• Artisen Cremin Buttercream Icing Recipe
• Buttercream Icing Recipe
• Carrot Cake Recipe
• Chocolate Love Cookies
• Cookie Glaze Recipe
• Dutch Chocolate Cake Recipe
• Dutch Sugar Cookies Recipe
• Dutch Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe
• Gingerbread Men Recipe
• Modelling Chocolate or Chocolate Plastique
• Nettie's Gingersnap Dough Recipe
• Pinched Orange Macaroons
• Pound Cake Recipe
• Royal Icing Recipe
• Tiger Butter Recipe
• William's Edible Cake Lace

Buttercream Icing Recipe

This recipe makes about 3 cups of icing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening white ( Hi -Ratio- sold in store  )
• 1/2 cup butter *not margarine
• 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract 
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk

Recipe

At room temperature cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla, gradually add sugar, one cup at a time. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Using the same ingredients as the above substitute 4 cups of icing sugar for 3 cups of icing sugar with 1 cup Dutch Cocoa Powder. 

Carrot Cake Recipe

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 c. honey
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. veg. oil
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. grated raw carrots
1 c. chopped nuts walnuts ( Optional ) 
1 c. raisins (Optional ) 

Directions

• Beat eggs, gradually beat in honey, sugar. Beating until light, gradually beat in oil, sift or mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Stir in Batter.
• Stir in carrots, nuts and raisins. Pour into greased 9" x 13" cake pan.
• Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes.
• Top with cream cheese icing 

Chocolate Love Cookies

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups Dutch cocoa powder (not mix)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 egg
1 tablespoon rum
1 package (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate
1 cup raspberry jam
Candy cherry halves
Pink frosting (recipe follows below)

Directions

1. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
2. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy in medium bowl with electric mixer.
3. Beat in egg and rum until well blended. Stir in sifted ingredients just until blended (add a bit more flour if dough seems sticky). Wrap dough in waxpaper and chill 1 hour or until firm enough to roll out.
4. Roll out dough to ¼ thickness with lightly floured rolling pin on lightly floured board. Cut to 1 ½ inch hearts, place on cookie sheet. Bake in oven 350°F 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool completely.
5. Melt chocolate.
6. Spread small amount of chocolate on flat side of cookie, spread other cookie with jam, sandwich cookies together. Let cookie sandwiches stand 1/2 hour, so filling firms up.
7. Prepare pink frosting, dip half cookie in frosting.
8. Pink frosting: combined 1 1/3 cups icing sugar (sifted), 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons rum. Beat till smooth, add tiny amount of pink food colouring.

Cookie Glaze Recipe

Ingredients

1 c. Sifted icing sugar
2 tsp. Milk
2 tsps. Light Corn Syrup

Directions

• Place sugar and milk in bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly.
• Add corn syrup and mix well.
• For filling in areas, use thinned icing. Add small amounts of light corn syrup until desired consistency is reached.
• This icing dries to a shiny, hard finish and tastes good too! Great to use for icing or to outline and fill in with a tip, either #2 or #3.
 

Dutch Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine
9 tablespoons Dutch cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Melt butter and cocoa (can be done in the microwave), set aside to cool.
2. Mix dry ingredients together.
3. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla into the cocoa mixture
4. Add cocoa mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour into greased pans and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Larger pans will take longer to bake. When toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, cake will be done.

Note: This recipe make 2 layers equivalent to a 2 layer cake mix box, or a 9" x 13" pan, or a standard size "character" cake pan. 

Dutch Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces Guittard white chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just to combine. Divide dough in half. Gather each piece into ball; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 325°. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using assorted cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps; re-roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out more cookies.
3. Bake cookies until pale golden, about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool. Repeat with remaining dough disk.
4. Spoon melted chocolate into pastry bag fitted with 1/16-inch plain tip. Pipe chocolate onto cookies. Let cookies stand until chocolate sets. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.)

Dutch Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

The recipe as stated above but substitute the 2 1/2 cups flour for 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup of our Dutch Cocoa Powder. Follow the rest of the recipe exactly as above.

Gingerbread Men Recipe

Ingredients

1 pkg. cooked butterscotch pudding (4 serving size)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon

Recipe

• Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add to mixture.
• Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
• Take out of oven and let cool and then decorate with a variety of candies, sprinkles and more. 

Modelling Chocolate or Chocolate Plastique

Modelling chocolate is the cake decorator's equivalent of edible Play Dough. Anything you can do with fondant, you can do with modelling chocolate, the only difference being a more delicious finished product. Modelling chocolate can be made with dark, milk, or white chocolate. The white chocolate version can be colored to make any color of the rainbow.

Modelling chocolate can be used to make 2-D and 3-D edible decorations that impress. This easy 2 ingredient recipe makes chocolate dough that you can mold, shape, cut, tie and paint to create whimsical or elegant decorations for cakes and desserts.

Ingredients

Van Leer Chocolate Snaps , 10 ounces
Light Corn Syrup, 1/3 cup
Optional: Powdered Food Coloring

Method

1. MICROWAVE INSTRUCTIONS: In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate in short intervals of 40 seconds at a time so as not to burn the chocolate, until the chocolate bits dissolve. Do not let the mixture get hotter than 100 F. Stir until smooth.
OR
DOUBLE BOILER INSTRUCTIONS: Place the chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler. Melt the chocolate. Be careful not to allow condensation from the water to get into the chocolate or it will seize up.
2. After removing the chocolate from the heat, stir it until it is smooth. When it is fully melted and smooth add the corn syrup. Stir and fold the mixture until it forms a thick ball.
3. Pour the mixture on to a plastic wrapped lined cookie sheet and spread it out with a spatula so that it is about 1/2" thick. Let the mixture sit and stiffen for about 2 hours. You can also refridgerate the modelling chocolate until it is set.
4. After the modelling chocolate has rested for a few hours break it into portions that you can easily handle. Knead the chocolate with your hands until pliable. The warmth of your hands will warm up the chocolate and make it easier to knead. Continue to knead until it is smooth.
5. Store the modelling chocolate in an air-tight container at room temperature until you are ready to use it.

