Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: April 2011 - Lemon Snowdrop Cookies

I actually made two things for Iron Chef...one was a total flop.

I mean...it was so bad I won't include pictures, recipes, and I will never, ever, EVER make it again.

I will, however, create my own, and infinitely BETTER, recipe for it to try another time.

The other thing I made were these cookies...and they were okay. Half my kids loved them, the other half didn't.

They remind me of Mexican Wedding cookies...but with lemon. And they are awfully pretty to look at...

Lemon Snow Drop Cookies
 

Ingredients


* 1 cup butter
* 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon lemon extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 teaspoons lemon zest
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* 3 drops yellow food coloring


Directions 


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degree C).
2. Cream 1 cup butter or margarine and 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar. Add 2 cups flour, lemon extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; mix well.
3. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.
(now...I should tell you that mine baked up in perfect balls...making them hard to make into sandwich cookies...so I smushed them slightly with a spatula when they came out of the oven, so they would be flatter).
4. Put together with filling. Roll in confectioners' sugar.

 To Make Filling: Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, and dash of salt. Add 1/2 cup water, 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, and 3 drops of yellow food coloring. Bring to rolling boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minutes. Cool. Frost flat side of one cookie and put together with another cookie, sandwich-like. Roll in confectioners' sugar.

courtesy Shannan Johnson

Easter Story Cookies

We do this EVERY Saturday night before Easter...it's a great tradition to help little guys remember the true meaning of Easter...

Easter Story Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
Ziploc baggie
wooden spoon
mixing bowl
mixer
tape
Bible

1. Preheat oven to 300. Place pecans in Ziploc baggie and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Put baggie of pecan pieces aside for later use.

Explain that when Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

2. Pass the vinegar around the table and let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp vinegar into a mixing bowl.

Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19: 28-30.

3. Add egg whites to vinegar.

Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his mortal life to give us eternal life. Read John 10: 10-11.

4. Sprinkle a little salt into each childs hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.

Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

5. So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing!! Add 1 cup of sugar..

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know Him and belong to Him. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16.

6. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form (if you have a Kitchen_aid standing mixture that goes up to Power Level 12, it will take infinitely less time).

Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read John 3: 1-3.

7. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax papered cookie sheet (or aluminum foil sprayed w/Pam).

Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. read Matthew 27: 57-60.

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.

Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27: 65-66.

9. GO TO BED!!!

Explain that although they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

10. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!!

Explain that on the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

HE HAS RISEN!!!

Edible Eagles

Joseph had to make a dessert for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet Dessert Competition. The theme was "Americana", and the dessert had to be totally made by the scout. We searched on-line, and found this super cute recipe on http://www.familyfun.com/. It turned out great...so I thought I'd share.

We tripled this recipe to make enough for the entire Cub Scout Pack and their families.

Edible Eagles

1/4 cup of white chocolate chips

6 large marshmallows

Finely shredded coconut

Chocolate sandwich cookies (the recipe used chocolate-covered Oreos, but we used Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies)

6 Cashews

Decorator gel (the recipe called for black, but I could only find blue and green)

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler until creamy.

2. For each bird, drop a large marshmallow into the melted chocolate, using a spatula to coat it well. (We used a fork pierced in one end of the mallow. It was easier for Joseph to maneuver in the chocolate and roll in coconut {next step}).

(See...Joseph can dip the mallows with the fork while Nicolette looks on. The bowl next to him is filled with shredded coconut for the next step).

3. Remove the marshmallow from the chocolate and roll it in finely shredded coconut, leaving one end uncovered. (This is where the fork came in handy, too. It kept hands clean and one end free from coconut).

4. Immediately set the marshmallow, coconut free end down, atop a cookie.

5. Let the chocolate set a bit, then use a toothpick to make a whole in the side of the marshmallow and insert a cashew for a beak.

6. Finally, add the decorator gel eyes.

And the finished project is.... cute little Bald Eagle cookies!!!

They even won Joseph an award for "Best Use of Theme"...and a new Yo-yo for a prize!!

courtesy http://www.familyfun.com/