I made twisted tarelles (a traditional Italian Easter cookie) today! I was going to make flower piped butter cookies, until I realized it takes 4 sticks of butter (it makes like 50 cookies) and I only had two. So much for going out today just to find the almond paste I needed for it!
The tarelles were a learning experience. The dough was very different from doughs I worked with before. I tried to flour it a bit more until I realized they came out better if I just dealt with the wet dough. It was wet because it's easier to roll and twist that way. I made a few modifications to the recipe as well. Instead of cutting 1 1/2 inches of dough cylinder for each cookie, I cut 2 - 2 1/2 as I thought a thicker cookie looked much nicer than thin ones and they kept shape better instead of tearing. Also, I figured out how to get a nice layer of sprinkles on the top (shaking on sprinkles only led them to bounce off the cookie - none would stay!) Just before twisting the cookie together, I'd sprinkle down a layer of sprinkles onto my rolling board, and then as I twisted the cookie, it would roll over the sprinkles and evenly coat the tops. I know that seems simple but it took me a good five minutes to figure out (first I was frustrated at my bouncing sprinkles, then I tried hand puttin them on the tops, then I tried sprinkling the dough too early so that the sprinkles would be wrapped on the inside instead of the top part.)
They cooked perfectly though and cooled quickly. Once I did a pan or two full, I got down the twisting without breaks or mushing and I figured out how to make them thicker and still nicely twisted.
I'll have to add pictures later as my laptop is dead so I'm on mobile. Im taking plenty of pictures to remember!
I think tomorrow will be peanut butter cookies.
1) Why not cut the recipe in half then you could have still made them?
ReplyDelete2) How in the world do you find time to do all this?
3) How in the world do you find money to do all this?
4) Who has an appetite big enough to eat everything you make?!?!
1) I also had to cook, so I didn't want to use my entire stock of butter on cookies! No worries though, since I bought bulk of baking butter and made the cookies today.
ReplyDelete2) I don't know! I do my best to get the house all cleaned and errands run through the first half of the day. Then I get baths done and anything else Katie needs. Usually around 9 PM I get a few minutes to make batter. Then I go take care of a usually whining Katie and come back to finish later. It's all about one step at a time (and learning how to bake in fast forward!)
3) it's really not very expensive. The ingredients I buy in large bulk at membership warehouses, which I afford by putting only one or two ingredients for baking in at a time. Plus baking goods have been going on sale now that it's baking season. The equipment is expensive. I buy them all on amazon, where I get free shipping. These are bought with my money I make from online jobs and small allowances bill and I get weekly. I save it up then buy Christmas/birthday gifts, and then baking supplies with what's left. It's slow going, I still need so much but I'm working with what I have right now.
4) no one! I dont eat much of it bc doing that much work on any food makes me sick of it and Bill doesn't like desserts. I give most of the desserts away to my siblings and FIL. once I get better I'll be sending it to Bill's work as future advertising.