Monday, December 31, 2007

Lemon Cookie Tree

2 years ago, when i had no idea about baking at all,
(i have just started getting serious this November,
so i'm still VERY new & got a lot to learn.)
i bought a pack of 4 japanese flowers cookie cutters,
but the dough got stuck to the cutter
(coz i didn't use any flour... duh!)
& i quickly gave up.

So recently, when i received a box of 10 mini-cookie cutters
as a birthday gift -- Thanks to ShirLing! --
I remembered how i failed last time,
& determined to conquer this quest > : 0














I set out to bake some lemon cookies.













I read a few articles/tips online,
learning that putting the dough in the fridge,
cooling the cookie cutters before & in between,
as well as being generous with flour --
are essential to success!

It was definitely labor intensive,
and i don't think anyone who has not baked
these 1 by 1 could fully appreciate them : 0

I guess part of it is that I was new to this,
and it took me a while to get the hang of this.

3 hours are a lot of time, don't you think? '_'
Hmm... I am convinced though, it's a test of patience
& perseverance, which are keys to succeed in every/any form.













I tried experimenting here:
Would it taste any different,
if i put the lemon glaze on the dough before baking,
or right after it comes out of the oven?

The answer is:
there's no difference in taste,
but i notice the ones i brushed with glaze before baking,
were apparently more brown when they came out.

Mmm... maybe i'll play with food color next.













The other essential skill to develop:
PACKAGING/PLATING.
The concept of a Cookie (Christmas) Tree dawned on me,
so I tried doing that twice.
1) [Above]
I just stacked them carefully on a CB twig plate,
and put clear cling wrap over it.
2) [Below]
I stacked & wrapped them layer by layer,
over each layer of cookie is 1 layer of green cling wrap.

Obvious 1) was more environmentally friendly,
but i feel that if i were to travel far with cookies,
or even ship them, I'd definitely go with 2),
coz it's safer & well-protected.














Yay!
Snowman delivery express! : D

No comments: