Two or three weeks ago (last year), in my regular column "Computing With Bifocals" I mentioned the special cookies I make at holiday time. In a diabolical scheme designed to get their hands on some of these exceptional cookies for their own consumption, the Editor-in-Chief and the President asked me to create a batch of these cookies that feature the Apple and Macintosh logos and then write about it. I am always up for a challenge and I agree that it would be great fun to serve cookies decorated this way at parties and company gatherings. In fact, I plan to do so at my office where we are forced to use computers from The Dark Side. So following are my recipes, pictures of the finished project, and the logos I am attempting to reproduce.
Logos*
The first thing you will need are cookie cutters in the shape of an Apple and in the shape of a square. Apple shaped cutters are not hard to find (you have to add the bite), but squares are. And, while I know that you can try to roll out dough in such a way that you can cut squares, the square cutter would be much easier to use. I found both available at very reasonable prices from one source, Kitchengifts.com. You can actually go directly to the pages that feature the specific cutters. The apple cutter is available at www.kitchengifts.com/fruits.html. The square is available at www.kitchengifts.com/kids.html. I also found an apple cutter with a one piece stem, which more accurately matches the logo, at my local Linens and Things store. I actually used that apple shaped cutter and cut the squares with a ruler, wrapped in cling-type wrap to assure a sanitary surface, to measure and cut the square shapes.
Here is the recipe for both the cookies and the icing. Both of these recipes are also available on my personal web page along with other special recipes.
Nancyis All-Occasion Spectacular Cookies
I make these cookies up ahead of time and freeze them without icing them. Then it is a quick process to ice and serve at a momentis notice. After many years, I highly recommend that you use the butter and shortening as noted below. All butter makes them too hard and all shortening doesnit taste as good.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup real butter and 1/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2-1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
Combine butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Roll out 1/8 inch thick on floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Cook on ungreased baking sheet at 400 degrees until delicately golden brown - about 6 to 8 minutes. Just prior to serving ice with recipe below or other of your choice. To serve without icing you can sprinkle sugar on the top and/or mix into the dough 1 cup finely chopped nuts.
Cookie Icing
This recipe makes enough to ice one batch of cookies.
Ingredients: 2 cups confectionersi sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring A few tablespoons milk food coloring as desired
Combine sugar, salt, and flavoring. Add drops of food coloring if desired. Slowly add warm milk until spreading consistency is reached. Keep it thick enough to spread and hold shape.
Apple Shape
Cut cookies with apple cutter and then if necessary, on each cookie trim off the second apple stem and create a "bite" from the upper right portion of the apple. Any small, round, sharp object will work. I just looked through my existing cutters until I found one that would work. Bake as directed above. When completely cool, prepare icing. Make a full recipe, keeping it very thick. Divide small amounts into separate containers and add food color by the drop until you approximate the colors in the Apple logo (green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and blue.) Donit forget to make some all white ones to match the new Apple logo. You will want the different color stripes to line up and touch so just practice on a couple of cookies. It was easiest for me to just use regular knife tips to spread the icing. Where necessary, I used a toothpick to even up the rows.
Square Shape
You will need two shades of blue and some black icing to outline on these cookies. I first spread a thin film of the lighter blue over the whole cookie, and then using a tooth pick, I marked the line where I wanted the darker blue to end and let it harden. Then it was easy to go back and do the dark blue half, curving it as appropriate around my drawn line. The black line can be easy or hard, it is up to you. It depends on how much of a purist you are. You can use a decorator tube to layer on the black lines. The catch to this is adding enough food coloring to create black without making the icing thin and runny. I know that there is available on the market a dry, powdery food coloring product. However, I have tried it and I did not like the results. There is nothing to prevent you from using that instead of the traditional liquid if you wish. However, what I used and what I recommend is that you visit your neighborhood grocery store, go to the cake isle and purchase a small tube of Betty Crocker brand black decorating gel.
So there you are and here is a sample of the finished products. Remember this is not 9th grade home edu and you don’t get a grade, so have fun!
[Editoris Note: While we are certain that it will require several more batches of these cookies to do a comprehensive review, inital testing shows that these cookies kick butt! Seriously folks, you have not lived until you have eaten some of these cookies.]
Apple Logo Cookies*
*Note: The Apple logo and the Mac OS logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer.
Apple Computer has not endorsed this article or the making of these cookies in any way.
Take some pictures of your own cookies, and send them to me. I may post them in a future column.
Nancy has a Masteris degree in Human Services Administration and is a professional in the MHMR field overseeing the efforts of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to create and implement rules, state plans and manuals; utilization review and control; and program surveys for Medicaid funded programs operated by that Department. She has been a Mac user for 8 years.
Nancy has 3 children, 3 grandchildren and a cat named Socks. She likes to clean. This is handy because 2 out of her 3 children are slobs and her cat sheds. She welcomes your comments at [email protected].