Gingersnap Cookies

I have never had a gingersnap cookie that I can recall and I was looking for a new cookie recipe to try. I am never disappointed with Annie’s recipes so I tried these and they were so good! They have the perfect amount of crunch while also being soft. They are not too strong either so I was able to eat two .. or maybe three. (I might have lost count.) Haha.

Gingersnap Cookies

Source: Everyday Annie
Yields: 2.5 dozen cookies

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
• 1 cup coarse/sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Blend with a whisk or fork. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the canola oil, brown sugar, molasses, and 1 large egg. Mix with beater attachment. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture until well combined. 

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the egg white into a small bowl and the sugar into a separate small bowl. Dip the dough balls into the egg white allowing it to drip for a second and then into the sugar. Place onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and slightly flatten with your hand. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until the center is cooked and edges begin to crack. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day - Easy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day today! Here is a quick and easy treat to make for that special someone if you don't have a lot of time or money. I found strawberries on sale at my grocery store and dipped them in some chocolate. Once they dried (about 15 minutes in the fridge), I put some melted white chocolate into a ziploc bag and snipped the corner off. Instant piping bag!

To melt the chocolate without taking a lot of time or using a lot of dishes, simply place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and melt on the defrost setting in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Once it is melted, dip the fruit! Keep the fruit on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper in the fridge until they harden and enjoy!

Sorry for the gratuitous instagram photo, but I'm too sleep-deprived and exhausted from my son's teething shenanigans (yes, I said shenanigans) to break out the actual camera, get the lighting just right, etc. Thanks for understanding! :)

Halloween Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

I've made so many batches of these royal icing sugar cookies that I can now almost do it without a recipe. Well, at least the icing I can. For these scary Halloween cookies, I simply made a small batch of white royal icing and piped the ghosts, then dyed the excess orange with two drops yellow food coloring and one drop of red food coloring. It makes the perfect color orange! Once those dried, then I filled them in with a larger batch of icing, again starting with the white.

On a side note, a good friend of mine told me to just put some powdered sugar and a small teaspoon (or less) of meringue powder in a bowl. Then, slowly add a small amount of water at a time. If it gets too watery, add more powdered sugar. This will be your basic white color. I know most people use Wilton's coloring, but I have used it before and personally I think it tastes horrifyingly awful (words cannot describe how much I dislike them). Using basic food coloring actually doesn't change the consistency of the icing. If you feel like it is too watery from that, then just add a little more powdered sugar; no harm done!

Before the icing was dried I sprinkled the orange and black sugar sprinkles on the pumpkins and put red hots on the ghosts for eyes. Use what you have in your pantry! I had these sprinkles and red hots from previous recipes so I thought I'd use them up before they went bad. Be creative and have fun this Halloween!

Pumpkin Brulee

Usually I turn my nose away from any recipe that has the word "pumpkin" in it. Yeah, I know, it's totally un-American, but I just don't like pumpkin flavor. Well, ever since I made whipped pumpkin dip and pumpkin pie bars, I've opened up to using pumpkin in more recipes. When it comes to crème brulee, I'll try just about any version! I saw this recipe and just had to try it right away! I actually made three different versions and the one below was the best. I tried with and without granola and cane sugar on top. You can always tweak it, but this brulee is an amazing way to bring in the month of October and fall weather!

Pumpkin Brulee

Adapted from: Pillsbury

Yields: 6 servings

6 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

pure cane sugar, for topping

Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 6 (6-oz) ramekins with butter or cooking spray. Place inside of a 13x9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with wire whisk for 1 minute, or until thickened. Beat in sugar, cream, pumpkin, and spice until mixed well. Divide and pour into the six ramekins.

Pour warm enough warm water to cover the ramekins halfway up the sides. Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, until set. Carefully remove pan from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove rammekins from pan, dry off and wrap in plastic wrap. Place rammekins in fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tsp cane sugar on top of brulee and use small torch to melt sugar. Serve immediately!

Classic Cheese Ball

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!

If you have ever been to a dinner party without a cheese ball, I apologize. Cheese balls are the quintessential appetizer and have been for decades. I love most cheese balls, but there have been a few I didn't quite like. I wanted to be sure to make one that was amazing and beautiful, too, for our family Christmas dinner. I found a recipe that looked like a winner online and amazingly enough it turned out great. I will adapt it next time with different cheeses and maybe even use grated instead of shredded cheese, too. Adapt it how you want, but try the original first because it's surely a winner!

