What are we about here at Bakeroose?

Chef Stephanie Petersen is know as Chef Tess Bakeresse. She is joined in her cooking adventures here on the Bakeroose blog by her two sons, Little Man and Face. We also have regular posts from other Little Chefs who share their cooking adventures. Our kid's blog is a help to moms, grandmas, grandpas and caregivers. We want to help a whole new generation of cooks get excited about the culinary world. If you cook together and have the desire to join our Bakeroose, feel free to send an email to Chef Stephanie Petersen (chef-tess@hotmail.com). If we like what we see, we'll add your story! That simple. If you homeschool, welcome! We have a twice monthly bakeroose class that will be highlighted on this blog as a way to incorporate food science into your child's education. We hope you want to come back again and again. Even better, we hope you like it enough to want to share your cooking experiences and anything you learn along the way! We are so excited to hear from you! Chef Stephanie's main blog is http://www.cheftessbakeresse..com/

Cooking class information can be found here:

Kids Cooking Classes

Any class Chef Tess teaches with kids will usually be added here automatically! So...how cool is that?!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Edible Stained Glass Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments

Are you ready to make some cool cookies for the holidays? It's Chef Tess here, wanting to add a little fun to your days. Here's a great idea...

We've been making some Edible Stained Glass Gingerbread Ornaments Friday in preparation for the next segment we'll be doing on Fox 10 this upcoming week with Face and Little man. I first saw these Stained-Glass Ornaments on Epicurious.com. So we spent Friday morning crushing candy in the food processor and making the cookie dough.

Stained-Glass Ornaments

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used white sugar)
3/4 cup unsulfured molasses ( I used maple syrup)
1/3 cup water
6 ounces translucent hard candies in colors of choice, crushed (in a food processor)
Preparation1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the water. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Divide the dough into thirds. Divide each third into 10 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll each piece on a lightly floured work surface into a rope 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently trace the design of your choice onto the prepared cookie sheets (a wooden spoon handle or chopstick works well for tracing on foil). Outline each design with a rope of dough, pressing the ends together to seal securely.

6. Sprinkle the inside of each design with the crushed candies, dividing the candies evenly among the outlined designs and creating an even layer.

7. Bake in the center of the oven or until the edges of the cookies are golden and the candy has melted, 6 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets on wire racks until the candy hardens, about 5 minutes. Gently peel the parchment away from the cookies and transfer to the racks to cool completely.

Cookie Exchange Tip:
To make this cookie into a tree ornament, attach a loop made from the dough to the top of each cookie before baking. After the cookie is baked, thread a piece of ribbon through the loop and tie the ribbon in a bow. To make these ornaments at a party, prepare the cardboard patterns in advance.


There you go. I'll add more pictures soon on the process, but couldn't resist sharing the recipe quickly. Most likely you'll need adult help with this project. But have fun, we sure did!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Christmas countdown


Okay everyone, it's Little Man here. Hope you enjoy our Christmas countdown! I'm getting so excited for Christmas!!

Good luck troops

Christmas is coming!

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