Ombre Creator Food

OMBRE EASTER EGGS

Steps:

• Bring 1/2- to 1-inch of water to boil in large saucepan on high heat. Carefully add eggs into boiling water using a large spoon or tongs. Cover. Cook 12 minutes for large eggs. (Adjust time up or down by 1 minute for each size larger or smaller.)
• Pour off hot water immediately and rapidly cool eggs by running them under cold water (or place in ice water) until completely cooled. (If not coloring eggs immediately, refrigerate eggs after they are completely cool.)
• Prepare each of the ombre colors below so that each egg is a different color. For each color, mix 1 cup warm water and 2 teaspoons white vinegar in small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Stir ombre color shade amount into the water until dissolved. Dip 1 hard-cooked egg into the colored water for about 5 minutes, turning egg occasionally until egg is the desired shade. (Use a slotted spoon, wire egg holder or tongs to add and remove eggs from dye.) Repeat for each egg and color. Allow eggs to dry.
• PINK OMBRE COLORS: Light Pink: Add 1/4 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.Medium Pink: Add 1/2 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.Dark Pink: Add 1 teaspoon Berry color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.
• YELLOW OMBRE COLORS:Light Yellow: Add 1/8 teaspoon Sunflower color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.Medium Yellow: Add 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.Dark Yellow: Add 1 teaspoon Sunflower color from McCormick® Nature's Inspiration™ Food Colors.

OMBRE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic and freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one disk of dough; let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then roll it out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of lightly floured parchment, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, refrigerate 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut more shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Let cool completely on wire racks.
• Place 1/2 cup buttercream in each of four small bowls. For the bright-pink color, add 1/4 teaspoon Berry food color. For the bright-red color, add 1/4 teaspoon Berry and 1/8 teaspoon Sunflower. For the bright-orange color, add 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower and a pinch of Berry. For the bright-yellow color, add 1/4 teaspoon Sunflower. Let stand 10 minutes before using to allow dyes to fully saturate.
• Frost a few cookies using an offset spatula, then add a couple of tablespoons of white buttercream to each bowl to lighten the colors. Continue frosting cookies, then adding more white buttercream to achieve an ombre effect. Reserve remaining buttercream for another use.