Join Julia as she shares her recipes for a sweet life, including tips for cookie decorating, dessert design, party planning, her favorite desserts, and more!
Julia M. Usher is a celebrated pastry chef, writer, and stylist whose work has appeared in Vera Wang on Weddings, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Better Homes and Gardens, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, Gastronomica, and nearly every national bridal magazine. Julia is Contributing Editor at Dessert Professional, a 2008 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards finalist, Immediate Past President of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and winner of Cake Masters' 2013 Cookier of the Year Award. She is the author of two cookie decorating books (Cookie Swap and Ultimate Cookies) and an app and 13 e-books on the same subject. When not making videos, she travels the world teaching her craft.
Hello, after 9 years are there any developments on these plant-based colors? Can you recommend any colors and also plant-based flavors without chemicals today? Thanks for the content.☺
@@ibraviragazzi Just the ones mentioned in the video; so sorry, I haven't spent time tracking natural food colorings since this video. But I haven't heard of any new advancements, so my best recommendation is to check out the brands already mentioned here.
I piped with royal icing here, as stated in the video title and shown in the video. Royal icing dries hard so the flowers can be easily picked up after a little drying time. Of course, you can also use the same piping process to make buttercream roses, but they will not dry in the same way and will need to be handled more carefully with other tools. I hope I've answered your question. Thanks for watching!
@@Andris227 I just know what brand I have - I bought it a kajillion years ago, so I doubt model numbers are event the same now. Here's a link to the basic type I have: www.amazon.com/s?k=marcato+atlas+150+pasta+machine&hvadid=241610809578&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9022874&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1653884533581005411&hvtargid=kwd-5022105945&hydadcr=13989_10211642&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_1mgfy6p8s1_e
Hi everyone just an fyi - I made these again - 32 this time. Even cuter and more perfect. Everyone loved them. Thank you very much for your kind past help Julia.
Hello Julia, in a home oven, can bake two half sheets at a time? If so, should I rotate the two sheets at midpoint. If I only bake one sheet at a time, I surmise that the 2, 3rd and 4th sheet will not "deflate" while waiting to be baked. Thanks much.
Yes, you can load more than one tray in the oven and rotate the trays to ensure even browning of the dacquoise. But every oven is different (as far as its hot and cold spots) so I would just suggest watching the dacquoise somewhat closely. Also, I usually don't pipe out my meringue-based desserts before I am ready to put them in the oven, as the very act of placing the meringue in the piping bag and pushing the meringue through it causes some deflation (and for the meringue to warm up, which can further speed deflation). So I just try to keep the meringue reasonably cool and unhandled until I am ready to pipe it and place it in the oven. That seems to ensure the puffiest results if I can't put everything in the oven at once. I hope I've answered your question.
@@JuliaMUsher Thank you sooo much for this quick reply as I am about to put a second attempt in the oven. I just need to beat the whites so this is all very useful. I messed up my earlier attempt for a reason unrelated to this question and which was my fault. Of course, it got me thinking and this info is so valuable to help with future success, btw, Congratulations on all your recent deserved awards . another btw: not sure if I posted elsewhere that I made the baby rattles again. I made 32 this last time for my other niece. OMG what another hit!! My niece tells me that guests are still talking about them. I gave all credit to you. As cute as they were, the best part was watching three youngsters actually eat and enjoy them, Thank you Julia.
@@emiliamartucci8291 Yes, I saw you mentioned the 32 rattles elsewhere and I think I commented, but, if not, congrats again. And thanks for all of the sweet words!
Would it be possible to put a thick cream one that isn't very watery so it won't work the cookie in the bottom of the teacup before you put the top with the ice melt on that way when someone breaks the isomalt top they find a creamy treat inside?
Sure - as long as you serve the cookies relatively immediately after filling with the cream, if the filling is perishable (as the cookies and isomalt really can't be refrigerated for too long, or the cookies will get soggy and the isomalt will attract moisture).
Use a credit card to move your paste evenly into the stamp pad. Try using an eraser on the polymer stamp before using it the first time. It has residual coating from the manufacturing process that needs to be worn off. I stamp greeting cards. Love your channel.
Thanks - I appreciate the eraser tip - I have tried lightly filing them, but didn't have success, so will try the eraser method. I don't think a credit card is an option for spreading the food coloring, just for sanitation reasons, and the paper towel method works just fine. So I'll probably just stick with that approach.
