Wedding Cookies -- With The Look of Stained Glass

Martha Stewart Weddings posted this great recipe for Stained Glass Cookies.   Not only are these stained glass cookies visually appealing and perfect to give as wedding favors or display on your sweet table, they aren't hard to make. You will need a candy thermometer for the 'stained glass' part so keep that in mind before you get involved in the project and have to run out in the middle of your project to grab one. 

Black and White Floral Cookies

Black & White Floral Wafer Paper lets you make fancy wedding cookies without piping a lot of icing! To decorate cookies, simply trace the shape of the cookie you wish to decorate with a cookie cutter. These edible, sugar free printed wafer paper designs come in a variety of designs many of which are wedding appropriate.  Add a 3 dimensional effect by using small sugar pearls, dragees, sugar decorations and/or edible glitter. Adhere using a small dot of clear piping gel. Voila! Perfect wedding favors or cookies for a your sweet table.

Idle Hand Bars

Recipe and Photo courtesy of Eliazbeth at http://guiltykitchen.com/

Now that you've fallen in love with the photo, here's the easy to follow recipe for these to die for bar desserts.  Perfect for your sweet table or to give as favors for your guests.  To quote Elizabeth at Guilty Kitchen as to why they are called Idle Hands Bars "idle hands are the Devil’s playground and the Devil definitely made me make these, because they are sinful. Eat your boring, chocolate heart out, Devil’s Food Cake!"  So chocolate and peanut butter lovers you owe Elizabeth a huge debt of gratitude for your new favorite dessert!

Idle Hand Bars

Base Layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp. Cocoa

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup coarsely crushed pretzels

1. In double boiler (or a bowl resting over a pot of lightly simmering water), melt the first three ingredients.

2. While still over water, add egg and beat to combine (will thicken quite a bit here). Remove from heat and add crumbs and pretzels.

3. Press into an 8 x 8 cake pan. Set aside.

Middle Layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly.

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup smooth, natural peanut butter (no salt added, reduce salt accordingly if using salted)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1. Add peanut butter and butter together in small bowl.

2. Mix in sugar, salt and vanilla to form a thick paste.

3. Dump onto base layer and smooth over, patting down to make a flat, even layer.

Top (final) Layer

5 oz. Semi Sweet Choclate chips (or other fine chocolate)

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Pink Himalayan salt (or other fine sea salt)

1. In double boiler (or microwave), melt butter and chocolate chips together. Stir until complete dissolved and smooth.

2. Pour over peanut butter layer and spread out evenly.

3. Cool in fridge for about 5 minutes (should still be slightly soft on top but not warm).

4. Sprinkle, lightly, with Himalayan salt. Return to fridge (or freezer, if you’re in a hurry like I was), and let cool completely to become hard.

5. Cut into small squares and don’t say I didn’t warn you….these things are addictive.

You can freeze these too, might make them last longer and would let your make them ahead of time for a wedding.

Dress Up Your Cookie Favors

Many cookie favors today are designed to be almost too beautiful to eat.  You can order them online, from your local bakery, or if you're talented and patient, make them yourself.  Most cookies run about five dollars each.  You'll find they are usually fresher if you buy them locally instead of ordering from the web.  Be sure to buy a sample cookie to taste test since you want your favors to taste and look good. 

Cake Balls

Cake Balls (decorate in colors to match your theme)

Ingredients (Makes 36)

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Directions

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.

These are easy to make, don't need a lot of ingredients, and the only time consuming part is decorating them.

This web site sells the chocolate confectioner's coating that you need for this recipe, your local craft store probably carries it as well. You can buy higher quality chocolate coating but it's more difficult to work with. http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/candies/chocolate.htm . Your local craft store or Sugarcraft will also sell the candy cups to place your chocolate balls in for display purposes. They come in a variety of colors.

How to Choose Your Wedding Cookie Favors

When you start to consider what your wedding cookies should look like first consider the theme of your wedding.  Is it butterflies? tulips? hearts? All of these can be incorporated into your wedding favors.  You could also choose a cookie shaped like a wedding cake, a gown or a diamond engagement ring.  Another option is a cookie related to your venue site.  If you're having it at the zoo choose a popular animal or several.  Whatever you choose be sure to taste the cookies before buying them and find a reliable baker who understands basics of wedding favor cookies.  They need to be a sturdier cookie, not something that crumbles easily, and it should be something that can be easily iced.  Whatever you choose you cookie will add that extra 'something' to your special day. 

(cookie photo courtesy of The Flour Pot, Ambler PA)

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stick Favors

INGREDIENTS:
10 oz. bags of Pretzel Rods (plan to get about 20 per bag, which allows for broken/unusable ones)
12 oz. bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips or melting bark (1 bag will cover three-fourths of about 40 pretzels)
12 oz. bag of Nestle white-chocolate chips
Shortening
wax paper

Optional: sugar crystals, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sprinkles can be substituted to coordinate with your affair

Materials (from craft store like Michael’s)

Wilton brand pretzel bags (20 cellophane bags per package – each bag can hold 2 pretzels)
fine-tipped plastic bottle (like the hair-dye bottles)
Ribbon
Scrapbooking paper for favor tags or use ready-made tags (I incorporated the paper I used from our DIY invitations purchased at Target. A box of 50 invitations cost about $35. Visit www.gartnerstudios.com for samples.)
hole-punch
paper-cutter
scissors

Notes and Instructions
Use Microsoft Publisher to design and personalize our favor tags. Cut out the tags in a simple rectangular shape and affixed them to a solid paper for a visual border. (I’m sure there are fancier tags that could be made, but I am more tech-savvy than scrapbook-savvy. Use your strengths when creating your DIY projects and your personality will show through.) Double hole-punch the tag to feed through ribbon.  Make in advance and set aside.
To melt chocolates, use a TALL coffee cup to accomodate the depth needed to cover most of the pretzel.  Pour the chips into the mug with 1 Tablesppon of shortening.  Microwave 30 seconds.  Stir and continue to
microwave in 30-second intervals until almost melted. (Be sure not to overheat as this will ruin the chocolate). Put the mug in a pan of warm water to keep the chocolate fluid and warm.  Dunk your pretzel leaving enough of a tip to use as an edible handle.  If you want to add sprinkles, do it before the chocolate melts.  If you want to drizzle with white chocolate, place your pretzel rods on wax paper to dry after dunking.  Melt the white chocolate and pour into drizzle bottle.  Move left to right and right to left with the pretzels in a line, making a fast and easy way to decorate your pretzels.  You can also color your white chocolate. 
Let pretzels dry overnight and place in cellophane bags.  Tie bags with your favor tags.