Guest Barbara Green demonstrates how to create fantastic cookies using fondant .
Materials
spatula
bowls
decorating bags
couplers
round icing tip #3
leaf icing tip #352
star icing tips #14, #16
paste food coloring
royal icing
sugar cookies
cookie cutters
flower and bow silicone molds
rolled fondant (can be purchased ready-made)
textured rolling pin
white cotton lace
pizza cutter
pasta machine
ready-made fondant
Fondant Preparation:
Fondant needs to be kneaded before use until it is loose and pliable. To color fondant, dip a toothpick into paste food color. Begin with a small amount and remember that you can always add more color. Smear color from toothpick in several places on fondant. Fold the fondant in half, place it in a zippered baggie and knead it until the color is distributed evenly. Add more color if needed to darken or brighten ; add more fondant to lighten the color. Using the plastic bag will help prevent discoloration of hands. Prepare all colored fondant before beginning.
Tip: To add extra color to dried fondant decorations, dissolve a small amount of paste food color in water and paint on with a new brush. Note: Never use brushes that have been used with unsafe nonfood substances.
Lace Shoe Cookie
1. Roll white fondant in a thin layer. Use a little cornstarch to prevent sticking to rolling pin or surface.
2. Using a pizza cutter, cut a strip approximately 3"x6".
3. Dust a piece of cotton lace with cornstarch and place it on top of the fondant strip.
4. Cover the fondant that is not in use so that it will not form a hard crust.
5. Use shortening to lightly grease the rollers of the pasta machine. Be certain the pasta machine has only been used for food and never used with unsafe nonfood substances.
6. Run fondant and lace through pasta machine on setting 2 or 3. If lace design does not imprint on fondant, repeat on setting 4.
7. Remove lace and use a shoe cookie cutter to cut out lace-imprinted fondant shoes (figure A).
8. Put cut-out fondant pieces aside and cover while cookies bake.
9. Bake cookies using package instructions or your own recipe. It's important that the cookies hold their shape well during baking.
10. To add the fondant decorations:
Option 1: As soon as cookies come out of the oven, place the fondant cut-outs on the cookies. The heat from the cookie will 'stick' the fondant to it.
Option 2: In the event that you need to use cooled cookies, brush glaze (made of 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tbsp. water, 1 tbsp. white syrup, 1/8 tsp. popcorn salt and a few drops of flavoring) on cookies and let dry. Then moisten the back of the fondant cut-out and place it on the cookie. This will 'glue' the fondant to the cookie.
11. Dust silicone molds with cornstarch. Press a small piece of pink fondant into the flower mold and white in the bow mold (figure B).
12. Place the molds in the freezer to chill the fondant for 10-15 minutes. Flex the mold to remove the fondant shapes.
13. Fit a decorating bag with a round #3 icing tip and fill with white royal icing . Place a dot of royal icing on the shoe's heel and stick the bow in place.
14. Fill a decorating bag with green royal icing and leaf tip #352. Holding the bag at a 45-degree angle to the cookie, pipe two small leaves on the top of the front of the shoe. Use firm pressure at the base of the leaf, lessening pressure as you lift towards the end of the leaf.
15. Place a small fondant flower or two in the center of the leaves (figure C).
Hat Cookie
1. Bake round cookies, cool and glaze as described above. Note: Option 1 (above ) of placing fondant on hot cookie to stick the two together does not work for this project.
2. Using a dab of icing, 'glue' a small wedding cookie in the center of a round cookie (figure D).
3. Roll out fondant with a textured rolling pin and cut out a circle slightly larger than the round cookie.
4. Moisten the back of the fondant and stretch it over the top of the two joined cookies. Press firmly and trim off excess (figure E).
5. Roll out a long strip of blue fondant and cut off a thin strip using a pizza cutter.
6. Wrap the blue strip around the crown of the hat as a ribbon, using a dot of icing as 'glue'.
7. Decorate with molded fondant flowers, bows or other pre-made decorations (figure F). Use royal icing to affix decorations to cookies.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
