Speak Cookie

How To Speak Cookie Decorating;

A Glossary Of Exotic and Commonly Used Cookie Decorating Terms

All-purpose Flour: The type of flour that should be used when a recipe calls for “flour,” without designating a certain type. It is an equal mix of cake and bread flours and comes either bleached or non-bleached. Baking Paper: Parchment paper used for rolling out dough and baking the cookies on. Baking Powder: Another leavening agent used to help cakes rise. This contains dry acid, starch and also baking soda, so it should not be substituted for baking. Baking Soda: Bicarbonate of soda. A leavening agent that will help your cakes to rise. Bar Cookies: Created by baking the cookie dough (or cookie dough and layers of fillings) in a rectangular pan and then cutting into squares. Beat : To stir vigorously with a spoon, whisk or mixer. Blend: To mix two or more ingredients to produce a uniform and smooth mixture. Brown Sugar: Sometimes referred to as “golden yellow sugar,” brown sugar is incompletely refined white sugar that still retains some of the molasses. A substitute can be made by adding molasses to granulated sugar. Brush: A cake decorating brush or an artist's brush (never used with anything other than food) may be used for various cookie decorating techniques, such as applying luster dust to cookies. or painting designs on the cookies with colored icing or glaze. Cellophane: Only the FDA cellophane should be used for wrapping cookies and is the most popular method for wrapping cookies for cookie bouquets. Chill: Place in a 39° or below refrigerator.

Clear Flavorings: These allow decorators to add flavors such as vanilla, butter or almond to white glaze or icing.

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Confectionary Tools: Modeling tools often used in cake decorating but also used for adding details to fondant on cookies, such as the veins in the apple's leaf. Confectioners' Sugar: Also known as powdered sugar and icing sugar, confectioners' sugar is made by grinding granulating sugar to a powder. To prevent lumping and crystallization, cornstarch is added. This is a main ingredient in glazes and royal icing. Combine: To mix two or more ingredients together. Confetti: In cookie decorating, this refers to candy confetti, a sprinkles type decoration that comes in many different shapes, such as stars, baby theme, and Christmas. Cookie Bouquet: A bouquet made of cookies that have been baked on sticks, then decorated and arranged in a flower bouquet fashion. Cookie bouquets are often made with cookies sharing a theme, such as baby shower theme bouquet made cookies baked and decorated to resemble bibs baby ducks and bottles. These unique gifts also may use one type of cookie, such as a bouquet of cookie hearts or cookie flowers. Cookie Sheets: Metal, almost flat pans used for baking pans. Corn Syrup: Derived from corn, this clear, sweet syrup is often used in glazes and to thin royal icing. Cream: Beating softened margarine, butter or shortening with sugar with an electric mixer to produce a smooth and creamy, or light and fluffy, mixture. Cookie Cutters: Used to cut out cookies and fondant, these are available in many shapes and sizes and come in metal and plastic. Crusting: The hardening of the top layer of icing or glaze. Dash: See “pinch.” Decorating Bag: See “Icing Bag” and “Pastry Bag.” Decorating Dusts: Also called dusting chalk and dusting powder, these can mixed with lusters for a satin or pearl finish.

Decorating Tips: Sometimes called nozzles. These tips are used to create decorative items. With cookie decorating the rounds tips are often used to outline and fill cookies.

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Disposable Bag: An icing (decorating) bag is that can be thrown out after usage. Usually refers to the clear, plastic variety, but can also refer to the parchment cone, which is also a disposable icing bag. Double Boiler: A set of two pans with one stacking upon the other. This is used when gentle, indirect heat is desired, such as in melting chocolate for drizzling over cookies. Dough: An unbaked mixture of flour and liquid(s) that when combined with other ingredients produces a mass that holds its shape when kneaded and/or rolled. Sometimes this term is used interchangeably with batter; however dough usually has less fat, liquid and sugar than batter and is thus thicker in consistency than batter. For example, most cakes are baked from a batter, while cookies and fondant are created from a dough. Dragees: The silver or gold sugar balls that are among the many embellishments used on cookies. These are not made for consumption. Drop Cookies: This is the easiest type of cookie to make and consists of dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Chocolate chip cookies are drop cookies. Dry Fondant: A commercial powdered cane sugar product that needs to be reconstituted with liquids to make a fondant that can be rolled out with a rolling pin and then cut into shapes for covering and/or decorating cookies. Also used extensively in cake decorating. Edible Gold/Silver: This is a very expensive and elegant decorating embellishment using real gold or silver that is available in leaf, flakes and dusts (in order of expense). Eggs: Unless specified, refers to chicken eggs. Eggs when beaten provide leavening to cookies, and they provide color, texture, flavor and richness to the dough. Eggs are important structural ingredients because they bind the other ingredients together. Embellishments: In cookie decorating, this term generally refers to decorations such as dragees, candy confetti, sprinkles and such that are attached to the cookie's icing or glaze before it hardens. Featherweight Bag: Reusable, polyester decorating bags that are much lighter than the canvas alternatives. See "Icing bag." Flour: Wheat flour is almost always the flour of choice for cookies. An essential component that contributes body, structure, texture and flavor. Fluffy: A mixture that is beaten or mixed until it has a soft texture, such as egg whites for a meringue. How To Speak Cookie Decorating

