Desserts for Dudes : Fried Chicken Cookies !

So, here's our family chicken story.....



You know how we all ask questions to little kids, like, "What's your favorite color?" or "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  Well, kiddo was about 6 or 7 and a friend was asking him all of these questions....



She got to "What's your FAVORITE food?"  I'm pretty sure he said Skittles.  Next, she asked, "What do you think is the GROSSEST food?"



A horrified look crossed his face, he shivered a little, and said:

"Chicken....with the BONE in it."



Apparently, a kid in his class had a lot of leftover fried chicken in his lunchbox and our little sheltered kiddo had spent all his life (well, 6 years) eating boneless chicken breast.



So, that's our chicken story. 



Kiddo aside, I think meat on the bone is definitely MAN FOOD. Not that I'm opposed to a giant turkey leg at the Renaissance Festival, but I sure don't feel ladylike eating it. ;)



Maybe you'll want to make some fried chicken leg cookies for your man for Father's day.  They're really simple...let me show you how.



Psst...this is the secret ingredient...





Here's what you'll need:

• chicken leg shaped cookies (I used a template)


• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Super Black, Gold mixed with Chocolate Brown, and Bright White


• disposable icing bags


• squeeze bottles


• #3 icing tip


• toothpicks


• small paintbrush


• cornflakes


• and, optional, a KFC bucket :) 

 

With a #3 tip, outline the chicken leg in black. I used a #3 tip because I really wanted the outline to show.



Thin the white & brown/gold icings (reserve a bit for later) with water, a little at a time, until it is the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes.



Stir gently with a rubber spatula to pop any large air bubbles that have formed. Transfer to squeeze bottles.



 

Flood the chicken leg with the thinned icings.  Use a toothpick to guide into corners and edges and to pop and air bubbles.

 



Let sit overnight.





The next day, mix 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder with 1/2 teaspoon of water.  With a small paintbrush, brush the mixture onto the "meat" part of the chicken.  Sprinkle on crushed cornflakes.  Press lightly to adhere.





Let dry for 15-30 minutes.  Pop into a bucket from KFC...they'll sell you an empty for only 25 cents!





You know what would be really good with fried chicken cookies?  Mashed potato cupcakes! ;)



{Oh! And speaking of meat on a stick, I'm in LOVE with these corndog cookies from Munchkin Munchies!}

Make 'em for your favorite dude!

Dosey Doe : Stamped Fondant Cookies

 

There's a little place we like to frequent called Dosey Doe.

It's a coffeehouse/restaurant/bar/music hall with a Texas flair. 



So, one night as I was sipping a Shiner, listening to Two Tons of Steel, my mind went to cookies.  I thought maybe "branded" cookies would be cool....2 D's for Dosey Doe.



It wasn't until I started making them, that I realized they looked like they could be for a place called The Double D Ranch, and that just sounds like a Texas version of Baywatch.



Let me give you the low-down on stamping fondant.  Apparently, rubber stamps are NOT something you want to have come in contact with your food.  Who knew?  So, use a piece of plastic wrap between your fondant and the stamp.



To make "branded" cookies, you'll need:

1. fondant: homemade or Satin Ice (it's good!)


2. corn starch


3. rolling pin


4. stamps


5. Americolor Chocolate Brown food coloring


6. small paintbrush


7. fan paintbrush


8. tray


9. corn syrup

FIRST....don't get so excited over trying a stamp that you FORGET TO TINT YOUR FONDANT. I intended to tint the fondant light brown to look more like wood.



Roll the fondant out thin on a corn starch-coated surface.  Cut with the same cutter as your cookies.



 

Cover the fondant pieces with plastic wrap and stamp.





Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.





Paint the letters with brown food coloring with a small paintbrush. 





Using a fan brush, paint the wood grain on the fondant using Renee's technique shown here on University of Cookie.  The only difference being that you use the food coloring straight...no added water.



Let the food coloring dry.  To attach to the cookies, use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of corn syrup to the back. Place on the cookie to adhere.

There ya go...."branded" cookies.  Yee-haw!

I'm excited to experiment a bit more with stamped cookies!  What would you stamp?

Easy as Pi . . . Happy Pi Day (3.14)!

