Archives for September 2015

School Bus Cookies

September 29, 2015 by sugarcoatednanagrams 6 Comments

In a blink summer was over and school was starting. The older I get, the faster the time flies. I don’t have school aged children, but I have five grandchildren who love school. It’s always an exciting time for them, and fortunately, their excitement is contagious.

Last year I made pencil, paper and chalk board cookies to celebrate the start of school. Unfortunately, the time crept up on me, and before I knew it, it was too late to get them done in time.

This year, Melissa asked me if I could make some school bus shaped cookies for Nate to give to his bus driver and the transportation department. They have been taking great care of Nate for several years, and Melissa wanted to thank them for all they do. I told her to send me a cookie cutter and I would give them a try. These cookies were so much fun to make. I love cookies with a little individual personality, don’t you?

I still struggle with icing consistency, and you can see that I tried a few different consistencies and tip sizes to get the grill/smile to look the way I wanted it to.

Needless to say, the recipients of the cookies were thrilled and very appreciative. I’m guessing that their jobs are pretty thankless, and it was an unexpected treat to get the cookies.

I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and royal icing recipe.

What I learned:

You can see from the picture that the cookies are two different colors. I didn’t color enough frosting the first time and had to color a second batch. This is a lesson I should have learned a long time ago. Always color enough for the whole batch because it is impossible to duplicate a color.

Have fun and let me know how yours turned out!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

September 24, 2015 by sugarcoatednanagrams 1 Comment

It’s been a long time since I have posted on the blog. I’m not exactly sure why, but I just couldn’t make myself sit down and do it. It’s certainly not that I haven’t been busy making yummy treats for and with my grandkids! On the plus side, I now have a few new blog posts lined up and ready to post.

Now, on to the pancakes. I have seen this recipe all over Pinterest for quite awhile, and they always looked fabulous. Unfortunately, Jim isn’t a huge pancake fan, and I have been trying to prepare more healthy meals, so I never had an “excuse” to make them. That changed in August when Melissa and the boys came to visit for a few days. Both boys love to cook, so I decided that we (they) could make them. One of the recipes I looked at used pancakes made from scratch. Instead, I chose to use Bisquick, because it’s so easy. My favorite pancake mix is by Krusteaz, but I seldom buy it because we don’t eat pancakes enough to justify it taking up precious pantry space.

The pancakes were such a hit that I made them with the girls when we were in Richmond a few days ago. Needless to say, they loved them too.

I don’t have many pictures that turned out very good. I have been really shaky lately, so most of my pictures have been out of focus.

Two of the recipes I looked at are from Making Memories with your kids and Recipe Girl. The Recipe Girl recipe includes a recipe for pancakes made from scratch, which I am sure is wonderful. The recipe from Making Memories with your kids includes three different frosting recipes. I used the cream cheese frosting recipe that is on the Recipe Girl site, but I think I will try the maple frosting that is on the Making Memories with your kids site the next time I make them.

All of the kids really enjoyed making and eating the pancakes, and I hope that you will enjoy them too. Please leave a comment letting me know if you enjoyed them or have any questions.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Category: Breakfast

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Ingredients

Ingredients:
PANCAKE BATTER either from a mix or from scratch
If using pancake mix, prepare according to package directions.
CINNAMON FILLING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Instructions

Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie or a squeeze bottle and set it aside
Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes. I added a little milk to make the glaze thin enough to drizzle.
Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.
Tips:
The brown sugar mixture will need to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to thicken up a bit. You don't want it too thin or it will run of the pancake. If you put it in a plastic bag you can squeeze the bag to get it all mixed together again before you use it. If you use a squeeze bottle give it a vigorous shake to mix it up again.
This recipe makes enough filling and glaze for several batches of pancakes. I kept it in the refrigerator and brought it to room temperature a few hours before I was going to use it again. There is enough sugar in the glaze that keeps it from spoiling at room temperature.

http://sugarcoatednanagrams.com/2015/09/24/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/

Cookies as a canvas

September 24, 2015 by sugarcoatednanagrams 1 Comment

Jim & I were in Richmond last weekend to do a tiny bit of babysitting while Tim was on a charity bike ride, and Audrey volunteered at the school fair. The kids always love it when I bring cookies to decorate, and this time I decided to try something different. Instead of using different colored royal icing, I wanted them to try drawing, stamping and painting on finished cookies. I knew we would have limited time, so I made the cookies and iced them at home before we left. The icing needs to be completely dry before you begin a project like this, so I made them a few days before we left.

The good, the bad and the really ugly! I’ll save the best for last. The stamping was a bust but it was my fault. I didn’t have all of the necessary supplies before I got there. The instructions I read said that you can use paper towels instead of an ink pad, but that doesn’t work very well. We will try it again after I gather the few things we will need for that project. The painting was okay, and has potential to be a really fun project. Again, I didn’t have all that we needed. A palette to hold the different colors and some finer paint brushes are a necessity. Gabriella painted the dark cookie that is in the upper corner of the photo. I didn’t notice until I got home that my photo of it is awful. In real life, the cookie was very cool. It was a night scene with a palm tree and a fading moon in the corner. It was very Monet-like. Gabriella (Gabi) also did the cookies that made a lot of people laugh and the cookie in the center. She has such a sparky sense of humor, and always makes me laugh. Nina was the most successful with the stamped cookie. The cookie with the lips on it is her creation. She gave me hope that we will be more successful the next time we try it. Nina also made the cookies with the 3 different kids on them. The kids are friends of hers from San Francisco, and the resemblance is very good. Sophia, a school friend of Nina’s, had spent the night before so she was there for the cookie project. She made the two cookies on the bottom and two others that got eaten before I had a chance to take a picture. Mi Mi is Sophia’s dog and the little girl is a portrait of Nina. Everyone had four cookies to decorate.

If you would like to try a project like this with your children or grandchildren, this is a list of what you will need:

Baked and frosted cookies. Bake and frost at least 24 hours before you will be drawing or stamping. I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and royal icing recipe.

I have three different brands of food writers. I like them all for various reasons.

Ateco Marker Style food writer, FooDoodler Food Coloring Marker and Wilton Food Writer Edible Color Markers

Uninked foam stamp pad

Americolor Gel Paste Food Color

Rubber Stamps. Like many of you, I used to be a scrapbooker. I have many, many stamps that I had never used that will be suitable for cookie stamping. If you don’t have any rubber stamps on hand, you can find them in any craft store.

I got the idea for stamping cookies from watching a Julia Usher video on the subject. Julia also wrote a blog post on the subject.

I will do another blog post on painting on cookies when I have it all figured out. Until then, try these projects and let me know if you had as much fun as I did while doing it with the children.

I have included links to the product pages that I used when purchasing the markers, gel colors and the stamp pads. I can’t imagine that I will be posting links very often, but in the interest of full disclosure, if you buy anything using my link, I will get a small commission.