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The Gypsy Spot

Cookie Class...

Classic Shortbread

1/2 lb. unsalted butter (cool, but not room temperature)

1/2 cup granulated, super fine, or confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached flour, less 2 tablespoons

1/4 cup cornstarch

Cream butter with sugar and vanilla until fluffy (at least three minutes).

Sift together flour and cornstarch. Add to the creamed mixture and blend until the flour is absorbed- do not over mix.

If the dough is too soft, refrigerate. Otherwise rol on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch in thickness.

Cut out shapes and place on parchment or silpat lined pan- refrigerate pan for about 15 minutes.

Bake at 325°* until creamy golden- not brown, about 20-25 minutes depending on size and thickness.

*did you know that to make the degree° symbol all you have to do is press alt and 0176 on the number pad (make sure that your number lock is on)? I just learned that.

Okay, here are the notes that I took while she was talking...

-she adds a little almond extract to this or almond emulsion... just a little bit

-this recipe can take on other flavors; citrus zest, ginger, etc...

-you can reroll this twice (so after rolling it once and cutting out, regather and roll out again. and then you can do that once more again).

-you should use a good European butter... they cost more, but make baking better. They have a lower water content... Plugra was the example she used. But she said if you can't find it, then that's fine... just use Publix or whatever.

-when you are done using your cookie cutters or cake pans or whatever, after washing them just throw them in the warm oven to completely dry them out... they will last forever this way.

-make sure the flour is unbleached b/c of the proteins

-she said she liked shortbread b/c it held up better and also b/c they don't have to be eaten immediately... they get better as they sit.

Meringue Powder Royal Icing

1/4 cup meringue powder

1/2 cup cold water

1 lb. confectioners' sugar (you only need to sift if you are using a 0 tip)

Add the meringue powder to the cold water and beat to the soft peak stage- about three minutes (you can't overbeat at this stage though). Add the confectioners' sugar one cup at a time, beating between cups. Beat for additional 3-5 minutes until the icing forms medium-stiff peaks. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

*This icing can be usting for several weeks without refrigeration.

-This is the frosting that we used to outline everything. It gets very stiff once it dries.

You can also use this frosting for the flooding by adding water (about 1/4 cup per cup of the above icing... add half of that and check consistency. Keep adding until desired consistency is reached). It will dry flat-looking, so if you want a shine add a little corn syrup or pasteurized egg white.

To check consistency of the flood icing:

if you draw a knife through the icing, the icing completely comes together after you count to ten. If the icing comes together before 7 seconds add more Meringue Powder Royal Icing to thicken. If the icing comes together after about 10 seconds add more water.

*This can last up to a week in the fridge covered.

We did not use the above recipe to flood... We used this one:

Glace Icing:

1 lb confectioners' sugar

3/8 cup (90 milliliters or 4.5 oz) whole milk

3/8 cup (4.5 oz) light corn syrup

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and milk first. The icing should be soft and have a heavy cream texture. Add the corn syrup and mix until combined. Strain this and push lumps through. Cover the icing until ready to use.

*This icing can last up to two wekks in the fridge, covered.

Cake Balls...

Go ahead and laugh at the name... Is it a sign of immaturity when you still laugh when someone says balls? Anyways... These seem to be all the rage on tons of food blogs (and Neimans is selling them in their catalog, so they have to be good right?), so I am jumping on the bandwagon. Devin's birthday is Saturday, so I made him some of these to take to work tomorrow. We have decided that this is just another sign of how desperately we need children. And Devin is such a good sport that he isn't even embarrassed to take them in... and he said people at work were looking forward to getting a treat tomorrow. So, I am not embarrassed for him either (but he did make me just put them on a platter... see picture below).



There are only three ingredients (and they are totally gourmet)...

1 box cake (any flavor... I used yellow cake)

1 can of frosting (any kind... I used cream cheese frosting)

dipping chocolate



All you do is bake the cake as directed (just use a 9x13 pan). I guess this makes it more than 3 ingredients since you will have to add water, oil, and eggs to make the cake... sorry for the misrepresentation.

While it is still warm, just crumble it up (I just used my hands... ewww...)

Add the frosting (I used almost the whole thing)

Form into balls (heehee). You can use a melon baller if you have one. I don't. Maybe I should invest. I just used my hands.

Put them into the freezer for a while.

A few hours later, melt the chocolate. I used the white chocolate stuff for these. Dip the balls into the chocolate and put on wax paper to set. I used lollipop sticks for these because I thought they looked cute. I then dipped them into various toppings (I used sprinkles, heath bar, and m&m's).


I know my directions aren't great, but there are tons and tons of sites with how to make them. Just google it and you will find much better directions than these.



People get very creative with these... There are tons of flavor choices you can mix and match. And you can make them look really cute too. Look at this site. They are all for Halloween, but it shows how creative you can be with them.



And the most important thing of all... Devin likes them! And he is pretty picky as far as what sweets he will eat!

The best granola ever...

Okay, I am by no means a gourmet cook... or anywhere close to it. I just know what I like to eat and can follow a recipe. I really think that people who claim that they can't cook just don't really like to. Anyone can follow a recipe. My latest obsession has been food blogs. I can't get enough of them. They normally have really good food by people who know what they are talking about when it comes to food and they have really nice pictures of their food. This will have none of those things. It will have recipes that I love and make often. I might put a picture or two if I can remember to take it before devouring it. I rarely make anything fancy... Devin doesn't appreciate it as much as the cost of it normally warrants and it is no fun to love it alone.

So, with all of that being said, here is my first recipe. It is truly the best granola recipe ever! Every summer (well almost every summer) we take a rafting trip with Devin's family and whoever else wants to come along (do you want to come next summer? We always have so much fun!). A couple of years ago we went to Steamboat Springs and camped out. Devin's good friend Cory and his wife Elena came with us (with their adorable kids). They are real campers... I mean, they can camp in places without running water and a toilet and be happy. This was not that type of camping trip. This was camping "Call-style." There were toilets, running water, and even beach volleyball. We had a great time.

Okay, so back to the recipe... Elena brought the best granola. I am not a granola fan. I mean, I can eat it, but I don't really go out of my way to get it.... until I tried this recipe. It is so delicious. And since it is called granola, it has to be healthy, right? And it is so easy to make. Trust me... you will love it!

Elena's Granola:

½ c. dark brown sugar (I have used light brown too and can't tell a huge difference)
¾ - 1 c. honey (I always use the full cup because we like things sweet)
¾ c. oil (I normally use olive oil or canola oil, but was recently told that some people think olive oil leaves too strong of a flavor... so use canola oil if you don't want that!)
2 tsp. vanilla
8 c. oatmeal (regular, not instant)
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. coconut (I often use more because I love coconut)
1 c. craisins (I use more because Devin loves craisins)
1 c. anything else you want (I don't normally add anything else, but I do know that people have liked almonds, sunflower seeds, and even those mini m&m's in it)

Preheat oven to 250°. In saucepan, heat sugar, honey, oil, and vanilla on medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add everything else. Stir well. Spread onto cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes (longer if you want it crunchier). Remove and cool for 10-15 minutes and put into tupperware. If you cook it by these directions, it turns out kind of soft, which Devin and I like.

Enjoy!