No, there is no exact height specification - I am not sure where you got that impression. For the 2-D Cookie and 3-D Cookie categories, the entries just need to fit within a certain space/area. So for 2-D Cookie, the entire entry must be no smaller than 1 x 1 foot (30 x 30 cm) and no bigger than 3 x 3 feet (91 x 91 cm). These measurements relate to the cookie or cookie composition and exclude any inedible baseboard, and are the width and length of the entry. There is no height constraint since they are flat cookies. For 3-D Cookie, a minimum of 12 decorated cookies must comprise this construction; there is no maximum cookie count. The cookies in the entry needn’t be flat; they can also be contoured, embossed, molded, modeled, sculpted, or otherwise shaped. The entire entry must fit into a 2 x 2 x 3-foot-tall (61 x 61 x 91-cm-tall, L x W x H) area. The entry may be smaller than this area, but it cannot be larger. Again, these dimensions relate to the cookie structure and exclude any inedible baseboard. So, again, there is NOT an exact height requirement, just requirements about the area/volume that the entry cannot exceed. And in the case of 2-D Cookie, the entry must also exceed the minimum 1 x 1-foot area. All of these details are spelled out in the rules in the Competition Overview post (link in the video description) for future reference, if needed. We have these constraints to ensure that entries are relatively apples-to-apples in terms of size, as it can be hard to evaluate a miniature entry against a ginormous one! :)
It would've been helpful if you had shared some of your pics/ ideas. I also wonder if the competition is upcoming or has it past since she's already won 3rd place.
Thanks for the input, though I am not sure what you mean by the first part. One of the primary objectives of this competition is for entrants to come up with their own ideas that fit the annual competition theme. However, examples of Susie's past entries are shown at the end of the video, to give a sense of her personal progression from beginner to more advanced competitor. All past winning competition entries are also pictured in various blog posts in the competition section of the Cookie Connection blog (here: cookieconnection.juliausher.com/collection/julia-m-usher-s-cookie-art-competition, though you must scroll to find each year's winner reveal). The 2024 competition is also ongoing, as is indicated in the video description under the player (click on SEE MORE to view the full description, which also includes a link to the 2024 competition rules and registration). Susie is a past winner, simply talking here about the virtues of competing in the 2024 competition. I hope I've cleared things up, and that you consider competing!
Yes, however, the acid in cream of tartar acts as a stabilizer and whitener to a certain extent. Without it, the (undry) icing may separate more quickly. You can substitute a little bit of strained lemon juice if you like.
My friend just asked me about how to make royal icing for sugar cookies and I remembered your name and the name of this video from like five years ago which is the last time I made those kind of cookies. But this video is the only video you will ever need. Thank you for having this available to everyone!
When I small my mom used to use the peel of the brown onion and it turned it the same color as the brown onions so maybe if you add the red onions peels to the beets it’ll give it a red color maybe
Thanks, and, yes, they get eaten. The project can be made within 24 hours once the cookies are baked, but the cookies don't get stale in that period of time. I look forward to seeing what you create!
This video and your work is absolutely amazing! Your instruction on stenciling and airbrushing in this video is beyond valuable. I look forward to watching more of your videos. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Hello from Greece. How long can you keep the cookies before eating them? I ask that because they have eggs. Where can you store before eating ? Thank you❤
This icing dries at room temperature (65F) overnight. Keep your cookies well-ventilated but in an area where nothing can fall on the icing (but do not cover the cookies or the icing won't dry). You can use pasteurized whites or meringue powder if you're worried about salmonella (substitutions are noted in my recipe), but the icing will not spoil in the time it takes to dry at normal ambient conditions.
@JuliaMUsher I will be making alot more of your cookies I hope im not really a baker but I do my best now that I'm retired my kids & grandchildren will appreciate some cookies 🇨🇦❤️
So glad to hear this - please email them to me, as I would love to see (sweetlife@juliausher.com)! Or join my Facebook group (Julia M. Usher's group: facebook.com/groups/1960903937472796) and you can post them there!
You're welcome, though I can't say I originated the idea. People have been making parchment cones for eons . . . but because I get so many questions about why I pipe with cones so often and how I make mine, I decided to answer those questions with a quick video!
Thank you for your sharing.please can you tell me What are the ingredients in grams for each recipe? I mean with white or dark chocolate and of course the quantity in grams of corn syrup. Another question is how long can i keep the modelling chocolate and where can i store it? Thank you very much.
Hi, all of these questions are answered in the recipes on my site, and the links to both of those recipes are in the video description under the video, which is where I always put recipe and key source links. So just look under the video player and click on "more", and all of the links will reveal to you. If you have lingering questions once you've read the recipes, I would be happy to answer them. But these questions are fully addressed in the recipes. Thanks for watching!