Classic Cheese Ball

Adapted from: About.com

Yields: 1 large cheese ball

18 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

8 ounces shredded or grated cheddar cheese

2 tsp grated onion

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

finely chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except pecans. Mix well with a hand blender to make sure everything is uniform throughout. Roll into a ball using plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove ball from plastic wrap and roll in chopped pecans to cover the surface. Rewrap cheese ball in clean plastic wrap and store in the fridge until the day you are serving it. Set cheese ball out 2 hours before guests arrive. Serve alongside a variety of crackers.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are such a classic cookie to make. There are always several variations and I can never quite get them the way I like (soft, chewy and the chocolate melty). That is, until now! I simply used a recipe my friend gave me for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and simply just used chocolate chips instead. It turned out great and unfortunately nobody got to taste them but my husband over the course of that week. ;) I guess it's a good thing he has a gym membership or we'd really be in trouble.

Chocolate Chip CookiesAdapted from: a friend

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pkg chocolate chips (about 12 oz)

Blend butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and baking powder in large bowl. Mix in flour and gently add the chips. Refrigerate for a few hours (optional, but helps to roll dough later).

Roll dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. With palm of hand or a flat spatula, flatten dough balls down. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to cool.

Soft Spritz Cookies

I’ve never made spritz cookies before, but I sure have eaten them. They are always very delicious and soft and just a little flaky. I wanted to make a perfect recipe but I knew that I would have to start small and tweak it as I went. This is a fantastic recipe to start with and I might add a little more almond extract or more vanilla extract next time. Other than that, these cookies were easy to work with and baked perfectly (even without my trusty Silpat). One change I did make in the directions below was to dye the cookie dough before adding the dry ingredients. That way, it has more of a chance to incorporate and you don’t get chunks of dye like I did the first time.

Soft Spritz Cookies
Adapted from: All Recipes
Yields: 4 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract (more if desired)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth on medium speed using the paddle attachment. Beat in the egg and extracts. Add food coloring if desired (mixture will be darker than cookies will come out). In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture on low speed. Switch to the dough hook about halfway through the flour mixture.

Using a cookie press fitted with the disc of your choice, press as much dough as will fit into the tube. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to press and bake 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 375˚F for 6-8 minutes until set (do not brown). Allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on cookie sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Cran-Blueberry Pie

I’ve never really liked cranberry sauce because of its tanginess. If they are mixed with a very sweet berry, however, they taste absolutely wonderful. I think that is what makes this pie irresistible. I made it a few weeks ago and I loved it so much I’m going to make another one for my family Christmas dinner (that my dad volunteered me to host this year). The main problems with my hosting a big family dinner is: stress and picking out food. I don’t know what everyone will like and I want to go out of the ordinary but I’m afraid people won’t eat anything or will complain. This year I’m going traditional with a few out of the ordinary extras. This will be something my family has never eaten and I can’t wait to see their faces!

Cran Blueberry Pie
Adapted from: Annie’s Eats, originally Bon Appétit
Yields: one 9-inch pie

For the filling:
16 oz frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
12 oz frozen cranberries (do not thaw) *
1 ¼ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cinnamon sticks, or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest

For assembling:
2 9-inch pie crusts
ground nutmeg, for sprinkling

To make the filling, combine the blueberries, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon), lemon juice and zest in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture has thickened and begins to boil, stirring constantly, about 14 minutes. Once the mixture begins to boil, continue to boil for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool completely before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Roll out one of the pie crusts to a 12-inch round. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust. Remove cinnamon sticks, if using, from the cooled mixture. Then, spread the filling onto the bottom crust in the pie plate. Roll out the second piece of pie crust into a 12-inch round and either cut strips for a lattice crust or place loosely on top of pie and cut slits in the top. Cut off excess crust and pinch the edges together and use your fingers to make a fluted pattern. Sprinkle nutmeg on top crust and bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes, rotating halfway. Be sure to place a drip pan underneath in the oven because this pie will get messy towards the end of the baking time. If the crust is browning too quickly, place foil around it and continue baking normally. Allow pie to cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

*If you can't find already frozen cranberries like I couldn't, then you can buy a 12 ounce package of cranberries in the produce section of your local store and keep in the freezer for this recipe.

Caramel Corn

Caramel corn is something I have never really took a liking to, but with most things I hated as a child, I absolutely love as an adult. I still don't like candy corn (seen in mixture above) but my husband does so I thought I would incorporate that into the mixture.

