Springtime Cookie Bars

Apr 24, 2023

Springtime Cookie Bars – Candy Coated Culinista

I am the only household that has leftover chocolate consistently and this is just another great way to use them up.

Yield/Serving: 20
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 24 min.
Difficulty level is: Easy

Assembly

Ingredients
Cookies
⦁ 3/4 cups melted unsalted butter
⦁ 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
⦁ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
⦁ 1 tbsp vanilla extract
⦁ 2 eggs
⦁ 2 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ 1 tbsp corn starch
⦁ 1/2 tsp baking soda
⦁ 1 tsp sea salt
⦁ 2/3 cups milk chocolate chips
⦁ 2/3 cup Hershey’s Eggies dark chocolate, chopped
⦁ 1/3 cups Hershey’s Eggies milk chocolate, chopped
Frosting
⦁ 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
⦁ 1 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 2 tbsp milk
⦁ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
⦁ light blue food dye 1 cup Hershey’s Eggies chopped (whatever you have left over)

1. Preheat over to 350°F.
2. Spray a 9″ x 13″” baking pan tin and line with place parchment paper inside and spray with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer combine melted butter, brown and granulated sugar until combined.
4. Add in vanilla extract and eggs and continue to mix until incorprated.
5. In a separate bowl combine all-purpose flour, salt, corn starch and baking soda and whisk.
6. On low speed pour into bater and just combine.
7. Add in chocolate chips followed by eggies.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly using an offset spatula.
9. Bake for 24 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
10. Move pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
11. Using the stand mixer beat butter and confectioners’ sugar for 3 minutes until smooth.
12. Add in vanilla extract, salt and milk and continue until smooth.
13. Add in a few drops of blue food dye until the colloured desired is reached.
14. Remove cookie from pan and spread frostings over top until evenly spread.
15. Sprinkle the remaining Eggies over top.
16. Slice and serve.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
One of the most simple cookies I ever made. I’m not going to lie, I loved not having to portion out balls of dough and roll them. This made this recipe so so simple and adding frosting to cookies is something I am enjoying since I made those Lofthouse cookies. Why did it take me so long to do this. Of course these cookies tasted great and with that Springtime feel a perfect little added touch. Warning these are very rich and decadent. I suggest a tall glass of milk with these. I found these too sweet for me and I removed 1/2 cup of sugar and upped the salt a touch from this recipe as a wrote this up. That is the one thing I love about baking is when you have a great base there is room to experiment and get things to your individual liking.

Springtime Cookie Bars – Candy Coated Culinista

Chicken Confetti Cake

Apr 15, 2023

Chicken Confetti Cake – Candy Coated Culinista

It’s a little ones first birthday and that deserves the cutest most special cake I have ever made.

Yield/Serving: 4 – 9″ cake layers
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 40-45 min.
Difficulty level is: Medium, time consuming

Ingredients
Confetti Cake -Batch up and make one more time
⦁ 3 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ 1/2 tsp baking powder
⦁ 1/2 tsp baking soda
⦁ 3/4 tsp sea salt
⦁ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 2 cups granulated sugar
⦁ 4 eggs
⦁ 2 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 1 cup buttermilk
⦁ 1/3 cup rainbow jimmies
⦁ pink food colouring
⦁ 1 rice crispy squares
⦁ 1 wooden skewer, cut to desired height.
⦁ Fondant, red, yellow, orange and black
Buttercream (Inside layer) – Batch up if desired at a 1:1 ratio of butter to confectioner’s sugar
⦁ 4 sticks unsalted butter (2 cups), at room temperature
⦁ 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
⦁ 3 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 3 tsp milk
⦁ Purple gel or food colouring
Buttercream (Outside layer) – Batch up and make one more time
⦁ 4 sticks unsalted butter (2 cups), at room temperature
⦁ 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
⦁ 1 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 1 tsp milk

Assembly

1. Prehat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray two 9″ cake tins and place parchment paper inside and spray with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. Using a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. Using a stand up mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes.
5. Ensure to scrape the bowl during the process to ensure everything is well combined.
6. With the mixer on low add in eggs one at a time allowing each to combine.
7. Add in vanilla extract and combine and scrape side of bowl.
8. With the mixer on low speed alternate between adding in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk. (dry, wet, dry, wet, dry)
9. When everything is incorporated remove bowl from mixer and fold in the rainbow jimmies using a spatula.
10. Divide batter among the cake pans and slam down to ensure air bubbles are released.
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
12. Let cakes cool in the pan for minimum 45 minutes and then release from pan and turn out unto cooling rack to continue to cool fully.
13. Repeat to make the second batch of cakes but add pink food colouring to the second batch and no jimmies.
    Pink Buttercream
14. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment combine butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, milk until light and fluffy.
15. Repeat if you require more pink buttercream.
    Buttercream
16. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment combine butter, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, milk.
17. Repeat if you require more buttercream.
    Cake Assembly
18. Level cakes if necessary and save any pieces and set to the side in a bowl.
19. Place first cake on cake board on a cake stand and fill with pink buttercream.
20. Repeat two more times placing pink buttercream on top and ensure to flip the last cake upside to ensure a flat top.
21. Place straws into the cake to stabilize the cake and cut any excess tops of the straw off. (Ensure to place in a equidistant placement, so it will be easier to find the straw when cutting.)
22. Crumb coat all around with white buttercream and place in fridge and let chill for one hour.
23. Place back on cake stand and score the top into eight parts to allow for even carving.
24. Using a serrated knife start shaving down the cake until the desired body shape is reached. Remember take off little my little. You can’t add back.
25. Crumb coat again the shaved portion and place in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
26. Prepare piping bags with some different piping tips.
27. Prepare all the chicken decorations, eyes, beak, comb etc.
28. Decorate the cake to create a chicken feather texture.
29. Unwrap one rice krispie squares and shape into a chicken comb and cover in red fondant.
30. Place skewer in the center of the rice krispie squares and insert into the center of cake.

