Like most chefs I know, my cooking adventures too originate from seeing something and thinking, 'I wonder if I could do that...' I've seen hundreds of beautiful, intricate and amazing sugar cookies and I never thought twice about trying them. And one day it was just like, 'Hey... SUGAR cookies...'
Also, I'm crazy into Game of Thrones right now and I really wanted to geek out about it. Hence, decorated cookies. (The best part? At random intervals, such as coloring the red icing, I'd just suddenly think, "A Lannister always pays his debts." WEE!)
Anyway, I was so excited! I read a couple awesome blogs with tips and suggestions, I got all my plans in place and did each step by step. I tried Sweet Sugar Belle's sugar cookie recipe and she noted that she liked almond extract (as opposed to the traditional vanilla). I could not agree more! They held their shape pretty great and taste flaky and light. Great recipe!
I had this great plan for the sigils: I used trace paper on the actual print out of each then went over the opposite side with a food marker, hoping to transfer it to the dried icing. Yeah, that was a big NO. Nothing happened. So. Plan B: paint brush and free hand it!
That was not fun. Oh, how I longed for that projector that shows the image directly on the cookie to just trace along to! But (a couple hours later) I got all the sigils painted on (with a combination of black coloring and vodka).
Now, I made two sets of each color: one for piping and one for flooding. The flood ones were easy for the base but I set the bags of piping icing aside (standing in glasses with a damp towel at the bottom) while the cookies dried overnight. I go to pipe the next day and it's separated! Curses! So I rush to squeeze it out of the bag and mix hastily and rebag. Well. If I had any experience with decorating cookies, I probably would've noticed that the consistency had also changed. It was WAY thinner than I'd made it. So when I go to pipe my intricate designs? Yeah, it starts running EVERYWHERE. As you can clearly see from the pictures and the sloppy designs. I did what I could with a toothpick but the damn stuff dried so fast!
sigh. Oh well. If you squint, they're not so bad. But I've learned a valuable lesson (don't wait so long to pipe!) They're nothing like I hoped for but I can't see any experiment where I learned something as a failure so. [A type of] success!
HOUSE STARK
Sigil: direwolf
Words: "Winter is coming."
Sigil: direwolf
Words: "Winter is coming."
HOUSE GREYJOYSigil: kraken
Words: "We do not sow."
(ILU THEONNNNN)
HOUSE BARATHEONSigil: stag
Words: "Ours is the fury."
HOUSE LANNISTERSigil: lion
Words: "Hear me roar."
HOUSE TARGARYENSigil: three-headed dragon
Words: "Fire and blood."
(OMG MY FAVORITE; DAENERYS FOREVERRRR. FIRRRREEE.)
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6 comments:
I LOVE YOU FOR THIS. So cute! If I had any decorating skills I would so make these for the premiere. (And then I'd bite the Lannister lion's head off and cackle.)
- sarkastic
PEGS ILUUU! Thank you so much! And bite off the head of Lannisters? Yeah I could see that. lol. I had to give the sigils away; I couldn't eat the Starks, Greyjoys or Targaryens!
these are AMAZING! I'm definitely going to try these out. I may have missed it, but what type of frosting/icing did you use?
Hi finley! Sorry about that; I forgot to mention: I used Sweet Sugar Belle's Royal Icing recipe (http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/blog/2011/04/royal-icing-101-or-all-roads-lead-to-rome/) with clear vanilla extract (so the white didn't have any tint). I liked it but I might try the famous Antonia74's just to see if there's a difference in the finish; mine weren't really glossy and I expected brightness. But they tasted great! Good luck!
I am making these for my boyfriend! He is addicted! Thanks for the idea!!
nice winter is coming style :)
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