In lieu of Halloween and Thanksgiving that are both just around the corner, I decided to do a "theme week" here on my blog. About time, right? I just past my one-year blogging anniversary and it's about time to get organized. I need to try recipes in advance and then post them according to the appropriate holiday. The only part about that I don't like? What do I actually make for the holiday when my family is expecting something amazing? I figured that I would just repeat the successful recipes since they don't get to see or taste the first version; those are for me, my husband and our friends. ;)

Caramel Corn

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Christie's Corner

1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop the popcorn as desired (I use my no-fail Cuisinart popcorn maker from Williams-Sonoma). Place popcorn in two very large bowls with enough room to toss them later without the popcorn overflowing.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Meanwhile, to make the caramel: melt butter in 2 quart sauce pan on medium heat. Once melted, add in the syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a slight boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil undisturbed for 5 minutes. I had to keep an eye on the mixture as it would boil to the top of the sauce pan and I would have to lift the corner off the stove to let it cool back down.

After 5 minutes, remove mixture from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. Mixture will be bubbly and frothy, which is exactly what you want. Pour the caramel evenly between the two bowls of popcorn and toss with salad tongs until evenly coated. Lightly grease a few cookie sheets and lay the popcorn on them as evenly as possible. I used the suggested parchment paper (different than wax paper) so use that for an alternative.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Watch out for falling popcorn on your feet because it will be so hot it might burn you (trust me, I would know now). Test a piece of popcorn at 40 minutes and it should be crunchy and not soft or mushy. Place the baking sheets on wire cooling racks and allow to cool completely before breaking apart. Store them in an airtight container or plastic treat bags. They will not stay fresh more than a few hours in the open air.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I went out of town enjoying some beaches, booze and good friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. Here is a little goodie to get the weekend started off just right (possibly for next year)! I wanted to make some kind of treat for my coworkers since this past week was my last one in the office. Since it was right before the holiday I decided to make something festive! I made a batch of classic Rise Krispie treats and dyed some red and others blue! It has been a while since I had made these treats and I forgot how sticky and uncontrollable they really are. Below are some insights to make this a positive experience (aka not decorating your hair with marshmallow goodness).

The recipe I got was magnificent. Everyone commented that they were the best treats they had ever had. I guess it helps that nobody usually takes the effort to make these on a consistent basis. At any rate, I tried using parchment paper and that stuck to these like crazy. The best advice I have is to just put the treats (once cooked and mixed thoroughly) from the pan straight into a glass baking dish, greased, and press them into it to form one giant treat. The best way to press is to grease your hands with cooking spray and go to town. ;) Cut them later once they cool and you will have less of a mess.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from: Rice Krispies website

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 pkg regular marshmallows (10 oz, 40 marshmallows)

6 cups rice krispie treats

In a large saucepan* melt butter and add marshmallows on low-medium heat. Continue to stir until completely melted. Once melted, add food coloring (if desired) and mix well. Add in rice krispies and stir to coat evenly. Pour mixture into a greased glass baking dish and press firmly to take shape. Allow to cool for at least an hour and cut with greased cookie cutter or knife. Best if eaten same day of preparation but they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days as well.

*I highly recommend using a saucepan instead of a skillet or otherwise. The marshmallows take a LOT less time to melt and mix better in a saucepan.

Buckeyes

Buckeyes have been a family tradition of mine for as long as I can remember. Every single gathering, there were buckeyes. My mom's side of the family is from Ohio of course, so it had to be known. By the way that does make me an Ohio State fan, but don't worry my husband is anti-OSU and reminds me every Saturday in the fall.

Anyways these are a recipe I have perfected over and over so the recipe is flawless exept one thing: making the batter. Making the batter, because it is so thick, is a chore and a half. You have got to have good upper body strength for it. This stuff is thick and it really needs to be. The batch makes a lot because these little guys are small, but mighty. Yes, kinda like the football team. Oh, Jim Tressel .. you are our man!

You know I couldn't get away with writing a blog update about Buckeyes without mentioning the great Jim Tressel!

Buckeyes
Kelly's Kitch original

1 lb butter
3 tbsp vanilla
2 cups peanut butter (smooth)
3 cups powdered sugar
12 oz pkg chocolate chips
paraffin, quarter sized piece (optional)

Cream together butter, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix in powdered sugar a little at a time until mixture is firm and manageable. Roll into quarter-sized balls and place on cookie sheet and into the fridge or freezer to harden. After 1-2 hours, dip balls with toothpick in the middle into melted chocolate chips (and optional paraffin). Leave a small amount of peanut butter still showing at the top to imitate a real buckeye, as shown above.

