"Stained Glass" Cookies

I received quite a few requests to please explain the technique I used to achieve a stained glass effect on a cookie, so to be nice I decided that I would do that for you all.

It is almost Christmas after all.

Remember though, it is NOT my intention to ever become a tutorial writer.  I don't mind sharing here and there, but there are already awesome cookie artists out there that cover pretty much anything you could ever want.

I learned cookie artistry by researching techniques and mastering them.   I don't mean to sound crass, but seriously, do your own research.  Play around with different techniques and never feel limited to only cookie icing be it glaze or Royal.

Be adventurous and use BOTH.

Anyway, last Easter I made these cookies and I was thrilled with the way they came out.  I had seen the technique used by Corriecakes  and I knew I had to figure out how it was done.

So I did.

I was hoping that I would get to make them this holiday season and my prayers were answered.


This technique is super easy and works up quickly.  First off, roll, cut, and bake your shapes.

Go wild and use whatever shape your heart desires.

Make some marshmallow fondant.  Flavor it with something crazy like bubble gum.  You can use commercial fondant, but just know that crap is nasty.  Just stop being lazy and learn how to make your own.

Roll and cut the fondant with the same cutters you used for your cookies. Make a few extras just in case.  Let the shapes sit for about 15 minutes to become firm.

Lightly paint the cookie surface with corn syrup and then adhere the fondant to the top of the cookie.

Use a detail consistency (Thick Shampoo) Royal Icing to outline your designs making sure that you connect all the areas so that your stain will not run into other areas.

Make your "stain" in little wells of an artists palette or a styrofoam egg carton like me, using 1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup, 1 teaspoon water (or Cake Batter Vodka), and desired coloring.

Mix it, mix it good.

It should be thick enough to stay on a paint brush, but will immediately run when touched on a surface. Using your paint brush, lightly fill sections with desired colors.

These cookies will dry with a shiny, hard, candied effect.

Bada Bing

Badda Boom.  

You know you live in the South when you see names like Miss Martha, Earlene, and Skip....

This is Home Girl.

Now go make your own cookies!!!

Meet and Greet Monday: She Bakes

The weeks leading up to the Christmas Holidays are always the busiest of times in the baking and sugar art world.

Go figure.

That is why I did not write Meet and Greet last Monday as EVERY one of my Cookier Friends is so busy and I knew that adding "one more thing" to an already full plate would be enough to send someone over the edge.

I won't be the responsible party that makes a baker lose their shit.

NOT that I know what it's like to lose my shit...

Tennessee Country Christmas

I thought it might be nice to just feature myself today as a Cookier "Interview-ee".  I think I am still narcissistic enough to pull it off and that way I did not have to bother anyone that is deep in the throws of decorative holiday cookies.

Hope you enjoy this post as I rarely every let people get to know me on a deeper level...even if it is just about cookies.

Vintage Themed Holiday Cookies

She Bakes: Let's give a rousing sugar welcome to "Home Girl" from She Bakes!!!  (This would be me.)

Home Girl: Thank you, so much for having me this morning!!  I'm glad I could pull myself away from the design bench to do this interview with you!!  I still have so much to do, so let's get down to business and answer these burning questions!!  By the way, do you have my requested Venti Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha Latte with a double shot??  Oh, good.  Thank you!
~
She Bakes: How did you fall in love with baking?

Home Girl: I fell in love with baking and decorating at a very young age.  My paternal grandmother, "Mutti" was from the Black Forest region of Germany and she baked these amazing cookies called Almond Spritz.  She would also take me and my little sister into a local place named Plaza Bakery (in Virginia Beach, Virginia) where they have the most wonderful Cakes, Cookies,  and Petit Fours.  My personal favorite is an Almond pound cake with Lemon or Pineapple Curd nestled in between the layers of dense, moist cake and covered in fluffy white, almond decorator icing.
~
She Bakes: Just for my own survey, did you ever have an Easy Bake Oven as a child?

Home Girl:  I did!!  I received my Easy Bake Oven for Christmas in 1977 at the age of six.  It changed my life forever.  Notice that my parents were also nice enough to get me a stand-up mixer, too!!

