Not Just for Easter 02

    Like I had said on Monday (Not Just for Easter 01), I am going to start posting some of the treats I made for Easter, even though most people usually only bake sugar cookies for Easter, Valentines and Christmas; with the hopes that you will get creative (change your cookie cutter, and sometimes even your food coloring) and use them for some other occasion / event (in that first posting, I listed some ideas). Please be sure and let me know what you do! :-> 

    Today I am posting the recipe for the Yellow Duckies. [Yes, the bunnies and the duckies are made from two totally different recipes.]

      I started making the dough (I was making this kind by myself) and didn't remember to start taking pictures until w-a-y in to the process. Sorry. But hey, at least it did come to mind part way through ;->.

     The recipe says to mix ingredients together in order given. The first first two ingredients are "oleo" and sugar. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term "oleo", it is a very old label for butter.  After measuring the sugar into a bowl, I place the  butter on top of it and microwave it till the butter is melted. After thourally blending the two together, I add the eggs. (Go HERE for some bonus tips about using eggs). Next comes the vanilla and then the flour and baking powder.
    I then add some yellow sprinkles. (I was making six times the recipe, but only added one small jar of the sprinkles.) Right then is when I thought of the camera.

    Once everything was combined thourally,( I found that when your doing multiple recipe batches like I was, the best (aka: easiest ;->) way to blend it all together is by hand.)
   Cover dough and chill (refrigerate) for two (2) to three (3) hours.  (I had added some Bonus Info. about this part in the '01' posting).

    The recipe then says to "roll out and cut with cookie cutters".  So, after removing your dough from the fridge, scoop out a blob of it and dump it onto a flour covered rolling surface.
    (yes, this picture is actually of the pink bunnies dough ....)

    Using a flour coated rolling pin (use your hand to rub flour onto your rolling pin), roll the dough out to about an eighth  inch (1/8 inch) thickness. (and so is this picture)

    Cut your cookies out as close together as you possibly can on your dough. The more times you scoop left over dough up and re-roll it, the more likely it is to bake up as non-moist cookies. (Bonus tip --> ) A good rule of thumb on this is, the first time, roll the dough out and cut out your shapes as close to one another as possible. Scoop unused dough up, lightly knead it together, roll it back out and cut shapes out again. This time (the third time), add more fresh dough to the leftover dough before you knead and re-roll it.
     (back to the right colored dough ;-p)

                    (dough before baking)
   IF you plan on making your cookies into sandwich cookies, then fill half of every (sprayed) cookie sheet with cookies cut out from one side of the cookie cutter, turn the cutter over, and cut out enough to fill the other half of your pan. That way you can put the flat side on the inside of the cookie and have the nice sides facing out. (<-- Bonus tip there)

        (baked cookies)


        A couple of days later, I made the frosting.  It was Easter morning (I had gotten behind on things while doing the "Baby Shower / Come Visit Time" ).  So I mixed the frosting all up and then had our "kids" frost them. Nope, no pictures :-[  I had dinner all prepped / cooking, made the frosting, and then went into the living room and crashed (my reign as "Ms. Vertigo continues). And NO, I am not showing you the picture of what I looked like by that point (even though someone did snap one of me). It's not a picture I even want saved!

    This particular cookie recipe is not accompanied by it's own frosting recipe, so I used my 'Cream Cheese/Butter' one.

    First, place both the cream cheese and the butter in a bowl together.

    Microwave them until the butter is pretty much melted (the cream cheese will be extremely soft).

   Mix these together (either by hand or by mixer). Add some vanilla and then powdered sugar. When it gets really thick, add some milk and your desired colored food coloring, if you so choose.  (Bonus Tip here --> for a really delicious frosting, use canned condensed milk for most of your milk.)

     Once it's a good thick smooth mixture, it's time to frost the cookies.
     IF your making them into sandwich cookies, frost the back side (the side that was sitting on the pan), let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then top it with another cookie, putting both 'back sides' against the frosting.  OR, you can just frost them as normal single cookies. Your choice.

    Now for the recipes:

  "Christmas Cookies"
      This recipe had been given to me by my friend Laurie W.
   3/4 cup "Oleo"  (aka: butter)
   1 cup Sugar
   2 Eggs
   1 teaspoon Vanilla
   2 1/2 cups Flour
   1 teaspoon Baking Powder
   (colored sprinkles if desired <-- my addition))

   Mix together in order given. Chill dough two (2) to three (3) hours. Roll out and cut with cookie cutter.
   Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until they just start to brown around the edges.

  "Cream Cheese/Butter Frosting"
       recipe made up by Cheryl B.

    6 to 8 ounces of Cream Cheese 
    6 to 8 oz. Butter
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    4 to 6 cups Powdered Sugar
    Milk (or Condensed Evaporated Milk) as needed
   Food Coloring to desired color
  
   Melt your butter and cream together in a bowl in the microwave. Blend thourally and add your vanilla. When blended, start blending in your powdered sugar. When it gets really thick, add some milk (small amounts at at time). Add more powdered sugar. More milk product. Blend in food coloring, if desired.
  Apply to cookies, or cakes, or bars, or graham crackers, making sure to do a 'quality control taste' first. ;->



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  I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

~ "Foodie Wednesday('s)", hosted by Bibi, at 'Daily Organized Chaos' (there is nothing wrong with living with chaos as long as it's organized)  (http://www.dailyorganizedchaos.com) 
~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts' (http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)
~ "What's Cooking Wednesday('s)", are hosted both by 'The King's Court IV' (http://thekingscourt4.blogspot.com/search/label/What%27s%20Cooking%20Wednesday) and 'Turning The Clock Back' (http://turning-the-clock-back.blogspot.com/search/label/what%27s%20cooking%20wednesday)
~ "Whatcha Makin' Wednesday('s)", are hosted by "bookaddict4real", at 'Scrapaddict4sure' (http://www.scrapaddict4sure.com/)
~ "Recipe Swap Thursday('s)", hosted by Alison, at 'Prairie Story' (http://prairiestory.blogspot.com/) 
~ "Full Plate Thursday('s)", hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/)