Butterbeer Cookies . . . for the final Harry Potter movie !

*sigh* The last Harry Potter movie comes out on Friday...and I'm just not ready.

I've posted about my love of Harry and even made Harry Potter cookies before, but couldn't resist doing a little something to commemorate the last movie.

The cookies are a butterbeer sugar cookies with a butterbeer glaze.
 
The Hogwarts house crests are edible images applied to fondant.

But, not to fear if you don't want to make the edible images....the cookies with just the glaze?  "Bloody delicious" as I imagine Ron might say. (Is that a saying?)
 

 See what I mean?


My sign that I have something delicious on my hands?  Kiddo's nostrils flare.  What more evidence do you need?

If you are having a Harry Potter party, I beg, no, I INSIST that you make these cookies.
I'm a first-born and I'm very bossy like that.

Where would the sorting hat put you?
{OK...and don't you think sorority rush would be SO much nicer if there was just a sorting hat?!?} 

"You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart."

"You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil."

"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind."

"Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends."

{Source: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone}

Now, I know I wouldn't be brave enough for Gryffindor or cunning enough for Slytherin. There's no house that mentions eating sugar all day and avoiding exercise, so I'm not really sure where the hat would put me.

Butterbeer Sugar Cookies

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 sticks butter
1 egg 
1 tsp butter flavoring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg, butter flavoring, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.

Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. (The dough will be quite thick...you may need to knead in stray bits of flour from the bottom of the bowl by hand.)

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cutter. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Butterbeer Glaze
{This will cover 12 cookies...and I STRONGLY recommend doubling the recipe as you might want to put this in a shot glass and drink it straight.}

2/3 cup butterscotch chips (I used Guittard)
1/8 cup evaporated milk
1 TBSP light corn syrup
pinch coarse salt

Place all of the ingredients in a glass or metal bowl and heat over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler).  Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth.

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack on a baking sheet.  Pour the glaze over the cookies and spread with an offset spatula.  If using the fondant house crests, place these on the wet glaze to adhere.


So, here's to Harry, Ron, Hermione...and of course, JK Rowling.  Thank you for precious hours (and years!) spent reading aloud, snuggled under blankets with my kiddo.  Thank you for casting the *perfect* actors for the movies!  Thank you for amazing characters who will stay with us forever...Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Fred, George, Snape, The Dursleys, Professor McGonagall, Bellatrix and Mrs. Weasley (to name a few).

{I could go on....or maybe I already have?  I'd love to hear your favorites from Harry Potter!}

Our Four Left Feet

Mr. E & I got a little adventurous this summer.  We took country-western dance classes.  Oh yes, we did.

{These cookies were for our instructor, who was a riot, and who was very patient with slow learners.}

We decided that we have spent too much of our lives in Texas and Oklahoma to NOT be able to 2-step.

And speaking of which, Mr. E went to elementary school in California where he did not have the horror of square-dancing in PE.  In Texas, I guess it's required learning.  The 2-step really would have been more helpful. 


{pictures from our first class...some of the 168 or so taken by kiddo.}

Anyway, here's what we learned in dance class...

• there is a two-step and a TEXAS 2-step...and that other dance, the one with the shuffling, that's not a 2-step at all.  That's the polka.  (The polka!)
• we learned the regular 2-step and two TURNS!  (That made me feel very glamorous.)
• we need practice.
• the two most fear-inducing words in the English language, "change partners."

The cookies: I've made boot cookies before, here and here, but I changed them up just a bit this time.

You will need:

• cowboy boot cookies
• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor warm brown, chocolate brown and grey
• disposable icing bags
• couplers
• icing tips: #2, #1
• squeeze bottles (2)
• silver luster dust
• vodka 
• small paintbrush
• small ramekin

 
Using a #2 tip, outline the cookie with chocolate brown icing.  Reserve some of this piping consistency icing.

Thin the chocolate and warm brown icing to the consistency of a thick syrup. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for several minutes. Stir gently with a silicone spatula before transferring to a squeeze bottle.


Fill in the heel and top section of the boot with chocolate brown icing.


Fill in the main part of the boot with warm brown icing.

Wait 1 hour before adding the details.


Using a #2 tip, pipe a spur and star detail with grey icing.


Using a #2 tip, add the details in chocolate brown.

Let the cookies dry overnight.


Mix 1/4 teaspoon silver luster dust with several drops of vodka.  Brush on the spur and star.  The alcohol will quickly evaporate, so add more vodka to the mixture as needed.


I'm thinking that if we sign up for the intermediate class, I should bring these along every week as peace offerings for all those toes I step on during the whole "change partners" ordeal.  Cookies make up for squished toes, right?

Have you ever taken a dance class as an adult?

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?