Tips
⦁ This recipe will have to be batched up so I made the cake recipe twice.
⦁ Inset straws to stabilize the cake.
⦁ One slice can serve two people.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
My Winter Toque Vanilla Oreo Birthday Cake was the cake I made to work myself up to this cake. I didn’t want these to be a fail and literally was ready to go to the Patisserie and pick up a backup cake if I did. These last two cakes have been in my mind mentally preparing for it and making sure I have an idea of what to do. This was my first time incorporating stabilizers and using fondant and this was my tallest and heaviest cake to date. I started off with the tiniest amount of fondant work; but you got to start somewhere. I still find fondant to be finnicky and I enjoy decorating designs in buttercream as it feels like when I am painting. However; this is the year I will push myself and I will be incorporating more and more fondant this year into my cakes.
Seven hours later my Kawaii style chicken cake looked like I envisioned. It tasted great and everyone like the look of it and most importantly it made it to the party in one piece and made for some cute birthday pictures.

Chicken Confetti Cake – Candy Coated Culinista

Easter Sugar Cookies

Apr 9, 2023

Easter Sugar Cookies – Candy Coated Culinista

My second 2023 goal is to start cookie decorating. This is a long time goal and I have finally decided this is the year. I purchased two cookie decorating books to help me with the tips and tricks of cookie artist I follow on IG one is even a Canadian and she’s local. One day maybe I’ll get to one of he classes to polish up my techniques when I start feeling confortable.

Yield/Serving: 3 dozen
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 14-16 min.
Difficulty level is: Medium, Hard. (It’s all relative as I’m a beginner)

From: The beginners guide to cookie decorating

Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
⦁ 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 2 cups granulated sugar
⦁ 2 large eggs (cold)
⦁ 1 tsp sea salt
⦁ 1 tbsp vanilla extract
⦁ 6 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ Easter cookie cutters – bunny, flowers, egg
Royal Icing (decorates 4 dozen cookies)
⦁ 8 tbsp meringue pwder
⦁ 3/4 cup water
⦁ 8 cups confectioner’s sugar
⦁ 1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Assembly
Sugar Cookie

1. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and cream butter and sugar together for five minutes. Ensure to scrape down the sides of teh bowl.
2. Add in the eggs and scrape down the sides of teh bowl.
3. Add in the salt and vanilla and mix on low speed.
4. Add flour on low speed until well combined. When dough pulls away from the side of the bowl it’s ready.
5. Separate dough into two equal sized balls.
6. Place one ball on a sheet of parchment paper and place place two 1/4″ dowels on either side, about 2″ away from the edges.
7. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough.
8. Roll out using a straight rolling pin, making sure that you are rolling over the dough and the dowels. (This will ensure an even slob of dough)
9. Repeat steps 6 to 8 with the second ball of dough.
10. Transfer dough on th eparchment sheets onto a flat board inside a zip lock bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. (Dough should be chilled prior to cutting) You can freeze at this point if desired for up to 3 months.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F.
12. Remove from bag and cut out shapes. (If using plstic cutters wait a few minutes as to not break the plastic cutters)
13. Using a small spatula transfer cut out to cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
14. Ensure to leave 1 1/2″ cm between wach cookie.
15. Place the baking sheets back in the freezer for 30 minutes. (this step is optional; but will help cookie not to spread further)
16. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.
17. Remove cookies from oven and leave on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
    Royal Icing
18. Using a small bowl add meringue powder.
19. Add water and let dissolve and set aside.
20. Sift confectioners’ sugar and pour into the stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
21. Add in meringue mixture.
22. Combine on low speed for 1 minute.
23. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
24. Add in vanilla extract and continue on medoim-low speed for 5 minutes scaping down the sides as needed.
25. The icing is ready when it turns bright white and is thick enough to hold a stiff peak.
26. Add colourants and get to the desired consistencies to decorate your design.

Tips
⦁ You can batch this recipe down. I did as I didn’t want to waste all these ingredients on a first attempt.
⦁ Dough can be made ahead of time and frozen. Place rolled out dough in between two sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and seal in a large zip lock bag and store in the freezer.
⦁ Take sheets out as you need them and thaw until firm, but no too hard.
⦁ The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
⦁ I used almond extract on the icing instead as I had that on hand and it’s colourless.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
These came out so much better than I expected for a first try the proper way. The cookie was a little sandy and firm and the decorating turned out ok. I found the blue colouring to be way more dry than the white even though it was from the same batch. I will have to fine tune that and work better on my flooding and edible marker decorating. I will have to read the breakdown on icing consistencies more to get what I need to line vs flood and later texture. Only up form here.

Easter Sugar Cookies – 2nd Attempt – Candy Coated Culinista