As I have mentioned
before, I am a cook, not a baker. Oh, I bake a great deal, mostly out of
necessity, but I'm just not passionate about being locked into formulas when I
can run free in the land of “a pinch of this and a
dash of that.” The truth is, baking
scares me a little. Sure, I can mix up a batch of drop cookies with ease, but
as cookie baking season approaches, the drop cookie just doesn't cut it. This
is the season of the shaped, cut-out, sugar-dusted, stacked, rolled, glittered,
assembled, gold-leafed, and otherwise artistically decorated cookies. It's
terrifying!
I'm no stranger to
the decorated cookie. Many of my efforts were miserable failures. You may
recall my attempt to rubber
stamp cookies. Then there were fortune
cookies (that I eventually
did indeed figure out, no thanks to Martha S. whose directions were all wrong),
and finally cookies with royal icing and edible
wafer paper. We're
talking weeks of my life that I'm never going to get back.
If you fear cookie baking like I do, then I have good news. That doyenne of desserts, the countess of cookies, Julia M. Usher, has an app. I was given a free download in exchange for an honest review and, honestly...it is fantastic! This knocks every other cookie and baking app right out of the ballpark. Trust me when I tell you that it will be the best $7 that you spend this season.
First of all, it is divided into three sections, beginner (yay!), intermediate, and advanced. Next there are ingredient and shopping lists for each cookie recipe, plus tips, techniques, detailed instructions, beautiful photos, a comprehensive list of sources for ingredients and supplies, and VIDEOS! You can watch Julia create some of the most amazingly beautiful cookies right before your eyes. It's as if you have your own personal pastry chef teaching you how to create edible works of art, step-by-step. I was mesmerized.
Take a look at some of the images from this beautifully produced app:
If you fear cookie baking like I do, then I have good news. That doyenne of desserts, the countess of cookies, Julia M. Usher, has an app. I was given a free download in exchange for an honest review and, honestly...it is fantastic! This knocks every other cookie and baking app right out of the ballpark. Trust me when I tell you that it will be the best $7 that you spend this season.
First of all, it is divided into three sections, beginner (yay!), intermediate, and advanced. Next there are ingredient and shopping lists for each cookie recipe, plus tips, techniques, detailed instructions, beautiful photos, a comprehensive list of sources for ingredients and supplies, and VIDEOS! You can watch Julia create some of the most amazingly beautiful cookies right before your eyes. It's as if you have your own personal pastry chef teaching you how to create edible works of art, step-by-step. I was mesmerized.
Take a look at some of the images from this beautifully produced app:
The various categories help you hone in on what you want to create.
In her videos you can learn all aspects of decorating.
This cute caterpillar cookie is for beginners and is really quite
easy to make.
Here is an image from the video in which Julia teaches you about
color dusting.
Lastly, look at these stunning cookies!
I don't know about you, but before I finished reading all of the recipes. I had the oven preheating and butter softening on the counter. Let this app be your gift to yourself this season, and prepare to dazzle with these deliciously decorative delights!
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Oh, so glad you enjoyed it, Pattie. It was a labor of love! Hope to cross paths one day soon in St. Louis.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful app Pattie, it definitely looks like it's worth the $7! I'm no baker but I have a hard time believing you aren't with those adorable edible paper cookies for MLW's birthday :)
ReplyDeleteNot a baker??? Those Forget the Cake Crumb Cake Cookies of yours will forever be etched in my mind, not to mention my tummy!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting app. I know nothing about apps and I can honestly say, I don't even have any, I don't think, lol...
Thanks for sharing, Pattie...
wow, what gorgeous creations! Wish I was so clever. I like the sound of the app :)
ReplyDelete