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!

Gingerbread for Summer !

 
We love our gingerbread cookies around here.  Poor, neglected gingerbread....it only gets trotted out in December, but it's so, so good.

How about a summery spin on gingerbread?  It's completely EASY and you won't have to wait for December for your gingerbread fix.

Lemon Cream Gingerbread Cookies

You Will Need:

• your favorite gingerbread cookies
• royal icing flavored with lemon extract
• marshmallow creme
• lemon curd

 
Make the cookies and let cool.


Mix up some royal icing, flavor with 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract and tint with AmeriColor Bright White (if desired).

Top half of the cookies with royal icing. Add yellow sprinkles if you have 'em.

{Or do like I did and spend 30 minutes picking through jars of multi-colored sprinkles for the yellows. THAT would be a good project for your kids when you hear the dreaded "I'm Bored" this summer.}

 
Stir together 1/2 cup lemon curd (jarred or homemade) with 1/3 cup marshmallow creme.  Adjust the amounts based on how lemon-y you like it.


Then...

Plop some filling on the plain cookies and sandwich together.



Don't want to make the filling?  Skip it!  Top the cookies with a squiggle of lemon royal icing and a bit of yellow sanding sugar.  Voila! Gingerbread cookies for summer!

Do you love gingerbread?

Super Simple Summer Seashell Cookies

{***remember those "blogger fonts" that Kevin and Amanda posted? This is the "Bake at 350!" Very strange and cool to use your own handwriting as a font!***}

I have news for you...

IT'S JUNE!!!  Yes, JUNE!

Kiddo's last day of school was today.  Is it me, or are the school years getting loooooonger? I'm pretty sure when I was a kid, we got out in mid-May and school started again after Labor Day.  (And we walked to school uphill BOTH ways, in the snow, in Houston.) ;)

Anyhoo...kiddo & I decided to go with summer themed cookies as a little thank-you gift for his teachers.

The shells and sand dollar cookies are so simple to make, but I really love them.  Sometimes simple is good.

To make the cookies, you'll need:

• seashell-shaped cookies
• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Bright White and Turquoise
• icing tip #2 
• disposable icing bags
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks

 
With a #2 tip, outline the shell shape in turquoise.

Thin the white & turquoise 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 one side of the shell with thinned white icing.  Use a toothpick to guide into corners and edges and to pop and air bubbles.


Flood the other side with turquoise.

Let the cookies sit at least one hour.


With a #2 tip (I used a PME tip 1.5), pipe the detail.  Either lines....


....or dots.

Let dry overnight.

PS.....did I mention it's JUNE?!?

Pretty Pink Seahorses . . . and finding inspiration

Once you've been making cookies a while, finding inspiration is not a problem...

"Ooo...that lamppost would make a great cookie!  Gosh, I think I'll make doorknob cookies." 

But if you're looking for some really CUTE inspiration, look no further than a printable site, like that of Living Locurto.  Amy of Living Locurto has the *most fun* party printables that are sure to spark some awesome cookie decorating  ideas!

Take a peek at these:

• Tiffany-inspired birthday
• Lego birthday party
• Pink Owl birthday party

These seahorse cookies were made to go along with Amy's *darling* Mermaid Party printables.   Amy provided a template and the cookies were hand-cut around the design.  You can find the template on Amy's site, here.

{A note about using templates.  Hand-cutting designs is time-consuming.  One way to make it a bit faster is to use the template as a guide and then let your decorating define the shape.  You can see the difference above.  See how the one on the left has each little point and arch cut while the one on the right is just the general shape.}

To make the seahorse cookies, you'll need...

• Amy's template
• cookies....I made chocolate ones
• royal icing colored with AmeriColor Bright Pink and Light Pink
• disposable icing bag
• #3 decorating tip and coupler
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• Americolor Gourmet Writer in black

With a #3 tip (a #3 will allow the outline to show more), pipe the outline of the seahorse in the darker pink icing.

Thin both the light and the darker pinks with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring by hand until it is the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles and transfer to squeeze bottles.

Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the cookies with light pink icing.  Use a toothpick to guide into corners.
 
Going back over the same 6-8 cookies, add the cheek and stripe detail on top of the wet icing.  Also, fill in the "crown" and fin of the seahorse with the thinned dark pink.


Now add the light pink detail on top of the dark pink.

Let the cookies dry overnight.  The next day, add the eyelash detail with a food coloring pen.


 Want sand?  Crush up some graham crackers on a platter....you have sand.  (FYI...making sand takes A LOT of graham crackers.  Have a few boxes on hand. You can always spread the extras with Nutella....it's part of a balanced breakfast.)

Now, wouldn't your little mermaid like some pink seahorses?!?  
And, remember to check out Amy's Mermaid Party! 

*I'm linking these up to Cheryl's I'm Lovin' It party!*

It was an . . .

...itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini!

I thought we'd finish off Desserts for Dudes month by giving the guys a little eye candy cookie.

As Mr. E probably has guessed, this is as close to a bikini as I'm getting in this lifetime (or the next).  Enjoy, honey.

The bikini cookies are really simple  I outlined and filled in yellow royal icing; I used a combination of AmeriColor Lemon Yellow & Egg Yellow for this color.  The dots were dropped on while the yellow icing was still wet.  (A video of this technique is available here.)

To make the palm trees:

• Using #2 tips, outline the branches in green and the trunk in brown royal icing (AmeriColor Avocado and Leaf Green mixed, AmeriColor Chocolate Brown). 
• Thin the royal icing with water to the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes.
• Stir gently with a rubber spatula to break any air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.

• Fill in the trunk of the tree in brown.
• Fill in the leaves in green.

• After 1 hour or so, add the details to the truck in piping consistency royal icing, using a #2 tip.
• Let dry overnight.

• Prepare a "sanding sugar station."  You'll need:

1. meringue powder mixed with an equal amount water
2. sanding sugar
3. small paint brush
4. coffee filter

• Paint the meringue powder/water mixture over the edge of the cookie.
• Holding the cookie over the coffee filter, sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Shake off excess onto the filter.  
• Use the filter as a funnel to refill container of sanding sugar.

So, what did you guys think of Desserts for Dudes month?  I'll tell you our favorites:

• beer and hot dog cookies
• mocha toffee-crunch terrine
• Darth Vader cookies
• zucchini spice cupcakes

Alrighty...Desserts for Dudes month is officially over.  Bring on the pink and sprinkles!