Sugar Cookies with Icing

This past weekend I was invited to a wonderful party hosted by my dear friend.  Everything was so delicious (as usual mashAllah) but I was really impressed by amazing cookies that she made.  They were not only beautiful but very yummy :)So I got inspired and found a whole list of easy recipes!  These cookies can serve as party favors, table decorations (they have a pretty good shelf life)or simply a nice gift to your friends, neighbors or teachers.  And with Ramadan coming up, this should be very useful inshaAllah.

This is actually from a website that sells Islamic stencils for baking.  

I noticed that a lot of websites advise putting thicker icing on the edges of the cookie so the actual icing doesn't "run".  You can find that icing in almost any store in the cooking section and it comes in a tube and has no gelatin alhamdulillah. 

COOKIE RECIPE (yields ~36)

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

ICING RECIPE (yields ~12)

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

assorted food coloring

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.  Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy.  If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity.  Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Fun summer recipes

STUFFED STRAWBERRIES

Ingredients:

-1 lb large strawberries
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
-3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary (some may already be hollow inside). Prep all strawberries and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off.

3. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving

RASPBERRY ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

10 ounces Vanilla Ice Cream, slightly softened
5 ounces Fresh Raspberries
Your favorite hot fudge sauce, optional
6 whole graham crackers, broken in half

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the softened vanilla ice cream and the fresh raspberries. Stir until well mixed.If eating immediately following preparation: Divide the mixture evenly between the graham crackers and assemble 6 sandwiches by placing ice cream on top of a graham cracker half, followed by warm hot fudge sauce (about 2-3 teaspoons, if desired) and then another graham cracker half on top. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

2. If preparing ahead of time: Press the ice cream mixture into a parchment paper lined rectangular plastic storage container (about 7 1/2 x 5 inches in size). Cover and freeze the ice cream until ready to serve.

3. Remove the ice cream from the plastic storage container and cut into 6 equally sized pieces, about the size of half a graham cracker. Place 1 ice cream square on top of a graham cracker half. Top with warm hot fudge sauce (about 2-3 teaspoons, if desired) and then add another graham cracker half on top. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

CHUNKY MELON SALSA

Ingredients:

1/2 honeydew melon
1 cantaloupe
1/3 jalapeño
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jar TOSTITOS® Salsa

Directions:

Finely chop first four ingredients. In large serving bowl, mix salsa, lime juice and chopped ingredients. Drain and refrigerate before serving with Baked! TOSTITOS® SCOOPS!® Tortilla Chips.

LEMONADE WITH BERRY ICE CUBES

Ingredients:

1 11.5-oz. can frozen concentrate strawberry or any berry mix juice
24 raspberries or 8 strawberries, sliced (optional)
2 quarts water
1 1/3 cups sugar (or more, to taste)

1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice
8 lemon slices
8 mint sprigs

Directions:

1. Pour the juice concentrate and 1 can of water into a pitcher. Mix to combine, then pour the juice into two ice cube trays, adding raspberries or sliced strawberries if you wish. Freeze.

2. Combine the 2 quarts of water and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir to combine. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Strain the lemon juice through a fine sieve into the sugar syrup. Chill. Slit each lemon slice once, from center to rind, then press the slits onto eight glasses.

4. Fill each glass with 3 berry ice cubes and the lemonade. Garnish with a mint sprig. Makes 8 glasses.

Courtesy of http://www.buzzfeed.com/tostitos/10-unique-recipes-to-get-you-excited-for-summer-4hwd

Homemade pita bread

I love pita bread with almost every dish and always try to have it fresh at my house but sadly I noticed it doesn't taste the same on the second or third day.  I knew that it wasn't that hard to bake but never really tried making it.  I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website and it seems very good.

• YieldMakes 8 pitas

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for bowl

Directions

1. Pour water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water, and stir to dissolve. Use the paddle attachment to mix in 1 1/2 cups flour. Cover bowl; let sit in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours, until dough has doubled in bulk.
2. Sprinkle salt over flour and yeast mixture, and add olive oil and remaining 1 1/2 cups flour. Mix on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a floured work surface, and knead about 10 turns, forming a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours.
4. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Turn dough out onto a board, and cut in half. Cut each half into four pieces, and form each piece into a ball. Cover them loosely with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. On a floured work surface, roll two balls into circles 7 inches in diameter and slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet until puffed and light brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat, baking two pita breads at a time.