Tips & Warnings:
o If modelling chocolate is too soft to work with toss it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to bring it back to good modelling consistency or add a small amount of corn starch
o If modelling chocolate becomes to firm, flash it in a microwave for not more than 7 seconds at a time or knead in a small amount of vegetable shortening
o Keep unused modelling chocolate wrapped in cling film sealed in a container to prevent it from drying out

o If you want to color the modelling chocolate use powdered food coloring or oil based candy coloring gels (not regular food coloring). Regular liquid food coloring contains water and it will cause the chocolate to seize up.
o Brush off excess corn starch after your design is complete. 

Nettie's Gingersnap Dough Recipe

Ingredients

9 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups molasses
1 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
2 tbsp. baking soda

To Prepare The Dough

• Whip heavy cream, add sugar, molasses, ginger, lemon rind and baking soda.
• Stir for 10 minutes.
• Add flour and "work" with hands until smooth.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Roll Dough

• Roll out on a greased and floured cookie sheet.
• Roll dough to a uniform thickness.
• Before cutting shapes, chill rolled dough on a cookie sheet in refrigerator or freezer. (re-chill as necessary to keep it "leather hard" and easy to cut)

To Bake

• Brush dough with water before baking.
• Preheat oven to 300°F and bake.
• Leave gingerbread on the cookie sheet until cool, takes about 30 minutes for large pieces

If you're interested in using our royal icing recipe or royal icing mix to ice your gingerbread, please click here for the recipe. 

Pinched Orange Macaroons

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1 pound almond paste ( sold bulk in store at the Scoop-N-Save )
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted plus more for surface and coating
1/2teaspoon pure almond oil
1/2 ounce orange juice
1 tbsp. orange emulsion flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest. ( 1 large orange )  

 

Instructions

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or non stick baking mats. 
• Beat 1 egg white, the almond paste, confectioners' sugar, almond oil, and orange emulsion with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 mins. 
• Add orange zest and beat until combined - about 1 mins
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. The dough will be quite sticky.
• Roll into two 3/4" thick logs, about 18" long. Cut each log crosswise into 30 - 1/2" pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Lightly beat remaining egg white. Brush onto each dough ball, and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand for 30 mins.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until pale golden, about 15 mins. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely. 

Note: Makes approx 5 dozen and can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week - if they last :)  

Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cake mix (We prefer Duncan Hines but you can use Betty Crocker ) 
1 instant pudding pkg. (4 servings size)
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Directions

• Mix all ingredients well.
• Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes
• Fits a 9" x 13" or 1 "character" cake tin.

Note: For white cake mix use vanilla pudding and for chocolate cake mix use chocolate pudding.  

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup meringue powder
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup water

Description

Royal Icing is a very hard icing, it is used for creating flowers and for covering fruitcakes and styrofoam wedding cakes. You need to use a good electric mixer because it needs to be beaten at high speeds. This icing should be made not more than 1 hour before using. It doesn't keep well and should be used as soon as possible. When working with royal icing you must keep the lid on the container or cover the open container with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying too soon.

Steps

1. Place the icing sugar and the meringue powder in a mixing bowl.
2. Turn mixer on at low speed, add water very slowly, (depending on measuring accuracy, you may not need all the water) increase speed.
3. Increase speed to high, beat at high speed for 3-5 minutes. Time will vary depending on mixer efficiency. The goal is to have a stiff mixture, one which will hold a stiff upright peak.
4. Place icing into a grease free container with a tight lid.

Tiger Butter Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound white chocolate
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup rice krispies cereal ( optional to add a little crunch ) 

Recipe

• Melt 1 pound of white chocolate over low heat. 
• Then stir in peanut butter and the rice krispies then pour into plastic chocolate trays (molds) or drop on wax paper. 
• Place in fridge to set for approx. 8 minutes. 
• Remove from trays, store in air tight container in cool place.
Note: This recipe can also be used with milk or dark chocolate. Try all of them, they make great quick treats.

William's Edible Cake Lace

Ingredients:

Tylose - 1 tablespoon
Boiling Water - 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
Icing Sugar - 1 tablespoons
Cornstarch - 2 level tablespoons
Meringue Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
White corn syrup - 1/2 teaspoon
Americolor White gel paste colour - 4-5 drops (or any gel paste colouring)

Directions:

1. Mix together All ingredients well, and make sure it is in a smooth spreadable paste. Let it rest for a bit so air bubbles come to the surface (at least an hour but overnight is better).
2. Using a plastic bench scraper, spread over lace mould and scrape excess off. Let dry for a few hours at room temperature or in the oven for 20 minutes at 200*. Remove and spread mix again over mould so it gets a second layer and strengthens the lace. Let dry again for at least 4 hours at room temperature or in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour approximately. The timings all depend on the oven. You will notice that the lace dries out and starts to separate from the lace mat.
3. Peel lace slowly out off the mat and place on a cake board and cover with cling film or place it in a ziplock bag until ready to use. It should still be pliable and can move it around to your requirement.