Edible Decorations
Posted January 22, 2006 – 9:34 am in: Uncategorized
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes. [A Foodie By Nature]
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed ground baking spices, as desired (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger)
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 stick butter
3/8 cup dark muscovado sugar (available in specialty food stores)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups prepared royal icing or 12 ounces confectioners’ sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons boiling water
Christmas sprinkles, nonpareils, edible sparkles and metallic balls
Gold florist’s ribbon for hanging.
1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, baking powder, spices and black pepper. Add butter and sugar, and process until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs and honey, and mix to blend. With processor running, gradually add enough of egg to bind mixture; all egg may not be needed. Divide dough in two, and shape into two disks. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 325 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out disks to 1/2-inch thickness; using cookie cutters, cut out decorations. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Use small end of an icing nozzle to cut holes in decorations through which ribbons can be threaded.
4. Arrange cookies on nonstick baking sheets. Bake until cookies are brown at the edges and have slightly risen in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes. (They will be slightly soft, and will harden as they cool.) Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
5. If necessary, thin icing so that it is slightly runny, but thick enough to make an opaque coating. Drip or spread icing using a teaspoon, and decorate with sprinkles, etc., as desired. When decorations are dry, thread with florist’s ribbon.
Yield: About 2 dozen.
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