Treats of Christmas continued..... Day 12 (FROSTING!)

Day 12:  Frosting

Can't have cookies without frosting.  Royal frosting is gives a wonderful appearance because it gets super hard when it dries, but doesn't taste too great.  On the other hand, buttercream tastes wonderful, but will only crust over, meaning it's still soft underneath.  I usually do Christmas cookies in buttercream because it tastes so good, but for school functions, Royal Frosting holds up well in the shipping process, and isn't so messy to eat. 

Buttercream based on Colette Peters Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (2 lb bag) powdered sugar
• 1/2  tsp almond extract
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• heavy whipping cream*, as needed
• food coloring, if desired

Directions:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl with the extracts until light and whippy.
2. Beat in powdered sugar, mixture will get very thick.
3. Thin out with cream using tablespoon amounts at a time, combining completely before adding more liquid.  If you make the frosting too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken.  If you plan on piping, keep the consistancy thick, because the heat from your hands will thin it out while you work.
4. Add any food coloring after the frosting is made.

* Note:  Milk can be substituted for the whipping cream.  I use whipping cream because I found it gives the frosting more of an oreo filling/ twinkie taste, and I totally love it that way.  If you don't want to open a 1/2 pint of whipping cream just to add a few tablespoons to frosting, milk was the original liquid used in the recipe.


 Wilton's Royal Icing

A few pointers for royal icing.  If you want to fill large areas quickly, put the thicker icing in a bag and pipe an outline, then thin out the remaining frosting until dribbled into the bowl, the dribble disappears after counting to ten.  Use a piping bag filled with the thinner mix and fill in the area as needed.  Also, the icing will not set if you use anything with oil in it.  The first time I made it, I added whipping cream for flavor... it made it taste better, but after drying all night, it was still a gooey mess.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 1 lb)
• 5 Tbsp water

Directions:

Beat all ingrediets at low speed for 7-10 minutes for a stand up, 10-12 at high speed for a hand held mixer, until icing holds a stiff peak.  If you want to thin it out, add more water a tablespoon at a time.  Divide the frosting up accordingly and color as desired.

Makes about 3 cups.