Floral Sugar Squares Recipes

Steps:

• Place the butter and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix with paddle attachment the mixture resembles small peas. Add powdered sugar, orange zest, baking powder and salt, mix to combine. Add egg yolks and mix jut enough to make a smooth dough. Do not over mix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. If your butter was very cold, you will be able to roll the dough immediately. If not, place it in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If necessary, remove the dough from the refrigerator. The dough will be hard when it comes out of the refrigerator and you will need to give it a few quick raps with a rolling pin to make it easier to roll. Lightly flour the dough and roll out into a 5 by 10-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut 1-inch square cookies and place them on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Arrange the cookies on a silicone mat covered baking sheet. Cut the stems from the edible flowers and place 1 flower on top of each cookie.
• Place the sugar, corn syrup and water in a large saucepan and cook to 320 degrees F. Pour a small amount of cooked sugar on the short side of a silicone baking mat placed over marble or granite. Use an offset spatula to spread the sugar evenly over the entire mat until it is about 1/16-inch thick. The spread sugar will cool very quickly but you want to use it while it is still warm.
• Overturn the sugar layer onto the cookies and remove the silicone mat from the thin sugar sheet. Use a mini-torch or heat gun and melt the sugar until it melds into the flower and coats the cookie. Use the heat of the torch to "cut" the cookies from the sugar. Move the finished cookie to a platter.

Steps:

• Combine pumpkin, sugar, and spices in a medium-large bowl. Stir in yogurt.
• Line bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2 inch pan with gingersnaps. Pour half of pumpkin mixture over gingersnaps. Repeat layers and freeze.
• To serve, remove from freezer, let set at room temperature for 5 minutes, and cut into s

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium; add eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture gradually, beating until incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Place 4 or 5 skewers on a parchment-lined baking sheet, alternating the direction the tips are pointed. Repeat with remaining skewers.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let 1 disk of dough stand at room temperature until just soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using a 3 3/4-inch flower cookie cutter (kitchengifts.com). Transfer to baking sheets, placing each cookie on a skewer, covering 2 inches of the skewer end. Gently press cookies down. (Cookies will stick once they are baked.) Roll out scraps once, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough. Freeze until cookies are firm, 15 minutes.
• Bake in batches, switching and rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies turn golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
• Spoon royal icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip, and decorate cookies. Let stand overnight or until icing dries completely.

Steps:

• Beat crust ingredients together until crumbly (mixer works well).
• Press mixture into a 9x13 baking pan (glass works fine).
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and chopped nuts. Pour over baked crust base and bake another 20 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.