Place back onto cookie sheet and remove toothpick. Place cookie sheet in fridge for another 30 minutes to harden. I usually leave them in overnight, however.

Peppermint Bark

I never liked candy canes as a kid and I have never grown out of it. I really only made this because I know my family loves chocolate, loves peppermint, and put me in charge of desserts for Christmas this year. Oh boy will they be surprised when I show up with this! No one in my family has ever made this before. My husband also doesn't like peppermint so I couldn't find a taste-tester although I did try a piece as I am the chef and it is my job. Definitely didn't outgrow the dislike for peppermint .. although the bark itself turned out well.

I got the idea from the Holman's blog and it looked so good I wanted to make some myself since I had a ton of leftover chocolate bags. I just went and bought some $1 candy canes and voila! Peppermint bark! It was really quick too! Only took me maybe 30 minutes to make and I didnt even have to turn on the oven.

One thing I wish I would have done was press the candy cane pieces down into the white chocolate after sprinkling them on it. When I broke the bark later, a lot of the pieces broke off the top. I thought about it but they seemed to sink into it fine. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Peppermint Bark

1 12 oz bag white chocolate
1 12 oz bag milk chocolate
6 candy canes
parchment paper

Place parchment paper into a jelly roll pan (deep dish 8x13 pan) with about 3-5 inches on each end for handles. Folding it in the creases helps for later. Melt milk chocolate in double boiler or in microwave on defrost setting (in 30 second increments). Pour into pan lined with parchment paper and smooth around pan evenly. I used a large spatula but the smaller the better. Wherever the chocolate goes, the chocolate stays and hardens. Even on the sides.

Then, place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes to harden. Meanwhile, crush 6 candy canes in ziplock bag with mallet or pulse in food processor. There will be some dust.

Melt the white chocolate and spread over top of the hardened milk chocolate layer. While white chocolate is still melted, sprinkle the chopped bits of peppermint onto the top of it and lightly press into the chocolate. Place back in fridge for another 15-20 minutes to allow to harden and pull bark in one piece out of pan and peel off of parchent paper to break into desired sized pieces.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

I promise this will be the easiest holiday treat you ever make. I made them a few years ago and they were such a huge hit at Christmas I had to make them again this year! They are so easy, too. You can customize them (thanks to Hershey's) to whatever suits your taste.

I used only chocolate this time around but last year I made hugs and caramel kisses with these too and they work great. If you like dark chocolate I'm sure they would taste fantastic as well. Me? I'm not a big chocolate fan so I made all chocolate because if I made the hugs, I would have eaten them all and I really don't need all those sweets right now.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

1 bag small pretzels (rounds or squares)
1 small bag M&M's (I prefer holiday colors since they are Chrismas themed)
2 small bags Hershey Kisses, your choice

Heat oven to 170 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with pretzels and top with kisses. Place in oven for 4 minutes, if using chocolate kisses. If using hugs 3.5 minutes is enough time. Pull cookie sheet out of oven and place an M&M on the top of each kiss and press until the kiss melts flat. If it is still hard inside, it needs to go back into the oven for a few seconds longer (20-30 second intervals). Place an M&M in the middle of each kiss and allow pan to cool a bit and place in freezer or fridge to harden. Then you may put into a cookie tin or platter to serve!

Note: I usually do each pan about 3 minutes apart to give myself enough time to finish the previous pan.

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

Making these pretzel rods has been an experience. I read several recipes online from several general websites and took the tips I could find to make my own recipe. I was mostly looking for a way to melt the white chocolate chips I had to make it smooth without a double boiler (as I don't have one). Well, I eventually found the best method on The Holman's Blog and when I put it on defrost, it worked perfectly. I will never forget my first, chunky batch. For time and sanity reasons I won't go there.

I already had a great carmel recipe from making my homemade carmel apples so I figured they would be perfect to put underneath the chocolate. I just didn't realize it would be such a long process. It is really worth it in the end though.

If you aren't one for carmel, then you can simply omit that section of the direction, but let me just say this: they taste like a twix bar but better. Yes, it's true. They are so delicious!!

