For the last Dorie's Cookies Tuesday with Dorie this year, the recipe is Christmas Spiced Greek Honey Dainties. I looked at the photo of these in the book and wasn't taken with them, but the photo does not do them justice - these cookies are delicious, if a little fiddly.
First up, you make the dough, which is surprisingly sturdy. You can leave out the Christmas spices for other times of the year, but there was no way I was not going to make the Christmas spiced version. The smell of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves is just devine. The dough is shaped into little eggs and baked.
The cookies have holes poked in them before baking so that after they have baked and cooled, you can drench them in a honey syrup. After applying the syrup, you put chopped walnuts on top of the cookies, which adhere to the sticky honey syrup.
These cookies were fabulous - I had two in a row. I would definitely bake these again.
On Sunday, I attended a Christmas cookie decorating class at Miss Biscuit in Seddon. I did one of her courses over two years ago, but was intrigued by her Christmas cookies and wanted to know how to make them.
A few things have changed since the first class, with the equipment becoming a little fancier - a Joseph Joseph rolling pin instead of two dowels to measure cookie dough thickness, and proper cookie tools for the whole class instead of skewers. At home, I'll be doing it the old way! I don't make decorated cookies enough to worry about things like a dehydrator, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun.
I learned from the last time that when flooding cookies, you are better to go big, otherwise your flooding won't have a smooth finish.
I think you will agree that these cookies are just gorgeous. These cookies are iced gingerbread, whereas last time, I did a vanilla cookie selection. And yes, they are easy enough that this was the selection from the beginner's class. The white Christmas tree with roses was done more to show us the technique (which is nifty and very very easy.)
If you are interested in learning the art of royal icing cookie decoration, or just want to learn some new techniques, I highly recommend taking a Miss Biscuit class - she has shops in Sydney and Melbourne but also travels to Brisbane to host classes.
65a Charles Street
Seddon VIC 3011
Australia
I'd love to try Miss Biscuit's class, but doubt it since it's a long flight from Chicago. The cookies look excellent, Dorie's Dainties and the decorated cookies! I have fooled with royal icing but could definitely use a class for it. Those cookies from the beginner's class look perfect!
ReplyDeleteOoh I like Greek biscuits although they are super sweet with all that syrup. I must give these a go (and always with spices, all year round).
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of this cookie class! On my list for my next visit! Interesting that your dough was "surprisingly sturdy". Mine was soft as anything, when I tried to make he indentations in the top before baking, they nearly collapsed then :( Mine were not able to be picked up without falling apart, unless they were kept in the fridge. Also, mine made twice the amount of cookies using a larger scoop so obviously I did something wrong! They DID taste divine though!
ReplyDeleteI like to try spicy cookies. My tastes <3
ReplyDeleteI like your description of fiddly and I agree. These were surprisingly delicious. We enjoyed them and they have disappeared. I took some to work and they were well received. I love the cookie class you took. I don't know anything about cookie decorating and flooding but it looks fun. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Diane.
Deleteyour decorated cookies are soooo cute! i have never even tried royal icing flooding before.. i need to find a class here! love these dainties, too btw...i can see myself making them again.
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