(See that Teddy Bear in the photo?  I wish I still had him.  He was an 18 inch Steiff and would be worth a lot of money today.)

Home Girl circa 1977

She Bakes: Name your top five Cookie Artists that you swoon over in no particular order.

Home Girl:  I can only name five?  Seriously?  Well, the first cookie blog I ever laid eyes on was Cristin's Cookies. I just adore her work and she is seriously one of the nicest people that walk the planet.  Of course, there's The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle and Lilaloa both of whom I learn so much from.  I might be slightly obsessed with Arty McGoo and her amazing work.  A new Top Five Cookie Artist for me is Mike from Semi Sweet Designs.  LOVE, LOVE, FREAKIN' LOVE his work.

I could seriously go on and on and on...there are just so many incredible sugar artists out there!!
~
She Bakes: What is your "goto" sugar cookie recipe?

Home Girl: I fell in love with this cookie recipe about 4 months ago and never looked back.  It's light and dreamy, works like a champ, and never needs to be chilled.  Why mess with what I consider to be perfection in a cookie?  I use to rely on a cookie made with granulated sugar, but since switching to one  that uses powdered sugar, I have found that I much prefer the flavor balance.
~
She Bakes: From what I can gather, you're also a restaurant trained chef...what is your favorite cuisine to both cook and eat.

Home Girl: That's a difficult question to answer!!  I am well versed in all aspects of cooking, regional and worldly cuisine, and baking, but I would have to say my most favorite is All Things Italian.  Northern Italian, more specifically.  I love, love, LOVE a good cream sauce with properly made delicate veal, slices of Prosciutto, and sweet, fresh garden peas with the proper hint of garlic and cracked peppercorn.  I serve this with Cesar Salad, made from scratch croutons baked in butter, sprinkled with fresh grated Parmesan Cheese, and a house-made dressing.  There might be a Tiramisu for dessert if you've been very good.
~
She Bakes: What is your most favorite thing about cookie art?

Home Girl: I love how creating a set of cookies relaxes me.  It's my therapy.  I turn on some music, go into my design room and get completely lost in piping icing onto a small surface.  It truly completes me and makes me blissfully happy.  I also love the look on someone's face when they see their cookies.  That's pretty awesome.
~
She Bakes: If you could send cookies to anyone famous, who would it be and why?

Home Girl:  Khloe Kardashian.  Without hesitation.  She deserves to smile considering how this past year has been so difficult for her.  Out of all my Kardashian sisters, she is the one I identify with the most and she's a shining example of how to gracefully deal with other people's bullshit and not jump on that train to Crazytown.  I give her "mad props" for that.  She's keeps it classy, yet gangsta.  (If anyone has that Koko connection, PLEASE hook a sista up so I can make cookies just for her!  It's on my bucket list!!!)

Let It Snow, Please!  

She Bakes:  Word on the street is that you're physically disabled.  Care to discuss this part of your life with us?

Home Girl: This past year I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Osteo-arthritis in all my major joints such as my hips, knees, feet, ankles, neck, back...pretty much everything BUT my hands, thank God.  I am very limited as to what I can and cannot do.  This coming New Year will be hard for me as I venture into medically necessary treatment that I do not want to do.  It's not gonna be fun, but I'm a fighter and I'll just kick this shit's ass, too.  It makes me sad that I can not work in a commercial bakery anymore, but I do what I can with my home oven.
~
She Bakes:  Outside of baking and decorating, what are your other passions in life?

Home Girl:  There are so many!!!  First and foremost is my relationship with My Divine, My God, and becoming more connected to my spiritual world. Right behind Him are my seven children ranging in age from 26 to 11.  I love photography, sewing, quilting, all things foodie, and living in Olde Towne, Portsmouth, Virginia.  That's how I became "Home Girl".  Passion for me, is in the creation of a "home".
~
She Bakes: That's all the questions I have for you today, Home Girl!  Thank you so much for taking time out of your extremely crazy busy week to talk with us!

Home Girl:  Not a problem, at all.  Thank you.  You'll be leaving now, right?

Ho Ho Ho

This is Home Girl...I mean, She Bakes....I get so confused.

Now, leave me alone so I can get all these cookies finished!!!!