Today is Pi Day!  You know, it's March 14th....3-14.  As in 3.14.....



I might as well confess....we are a family of nerds.



We like math.  There I said it.  Ok, I will draw the line at Trig and doing taxes, but working out math problems with pencil & paper?  I like it.



{Kiddo is currently memorizing the numbers of Pi.  He is up to 41 places after the decimal.  Is there college scholarship for that? Because I'm pretty sure he can be up to digit 150 by 12th grade. ;)}



I made these for kiddo's math teacher, so our nerdiness has been made public.  I think she knows, though, because kiddo owns this shirt and wears it on "free dress days" at school.



Want to know where this awesomely cool Pi cookie cutter came from?  Copper Gifts.  You might need one.

Happy Pi Day!  How will YOU celebrate? 

And the Golden Globe (cookie) Goes to . . .

.....Jim Parsons (Sheldon) from The Big Bang Theory.



Here's the story....a sweet girl, Lindsay, who I used to work with actually knows Jim.  Yep, I know people who know people. ;)



Turns out that Jim went to the same high school I did although, I'm sure, MANY moons after I graduated.



I've always said that nothing makes me more nervous than making a logo cookie, since I don't have one of those handy-dandy projectors.  Well, I've amended that....nothing makes me more nervous than making logo cookies for a Golden Globe WINNER.

 

{You know what?  Everything looks better with a little ribbon....even a shaky logo.}





Did you know that the Golden Globe award has a little "filmstrip" wrapped around it?  I didn't, either.  That's what those dots and squares are supposed to be. (I used a luster dust called Golden Charm here....I love the color!)





Bazinga!  That's Sheldon's catchphrase.

Congratulations on your Golden Globe, Jim!  You're doing Spring, Texas proud! :) 

More Tasty than a Chocolate Frog

*Do you have the theme song in your head yet?*

Last week, part one of the movie of the last Harry Potter book was released.



We haven't seen it, yet, but I must tell you, we LOVE Harry Potter.  At first glance, it may seem a story of wizards, but at it's heart, it is a tale of the power of love, loyalty, bravery, sacrifice and friendship.

Once I thought kiddo was old enough, we started reading them together.  Actually, *I* read them...aloud, all 4,100 pages of them (to be exact).  Snuggled on the couch, under a pile of afghans, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and Dumbledore...they became a part of our lives.  Everyday we ended our reading with kiddo begging, "more, more!"

 

 

We waited for the last book to be released and I sobbed though the entire thing.  Not only was I going to miss Harry, but I knew this had been precious time with kiddo.  Yes, there would be more books to read together,  but these were special.

Want to make some Harry Potter cookies?  Here's what you'll need:

• royal icing in Americolor copper/flesh, super black, super red, and leaf green


• disposable decorating bags


• squeeze bottles


• icing tips in #2 and #1


• round cookies

With a #2 tip, outline the face in copper/flesh.

Thin the flesh color with water until it is the consistency of thick syrup.  Let sit several minutes covered with a damp dish towel.



Stir gently, transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill in the face.  Let sit a few hours.

With a #2 tip, outline the hair in black.

 

{Forgot to take pictures of a few of the steps here, but.....}



Fill in the hair in black flood icing,

pipe the glasses with a #1 tip,

pipe the lightning bolt with a #1 tip in red.

With the #1 tip, pipe a smile.

I've said it before.....do NOT try to cheat and use a baggie instead of a piping bag.  I slipped a #1 tip in a baggie for the eyes....not wanting to waste a piping bag for a few eyes.  Yep, the bag exploded and broke Harry's glasses.  Not even a "Reparo" charm could help me.





On the brooms, I tried a trick from Kudos Kitchen.  Painting on the wood grain.  Renee is a master of this; I'm still learning.  (You can see a video of her technique here.)

{Broom cutter from Sweet!}

Don't forget sweet Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl.

Ron & Hermione sittin' in a tree....

{JK Rowling...thanks for making Hermione a hero to "bushy-haired" girls everywhere!}

A special shout-out to Diamonds for Dessert!  Her Harry Potter cookies were a MAJOR inspiration to me and the first Harry cookies I'd ever seen.  (Love that Snape!)