I have a 50th wedding anniversary wedding cake to do at the end of next month and she asked me if I would make some "fancy" cookies for it also. I am normally not a cookie maker and only have my personal favorites. I am not looking for a sugar cookie that would be flooded but something that would appeal to many guests along with the cake. Any thoughts or recipes would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance to everyone,
evelyn
Ina Garten's Rugelach is my number one cookie sold, many times with a wedding or celebration cake. They look elegant, are somewhat easy, and are also mine and my family's hands down favorite. I don't remember the price, but they are on my site.
I do cut each circle in 16 triangles, giving me 64 cookies.
I've tried others, but hers is the very best. Use a gourmet apricot jam. They are more natural. Raspberry is second best.
Susan,
Do you ever change the filling? I have seen some variations with raspberry preserves and chocolate chips. I was going to try that recipe at Christmas but since I was so strapped for time I opted for baklava cookie bars instead.
Annie
Thank you scp1127, they were a thought but, having never made them I was hesitant as to how difficult they may be to make. You have set those fears aside as I hated to make something I would not be able to do. thanks again.
evelyn
cakegrandma, they are easy and look and taste like elegant pastries. I am OCD in baking so I weigh my four balls of dough... don't skip any steps. I then measure my circles with a ruler. I cut the triangles with a pizza cutter. You can make the dough in advance and keep it in balls in the refrigerator. Because the balls are made separately, you can change the flavor easily.
Annie, I was thinking that I didn't change anything, but I do. I change the raisins to craisins. I have changed the flavors but the favorite is apricot. Raspberry is good too, but my next favorite is the brand you can get at farmers markets and specialty stores, Stonewall Kitchens. They have a flavor called Holiday Something(?). It is a blend of I think raspberry, cranberry and some spices. You will know it when you see it. Orr's Farm market off of exit 12 has it and the apricot jamI use. I stock up on it when they put it on sale. Their market about two miles from me.
For people not in our area, Whole Foods has incredible jams. Red Fig is the best for me. The grocery stores seem to have either too much sugar or none. Tht's why I go to alternative stores for jams. Bittersweet Herb Farm has the best jams I have tasted.
Thanks for the suggestions Susan. I will write them in my comments for that recipe on Pepperplate.
I like Stonewall Farms products. I used their lemon curd for my wedding cake. I have got to look for that holiday flavor when it comes out!
Thanks again!
Annie
What about this one? Shortbread recipe from Sweetopia
http://sweetopia.net/2012/01/shortbread-cookie-recipe-alice-in-wonderland-cookies/
Thanks to everyone for all the answers and resources. I looked at the recipe on sweetopia's and found it to be very interesting and it could become a standby recipe for us.
evelyn
I make rugelach, too. They're my favorite cookie. Now, for cutting them, long ago I started using an adjustable pastry ring for the circle, and inside, a pie cutter that cuts them in 8 slices, and then I move the pie cutter to get 16 perfectly sized slices in the dough.
They're easy to make, but they're labor intensive for people who haven't made them before. I've gotten friends to make them and they've had a bad time with the dough, even after putting it in the fridge. So practice before you make them! Once you get the hang of it, they're fast to make.
These are my tools, if you ever want to try it that way.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00359KD78/?tag=cakecentral-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C7O17C/?tag=cakecentral-20
BUT, there's a book of recipes I want to recommend for easy-to-make, delicious cookies that can be used for weddings. One Girl Cookies (in Brooklyn) have made cookies for a lot of events, including an associate editor at Martha Stewart Weddings. Her recipes work flawlessly (even for people who never baked before).
This is their website. I love their orange butter drops with shredded coconut.
http://www.onegirlcookies.com/sweets/
Thanks imagen for that info! I am wishing that I had done the rugelach now. Oh well, there's always this Christmas!
Here is one I have been wanting to try. Apparently it is epic. I am not a big fan of chocolate, but I will always eat a chocolate chip cookie with a tall glass of milk!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html
There's always next week, Annie. lol. Why would you wait till Christmas?
I've tried that chocolate chip recipe. I am not a big fan of chocolate either. I liked it, but it got thumbs down by my two chocolate chip cookie eaters! Mostly because of the bittersweet chocolate. I couldn't believe it. lol. And those same two people (a 7-year-old and a 50-year-old) can't get enough of the One Girl Cookies chocolate chip cookie. Maybe because it is crisp outside, cakey inside, and it has semi-sweet chocolate...oh well. But I liked them too! and I am not a chocolate chip cookie eater.
I am embarrassed to say that I only like milk chocolate. I know. I loves me a big Milka or Lindt bar from time to time. So if I tried that recipe I would probably use a combo of milk and semisweet chocolate.
Surprisingly enough I enjoy the smaller chocolate chip cookies from Panera which are very overdone. They are quite crunchy and I really like them.
I guess there is always next week, but my freezer only has so much space, LOL!
I think I would use milk chocolate in the cookies also. I really like the crunchy cookies, I over bake my molasses cookies just a tad and of course ice in the milk makes them extra good.
evelyn
I made the rugelache recipe from Ina Garten and I must say, Loved Them! They were not as difficult as I thought they would be and the flavor was out of this world. Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm so glad you liked them. They are our absolute favorites. They are always the first to go on a cookie or dessert buffet. When we assist at weddings, you can hear the buzz of comments about them.
I have a wedding coming up on June 2. We are making the cake, chocolate covered strawberries, and rugelach.. a mini buffet.
I took the cookies to my card game for the critique and just about everyone said they were great. Of course, had a few say they didn't like cookies or that they did not want one, their loss as far as I am concerned.
I even had one person tell me they were better than one of the restaurants here.
Next I have to try the shortbread recipe.
Thanks everyone once again for the help!!
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