C is for Cookie

As mentioned here, I thought it might be a good idea (not to mention an excuse for me to indulge in a spot of decorating!) to put up a post featuring the cookie component of this Spring/Easter class I'll be teaching (held on 1 March 2008 , 2 March 2008 , 15 March 2008 and 16 March 2008 - for all inquiries, please call Shermay's Cooking School at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg).

The recipe for Rich Chocolate Cookies (flavoured with Valrhona cocoa and Nielsen-Massey's awesome chocolate extract) makes an easy-to-handle rolled dough that's perfect for decorated cookies. As for Royal Icing, I've used a recipe based on egg white powder - I've used a meringue powder royal icing and classic royal icing (based on raw whites) in previous classes before and thought it would be nice to show another alternative that works just as well.

Beyond the basic decorating techniques (like outlining, flooding, drop-in flooding, overpiping, flocking and gilding) that allow you to craft one-of-a-kind cookies, I just couldn't resist adding cookie pops to the line-up.
These treats-on-sticks let you arrange the most unusual edible bouquets – such as this cluster of Tulip Cookie Pops - be it as a memorable hostess gift or party table centerpiece.

Learning how to use a petal tip or drop flower tip to create 3-D piped icing flowers opens up a whole wealth of decorating possibilities; I think these Flower Baskets show off the royal icing blooms to sweet effect.

And of course, no celebration of Easter or Spring would be complete without

Chicks

and Bunnies.

Putting together an Easter basket for a child? It amuses me to think of these Carrots as accompanied by an Eat Your Veggies label - for once, the recalcitrant little one won't need much persuasion!

Butterflies

and Dragonflies are just as full of fun and frolic.

Need something a little more seemingly grown-up? May I suggest some Gilded Eggs? While a touch of gold works its magic on designs far simpler, faster and less fussy (as will be shown during the sessions), I thought I'd show a sample here of the more ornate numbers possible should one be of the school of thought that more-is-more when it comes to decorated cookies. Admittedly, I was having a bit of a moment when icing these, having just re-watched Marie Antoinette recently (in case you're wondering, not so much for Ms Coppola's revisionist re-telling...is it just me, or are those props - heaps of Ladurée pastries and piles of Manolos - completely show-stealing?). But what with the flurry of scrolls and swags and flourishes, the results might just as well have been inspired by a jewelled Fabergé imperial Easter egg, no?

The Art Nouveau-inspired motif on the right is based on Émile Gallé's design of swirling anemones, as seen gracing bottles of the Belle Epoque cuvée.

I was really thrilled at how these Jasper ware-inspired cookies turned out the last time, so wanted to try a few left plain white-on-blue.