.

Sign up and support our troops! (A side benefit..."testing" each batch of cookies before mailing!) :)