Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Eggsquisite Easter Cookies

Just back from a Florida vacation with (most of) my family. We were there to support our youngest daughter's marching band as they competed in DisneyWorld. Had a fabulous time, but I'm glad to be back and I'm now in the midst of planning Easter dinner here for a group of about 17 - 19 people. But before that - on Wednesday evening - I'm participating in "Bowls & Books" in Kenosha, WI. If you're in the area, please stop by my regular blog for more information. This is the 10th Annual Bowls & Books, a benefit for Rhodes Center for the Arts.


EGGSQUISITE EASTER COOKIES

Who says cookies are just for Christmas? Not me. I love cookies, and homemade
are the best of all. I found a version of this recipe in a magazine years ago and have modified it slightly to suit my family's tastes. The one thing I haven't altered is the inclusion of orange extract. That little zing makes these taste like spring. Very light, very sweet, these go great with a hot cup of coffee, not to mention how pretty they look on the table. Don't be dismayed by the fact that they need to be rolled out. Unlike some dough, this one behaves beautifully. Hardly fights back at all!

Egg-shaped Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, orange, milk, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients one spoonful at a time. You may need to add a teeny bit more milk, or just wait to add the milk as you add the dry ingredients. Makes the dough less likely to poof up and shoot flour at you when the mixer's going.

Roll dough out with floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters or cut out desired shapes free-hand (which is what I've done with the egg shape). Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets for about 11 - 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Cool on rack.



Eggstremely Easy Icing

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup of milk (give or take)
2 tsp orange extract


Add milk to sugar a little at a time until you reach desired "icing" consistency. You may use a bit less than the full 1/2 cup. Add orange extract. Separate mixture into several smaller bowls and color with food coloring. I used yellow, pink, orange, and purple, and I kept a small batch of white for decoration. Have fun decorating. Allow these to dry -- set them on a pretty plate -- and enjoy!!


Julie

Egg-shaped cookies give me the perfect segue to talking about EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS... but instead, how about I suggest signing up for my newsletter? I'll be running a brand-new contest in my next newsletter in anticipation of the release of GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, the first in my new Manor of Murder Mystery series. Sign up today on my regular blog - here!


And your last chance to enter Jenn's contest is fast approaching... Jenn McKinlay’s Sprinkle with Murder is now out in bookstores! If you’d like to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop, send us an e-mail at MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or leave a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of.


15 comments:

  1. Love the cookies, they definitely say Easter and fun. Those would make wonderful gifts for the holiday tucked inside a cute little Easter basket.

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  2. Oh, wow! Those are beautiful and so festive.
    Welcome back, Julie!

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  3. Welcome back, Julie, you were missed :)

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  4. Those would be a great addition to any Easter spread. You picked great color combinations for the icings.

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  5. Waving hello to you, Mason, Jenn, Shel, and Kristen. It's really nice to be home again. Loved the vacation and the Disney immersion (we open and close parks most days) but it's great to sleep in my own bed again and be back here with all you guys! Missed you!

    Julie

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  6. I'm an Orlando girl - isn't the weather lovely right now?

    This recipe sounds delish :) thanks for sharing!

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  7. Awww, they are so cute! Who says Christmas has to hog all the decorating? And kudos you for using all butter--sugar cookies just aren't the same without it.

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  8. They're beautiful! Makes me want to start baking (and eating...)

    I'm glad you had fun at Disney and are safely back at home now!

    Riley/Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

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  9. HI Juju - the weather was gorgeous. Loved it there. Only one day of rain, but it made for some fun and humorous stories later. We came back to 45 degree temps here, but we should hit the high 70s later this week, so I'm happy. We brought the great weather back with us!

    Sheila - butter for sure. Always butter. I have one recipe from my mom that requires margarine -- something about the consistency -- but other than that, I'm a butter girl. Yum.

    Elizabeth - thanks! I really had fun baking yesterday. And all the great Disney food is inspiring me to try new things. We ate very, very well on this trip. Now I have lots of new ideas for recipes.

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  10. BEAUTIFUL COOKIES, Julie. Disney can be quite inspirational! Can't wait to read your new book. Got to read a sneak preview when I finished Eggsecutive Orders. Nice!!
    ~Avery

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  11. Hey Avery! Thanks so much for mentioning the sneak peek at Grace Under Pressure in Eggsecutive Orders. I'm really excited. June is right around the corner for Grace's release. And then before you know it - July - and your first Cheese Shop mystery debuts. Can't wait!
    Julie

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  12. Julie, your cookies are beautiful! But shouldn't that be orange eggstract? ; )

    ~ Krista

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  13. Welcome back to the kitchen, Julie! What a festive and fun recipe. (Echoing Kristen...) The color combos you chose are gorgeous. What a lovely plate to offer guests with after-dinner java.

    Cheers and Happy Easter to you!
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  14. Krista - yes - LOL! How did I miss that one!

    Cleo - Great to be back here with all of you. Cookies and coffee... it doesn't much better than that, does it? Thanks!

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  15. Hey Krista and Cleo - I replied a while ago, and my comment posted but it seems to have gone AWOL now.

    In any case - thanks for the welcome back, Cleo. Very happy to be back -- and Krista, LOL - how the heck did I miss that one??

    Julie

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