Wedding Cookies part Deux

Last summer when my sister got engaged I made some wedding themed sugar cookies for her. The wedding has since come and gone but, since it took place in Mexico, few of our family attended. To make up for that, and possibly as an excuse for my dad to raise a pole barn, my parents are hosting a reception for them in Michigan this weekend. I am actually negative about four days of vacation (since I did go to Mexico) so I can't go. In lieu of my attendance I'm sending another batch of wedding themed cookies. I have a sad feeling that they'll arrive and my mom will open a big box of crumbs. Thankfully I documented the process so everyone can see what took me three days to do. And that I didn't just send a big box of crumbs. Although that would have been easier.

I started with a bride-shaped, champagne-shaped (does anyone else pronounce that sham-PAG-na to remember how to spell it? no?), and cake-shaped cookies cutters, both regular sugar cookies dough and chocolate sugar cookie dough, and a super duper floured surface.

I despise rolling out dough. This is one of the main reasons why I don't use fondant. Well that and the nasty taste. But I no less dislike rolling out cookie dough. And I rolled, and rolled, and rolled. For days. But then I had lots of cookies!

Yum! First I outlined all of them with royal icing and got to work decorating.

I'm very serious about my decorating. I had two colors of sugar sand, markers, royal icing mix, gold and silver powder (which amuses me for the warning label that says non toxic but not recommended for consumption;), color gels, little sugar ball things...and more. And the vodka was legitimate decorating. You have to mix the gold and silver with clear liquor to make a paint. I also made some buttercream as an alternate to the royal icing.

I was really annoyed to remember that buttercream always comes out rather yellowish (duh) so I added some blue to cleverly come up with the sea green the groom wanted (but did not get) for the wedding color. Sadly none of the buttercream frosted cookies took to my decorating techniques very well. Obviously I couldn't send those. So I ate them. Oh the sacrifices!! I used the food safe markers for most of the decorating. Mostly I just doodled but the bride cookies got a lot of poetry. Some of my favorites:

 Shame my handwriting isn't better.

 Homage to my other blog!

I used the chocolate dough exclusively for this topsy turvey cake shaped cookie cutter I got for Christmas. The cookie cutter came with three decorating mats for use with fondant (yuck + rolling = no) or buttercream. The buttercream just didn't work out for me so for these also I used royal icing and food markers.

I was pretty happy with these.

Also, can I say how awesome it is that I used both a bottle of vodka and the Bible for decorating? 'Cause it is awesome.

Wedding Bells

A few months ago my sister got married. It was a lovely beach event at the Barcelo Maya Palace resort in Cancun, Mexico. Rather than spring for the resort's pricey photographers, who according to other family who've been married there, aren't very good, my sister just asked that anyone with a camera please take pictures. I was in the wedding so I wasn't able to crawl around and get shots like I did for the last family wedding. A cousin of ours took pictures of the wedding but I was able to take a lot of the posed shots. When not required to be in them of course. I really really prefer to not actually be in pictures.

While I don't normally take pictures of people, largely because I don't really like people and therefore have a hard time relating to them in a photograph, I had a lot of fun with these. Partially because I do actually like my sister but also because I got to play with a lot of neat Photoshop effects!

 They did a sand pouring ceremony to signify their unity.

 They happy bride and groom.

 I love to do this, make one element in the picture color. I get a little carried away and do it a lot.

 See there I go again.

 I also love the black and white.

 And I could totally pretend that this was the result of my awesomeness but really it's an effect called 'glamour glow'.

Also I bought that bracelet for her. So glad she wore it!

 This says everything you need to know about my sister.

The reception was on a section of the beach far from the resort buildings. It was quite excellent. Very private, they'd marked out a space on the beach with candles for our dance floor, and we just plugged an mp3 player into speakers for music.

 Hands down my favorite shot. Not really sure why. Also that little land outlet ... abandoned resort. There was a brief plan to go investigate but then we heard there were pirates. And not of the sexy Johnny Depp breed.

 Ah the toasts.

Also a little roasting.

Those of us who were able to attend spent a truly lovely week helping them celebrate their marriage. For me I decided that I was going to decorate my Caribbean getaway much like the resort when I either a) start making money as a blogger or b) take up the drugs/arms running career I'd planned at university.

No really that was my plan.

United States Botanic Gardens

Last month my little brother came for his first visit to DC. One of the first places we went, and to which he subsequently returned twice more, was the US Botanic Gardens so he could practice with his new 60mm lens.

Moment of jealousy that I don't have a 60mm lens.

I had to settle for using my 35mm but, thanks to some great Photoshop effects, I ended up with some pleasing shots I wanted to share.

