Moravian Crisps With Royal Icing Food

MORAVIAN CRISPS WITH ROYAL ICING

Steps:

• Make cookies:
• Pulse shortening, brown sugar, and molasses in a food processor until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add to processor and blend just until combined.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly, allowing dough to absorb a little more flour if sticky. Divide dough in half and form each half into a 3-inch square. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a floured pastry cloth using floured sleeve-covered rolling pin until very thin (less than 1/16 inch thick), about a 15-inch square. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and, using offset spatula to transfer, arrange about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, 10 minutes. Let stand 1 minute on sheet, then loosen with spatula and transfer on parchment to a rack to crisp, about 10 minutes. If first batch isn't crisp, bake 1 minute more (on baking sheet), then bake remaining batches 10 to 11 minutes. Cool cookies completely on rack.
• Repeat with remaining dough (cool baking sheets and line with fresh parchment). Reroll scraps once for extra cookies if desired.
• Make icing:
• Beat together icing ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and beat until icing holds soft peaks, about 3 minutes more. If desired, divide icing and add food coloring.
• Fill pastry bags with icing and pipe decoratively on cookies, then let set, about 1 hour.

ANIMAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, occasionally scraping the bowl. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface 1/8th-inch-thick and cut into shapes with animal cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size. Cookies should be golden brown on the edges. After cookies have cooled and are firm, they are ready to decorate, if desired.
• For the decoration, fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip with Royal Icing. Place each cookie on a piece of parchment paper and outline it with a thin line of Royal Icing around the entire edge of the cookie. Allow the icing to set.
• Place 1/4 cup of Royal Icing in a small bowl and mix it well with 1/4 teaspoon of the egg whites or water. Continue mixing and adding egg whites or water until the icing is the consistency of maple syrup.
• Using a number 12 artist's brush push a few dollops of the thinned icing around the top of each cookie until it is completely covered to the edge. Allow the cookies to sit overnight to harden. Reserve the remaining Royal Icing.
• Place Royal Icing in a small bowl and mix in several drops of black food coloring. Continue mixing and adding food coloring until you have the desired color. Spoon the black icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip and outline each cookie with a thin line of icing and decorate, as desired. For each additional colored icing, repeat the process. Allow the icing to set.
• Place the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the eggs whites and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until the sugar and eggs are completely mixed and the icing is thick and white.

MORAVIAN GINGER COOKIES I

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, brown sugar and molasses until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice; blend into the creamed mixture. Work dough with hands until well blended. Cover and chill for about 4 hours. Dough must be thoroughly chilled to hold together.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll out dough paper thin a little at a time. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets.
• Bake 5 to 6 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

MORAVIAN SPICE CRISPS

Steps:

• Melt shortening in small saucepan over low heat.
• Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar, molasses and corn syrup.
• Set aside; cool.
• Place 1 1/2 cups flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in large bowl; stir to combine.
• Beat in shortening mixture.
• Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup flour to form stiff dough.
• Knead dough on lightly floured surface, adding more flour if too sticky.
• Form dough into 2 discs; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease cookie sheets; set aside.
• Working with 1 disc at a time, roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/16-inch thickness.
• Cut dough with floured 2 3/8-inch cookie cutter.
• (If dough becomes too soft, refrigerate several minutes before continuing.) Gently press dough trimmings together; reroll and cut out more cookies.
• Place cutouts 1/2-inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake 8 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.
• Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.
• Place small strips of cardboard or parchment paper over cookies; dust with sifted powdered sugar.
• Carefully remove cardboard.