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

I have been wanting to do this set of cookies since this time last year.  I could sit and design themed dessert sets for hours.  They consume my brain, at times.  I walk around with what is known as "Cookie Brain" and I will see cookies in every aspect of my life.  It might be in a fabric that has my visual senses whirling or it could be in a shop or restaurant...even photos I see on social media sites will inspire me.

I am completely attached to black and red as a color combination.  To me, it's crisp, it's a little edgy...it's just "plain, damn, sexy."

Come on, admit it...we all have a little bit of a bad bitch in us.  If you didn't, you wouldn't keep on coming back to read me.  You know "Home Girl" tells it like it is, that's why.

So, I'll say it for you...Be your bad ass sexy self whether it's with someone else or by yourself.  As an introvert, I can appreciate both sides of the fence.  Sometimes I enjoy people, but most times I don't.
Valentine's Day, for me, is more than a couples holiday.  It's not about having someone to be the love of your life...it's about loving yourself and respecting the sexiness that ensues from that.

Yes, I'm telling you that if you start loving yourself first and foremost...the sexiness just happens.

Be strong, confident, classy, and have your own passions in life.

Be a little edgy.  Try new things.  Get some Black and Red in your life.

Don't be scurred....

This is Home Girl wishing you a wonderful St. Valentine's Day.  Know you are loved.  

Mutti's Almond Spritz Cookies

My paternal grandmother, whom I called "Mutti" (which is German for mother), was a huge influence in my love for baking.  She was this adorable, little, sprite of a lady who would tell you that she loved you over and over and if you got out of line, she'd whack you with her wooden spoon.

She always made Spritz Cookies for many holidays with her Mirro Cookie Press Gun and I spent years wanting to graduate from sprinkles to operating the gun.  I had watched her so many times, I knew exactly how long to press, what temperature the dough needed to be at, and what the finished product needed to look and taste like.  I had grown into a connoisseur and I know that she was thrilled to be able to pass along not only the knowledge of baking sweet, delicate German treats, but the passion...the love.

My beloved Mutti died from cancer in the late 1980's, but her legacy has lived on through me and that of my children.  Several times a year, I take out my own (vintage) Mirro Cookie Gun, which I procured on Ebay and I make these special treats.

The exact recipe that Mutti used is under great debate because I remember her keeping a copy on an index card that was tapped to the inside of her glass cabinet...I thought it was the Mirro Cookie Press Almond recipe, but I also remember her using a tube of Almond paste, too....which the Mirro recipe does not call for, so I was perplexed....

until I ran into this recipe and tried it out...then the angels in heaven sang because I was instantly taken back to the days of my small childhood, barely able to see past the counter tops, but I definitely knew what my favorite cookies tasted like.

I hope you can try it out for yourself...they do require some patience, but they are more than worth it.

WHITE HOUSE SPRITZ COOKIES 

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste 
1/4 cup egg whites, unbeaten 
6 tablespoons sugar 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened) 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon Almond Flavoring 
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 

1. Break up almond paste with fingers in large bowl (just break up the almond paste. Broken fingers hurt.) Add half egg whites (Do half egg whites come from half eggs? Never mind.) Beat with electric mixer at low speed until mixture is smooth. 

2. Beat in sugar and butter until light and fluffy. (No, this does NOT mean you beat sugar and butter till you burst into song.) Add remaining egg whites, salt and Almond flavoring and mix well. Stir in flour, 1/3 at a time, blending well.  Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  

3. Fit a pastry bag with a star tip, fill pastry bag with dough. (Really this works just fine in a cookie press.) Press dough out on lightly greased cookie sheets; top each with red or green cherry half or sprinkles.  Sometimes, I will drizzle these cookies with melted chocolate and then more sprinkles. (One can never have enough tiaras or sprinkles in life.)  

4. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until set and edges begin to turn golden. (In my oven 7-8 minutes is fine.) Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.  Store in air tight containers.  They freeze beautifully!  

This is Home Girl and I bid you wonderful baking this holiday season.

Side Note:  If you want to enjoy these cookies at optimum historical appreciation, make a Coca-Cola on ice in a glass.  They pair so well.