A Non Traditional Cake ... Really Non Traditional

Happy Birthday Lauren!! Yesterday was Lauren's 32nd and this year she decided to challenge my construction skills, patience, and ability to not eat ice cream the instant it comes out of the machine. I don't know how she found this, but What's Gaby Cooking had a crazy dessert she asked me to make. I've certainly made ice cream cakes before (in fact I think I made that particular one twice last summer) but this was something more.

I started with the brownies. I have to admit that I almost always use box brownies. I just have not found a recipe that makes better tasting brownies than almost any box mix. That is however, the only box mix I use. I poured the brownie batter in three 9" pans and after they cooled I wrapped them in wax paper and cling film. I had a busy week so I needed to make them well in advance and freeze them.

They really freeze very well.

That same night I started ice cream number one, mint chocolate chip. Both ice creams (yes both) were firsts for me. The mint chocolate chip was super easy to make. I have two recipes for it and decided to not use the custard-based recipe, which is usually what I use, but to make what is apparently a Philidelphia style ice cream:

3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
green food color

Heat the heavy cream until those small bubbles form around the edges. Do not let it boil. When you see the little bubbles, pull it off the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. After it's cooled to room temp add the peppermint and the food coloring. The food coloring isn't necessary of course, but mint ice cream just isn't the same if it's off-white, is it? I refrigerated the cream overnight and ran it in the ice cream maker the next evening. After it had partially firmed in the maker I added mini chocolate chips. It's always a little iffy adding solids to the ice cream maker. It hiccups a little and makes angry noises but hasn't broken yet.

It was very, very green. Also, I would recommend slightly less than a full tablespoon of peppermint extract. While it blended well with everything else in the dessert, on it's own the ice cream was rather too refreshing.

Then I made the chocolate chip cookies. Sure there are plenty chocolate chip cookie recipes out there; but why look anywhere other than the back of the Toll House bag?

There's just something about cookie dough that begs to be eaten, isn't there? I mean what's better than whipped raw eggs, butter, and sugar?!

Oh yes, when you add chocolate!

Yum! I also used one of my baking secret ingredients for the cookies. I don't use vanilla extract. I haven't since I really started doing a lot of baking. I only ever use real vanilla. It's not that inexpensive but I have been to Mexico a couple times in the last few years and while I do not bring back sombreros or tequila; I do bring home vanilla. Lots.

Also a side note to the makers of baking parchment paper. Love you, great product, but the size is a bit off. Have you ever worked with parchment paper? Sure the wideness is great if you're using it on a cookie sheet or something but when cutting rounds for anything less than a 12 inch cake pan you end up wasting so much. Case in point:

So I'm just saying, think about making a couple different sizes, eh?

Next was ice cream number two. I find it incerdible that after making ice cream for what, three plus years now? this is the first chocolate ice cream I've ever made. How is that even possible? Chocolate is my favorite! I guess it was worth waiting for though because this is seriously the best chocolate ice cream ever. Do you remember Jello Pudding Pops? If not I feel deeply sorry for you. No clue why they were taken off the market since they were some of the best things in the entire world. But if you have this ice cream you'd have an idea of how good they were.

1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla

Blend the sugar, cocoa and eggs until smooth

Bring milk to a boil in a heavy sauce pan. Unlike with the mint this time you actually boil it. Then slooowly pour it into the sugar/cocoa/egg mixture blending the entire time. My recipe book suggested using a food processor but I was too lazy to get mine down from its spot on the top shelf of the cabinet. And be careful, it will spatter.

Pour everything back into the saucepan and on medium to low heat stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk (I prefer whisk) until it thickens. I poured it back into the bowl again right away to help it cool faster. Once it was about room temp I put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight. One thing I like to do before putting these ice creams away to chill is to cover them with cling film; but not just cover like you do normally. I put the cling film directly on the ice cream.

This helps keep that nasty skin cooked milk things get. That's just gross. This one didn't go through the ice cream maker quite so well but I think it's because I hadn't let it freeze long enough.

The night before the birthday it was assembly time!! At this point you should have: 2 different ice creams, 2 9 inch cookies, and 3 9 inch brownies. Oh, you also need craem cheese frosting. Whip 1/2 stick soft butter, 8oz cream cheese, and powdered sugar to taste and ta da!

Step 1: Spread mint chocolate chip ice cream on top of brownie

Step 2: Press cookie gently on top of ice cream and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Spread chocolate ice cream on top of cookie, press brownie gently on top of ice cream, and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2. Freeze overnight.

Step 4: Cover with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting.

Step 5: EAT!

I think the above shot is worth repeating but with some handy Photoshop labeling so you can see the various strata.

Hmm...hope you can see that. It's much smaller than when I viewed it in Photoshop. But awesome right? It tasted pretty good too I must say. And I am happy to report that unlike my last post, this cake caused no breakdown or emotional outbursts of any sort.