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

1 bag pretzel rods
1 12 oz bag white chocolate
1 14 oz bag Caramels
2-3 tbsp milk
optional: holiday sprinkles

For caramel:

Melt milk and caramels in small, microwave-safe dish. Microwave in 30-second intervals sitrring in between until caramel is of a liquid and manageable consistency. Dip pretzel rods completely in caramel leaving a small section of the end uncovered (about 2-3 inches). If the dish doesnt allow this, you may us a spoon and spoon it on while twirling the pretzel.

Allow rod to drip excess caramel off for 10-15 seconds, flip rod completely upside-down (vertically) to even out for another 5-10 seconds. Then, place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until hardened (1-2 hours).

Note: Do not use parchment paper! The caramel will stick to it and you will have completely ruined pretzel rods .. that is, unless you like to eat paper.

For Chocolate:

Melt chocolate in microwave-safe dish on the defrost setting in 30-second intervals stirring in between until it is a liquid and manageable consistency. Dip the caramel-covered pretzel rods into the chocolate, spooning over if needed, and allow to drip from the tip for 10-15 seconds. Flip vertically and allow the chocolate to settle a bit and place back onto cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle the tips over the sink. Allow these to cool in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!

Royal Icing & Sugar Cookies

Waking up Christmas morning to open presents, eat cookies and play with your siblings. That is what these cookies remind me of. They are a classic and are the perfect (and I mean PERFECT) recipe. Annie's Eats is where I found the recipe for both the cookies and the icing. One batch and I was done. These made about 28 cookies and I used every last piece of dough. I made extra, don't worry.

The icing on the other hand I will modify for next trial. I have heard horror stories about how hard royal icing is to master but this was the easiest especially with her how-to instructions on her blog. I can't believe I actually made them and succeeded! I dyed the red batch of icing with the suggested Wilton's dye and I couldn't find it in green so I had to use my food coloring I had at home. I actually liked the taste much better of the food coloring batch than the Wilton's. That stuff just left a gross after-taste in my mouth and the icing never really set right underneath the top. Not sure why. Use food coloring and if the mix gets too watery, add a little more powdered sugar.

Another tip would be to do the icing of the cookies on a cookie tray. Don't worry about them sliding around, they won't. I put them on a dish towel and needless to say, that dish towel is in need of a washer! The cookies were superb and had a perfect hint of almond extract. The icing was great and I heard no complaints from anyone.

Sugar Cookies (about 28 cookies)

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1.5 tsp almond extract (I used imitation and it tasted fine)
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 cup flour

Cream butter and add in powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll into 1/4" thickness (or as desired) on well-floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Re-roll dough and repeat. Bake cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should not brown and they will not rise. Allow to cool before decorating.

When using royal icing, you have to have a lot of will power. No, not the Nascar racecar driver. Don't eat it as difficult as that is. :) When you make the batches of icing, divvy them up into sealable containers. The number of containers = number of colors you need. I used two different colors for one batch of 28 cookies and I had TONS of icing leftover so you could probably get away with 4 colors of icing with two batches of cookies easy.

Make the icing, put in piping bags with the couplers and tips and pipe the cookies (as shown above). I suggest Tip 3 as I had the best luck with this one (not popping the bag off the coupler). Allow those to cool (an hour or so) while the leftover icing is sealed in containers. You can leave the piping in the bags when not in use in a tall glass with a small amount of water in the bottom. Then add water to the sealable containers with the icing 1 tsp at a time so that the icing is more of a liquid consistency and drips off of a mixing spoon smoothly.

Then, spoon the icing inside the piped cookies. Using a bottle with nozzle works the best and is less messy. Help the icing reach the edges of the cookie with a toothpick until they look like the cookies below! As you can see I experimented with a few to see what I could get away with. Allow these to cool overnight and enjoy!

Royal Icing

4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp meringue powder (you can sub 2-3 egg whites for this)
5 tbsp water
toothpicks - for icing

Combine all ingredients with a mixer. Paddle attachment on a stand mixer is best. This will be the consistency of the icing that is piped for edging so if need be, you may add a small amount of water if it doesn't initially pipe through the #2 tip. After edging all the cookies, add about 1-3 more tbsp of water to the remaining icing in a tupperware container until it is smooth and drips off the back of a clean spoon. It should reabsorb into the tupperware container in about 10-12 seconds. It doesn't take much more water to get the consistency needed.

Note: I used to add enough water to make it the consistency on Annie's website but that was too much water and the icing never set. Use just a little less than is recommended on that website.