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Foam (Hard): This florist's tool is used for assembling cookie bouquets. The foam is trimmed to fit inside a mug or other container, and the cookie sticks are pushed into the foam so that the bouquet's arrangement is fixed. Firmly Packed: A dry ingredient, such as brown sugar, that has been pressed down tightly into the measuring cup. Flocking: The application of sparkling sugars or another decoration that is sprinkled over the iced or glazed surface of the cookies. Flood Work: A technique where an outline is first piped and allowed to dry so that it the outline contains the thin icing that is then piped onto the cookie in a zigzag motion so that it spreads out evenly over the surface. Also called a "run-out." Fondant: Rolled out, this can be cut out with the same cookie cutters used to cut the cookies that the fondant will be place one. Rolled fondant is ideal for cookie decorating as well as cake decorating because it creates a silky smooth canvas and flawless background for your cake creations. Also used to create decorations. Fondant Cutter/Embosser: This is used to cut shapes from rolled fondant or to emboss a fondant covered cake. A cutting wheel or embossing design is fitted to this paint roller shaped tool. Fondant Punches: Used to quickly press out detailed, three-dimensional shapes from fondant or gum paste. The punches come with interchangeable design discs, and additional discs can be bought. Fondant Rolling Pins: Plastic rolling pins created with guides and extra smooth, nonstick surfaces for rolling out fondant. Food Coloring: For coloring cake batter, icing or filling, food coloring is used in various forms, including liquid, gel paste and powder. Any one or more of these forms may be used when decorating cookies. Ganache: The French term refers to a smooth mixture of chopped chocolate and heavy cream. The boiled heavy cream is poured over chopped chocolate and the mixture is stirred until velvety smooth. Ganache is a rich glaze that can be used for dipping or covering cookies. Gel Color: A food color used in cake decorating that is equivalent to paste color for intensity and has the consistency of honey.

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Glaze: Provides a smooth and glossy coat on cookies. May be used instead of royal icing and is easier to bite into. Dries quickly. Granulated Sugar: This is the most commonly used in baking and is also known as “white sugar” or simply, “sugar.” Hand Mixer: This type of electric mixer is often used for mixing cookie dough. Heaping: A measuring term meaning to fill the measuring cup or spoon as much as possible, allowing it to pile up over the top, as in a heaping cup. High-Altitude Baking Adjustments: If baking at an elevation of 3,500 feet or higher, adjustments must be made to the baking process to account for the lower air pressure’s faster evaporation. These include: increasing the oven temperature by 25ºF and reducing the baking time by a few minutes. Icing: A sweet, smooth substance that holds its shape when either spread or piped. Royal icing is often used for covering and piping details onto cookies. Dries very hard. Icing Bag: Also called a decorating bag, this is used for piping icing or glaze over the tops of cookies and adding decorations such as facial features. Impression Mats: Used to quickly apply designs and patterns to rolled fondant. Jimmies: Another name for sugar sprinkles used in decorating cookies and cakes. Lightly Packed: Placing the ingredient in a measuring cup and then with a spoon or spatula, gently pressing down. Liquid Color: A form of food coloring that is relatively weak compared to the other forms and not suited for producing dark or intense colors such as red, purple or black. Marshmallow Fondant: A much better tasting fondant than traditional rolled fondant, it is rolled out and used for the same types of decorating. Measuring Cups: Used for the accurate measuring that cake baking requires. Liquid measuring cups are used for measuring things such as water, beaten eggs, etc. A glass (Pyrex) measuring cup is often preferred because it’s more transparent and is microwavable. Dry measuring cups come in sets of graduated sizes. Measuring Spoons: Used for accurate measurement of small amounts of ingredients.

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Meringue Powder: This is often used in royal icing as a substitute for egg whites. Metal Spatula: Used for removing cookies from the cookie sheet or parchment and also for creating a level surface on the tops of cookies (by pressing back and forth gently on still warm cookies) for a better decorating surface. Mixing Spoon: Any spoon that has a large enough bowl and long enough handle to make stirring easier. Molded Cookies: These cookies are made by forming the dough by hand into shapes such as balls (sometimes flattened as with peanut butter cookies), crescents and candy canes. Oven Thermometer: Used to find out the accuracy of your oven’s temperature setting, that is if it bakes hot, cold or just right; so that the bakers knows what adjustments, if any, are needed for baking. Paper Sticks :Also called Lollipop sticks, these come in varying lengths and are used to hold the cookies for a cookie bouquet. Parchment Bag: Formed by rolling a square of parchment into a cone, this is a disposable decorating bag. Also called "parchment cone," these are excellent for the small amounts of icing used in decorating cookies and for working with various colors of icing. They can be frozen with icing in them if stored in airtight bags or containers. Parchment Paper: Used for folding into parchment decorating cones. Also used for rolling out cookie dough and underneath cookies and top of the cookie sheet when baking. Paste Color: A highly concentrated form of food coloring that comes in tiny screw-top pots in a variety of colors. Pearls: Round, edible sugar balls coated with a pearl dust (in almost any color) that can be used to decorate cookies. Piping: For cookies, this is the decorating technique of squeezing from an icing bag (fitted with or without a tip) a substance such as icing or glaze to create an outline and fill in, covering the top of a cookie, as well as creating decorative designs. Powdered Color: The most concentrated form of food coloring. Used for dark and intense colors. Must be handled with care because stains whatever it touches. Preheat Oven: Turning on the oven at the desired temperature about 15 minutes before baking to allow it time to reach the temperature needed.

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Pre-made Fondant: As the name implies, this type of fondant is ready to use. Many of these are pretty bland; however Caljava makes a good tasting one called Fondx (See Resource Guide). Pressed Cookies: A type of cookie that is created by pressing the dough through a cookie press or pastry tube to form different shapes as with Butter Spritz Cookies. Pinch: As in a “pinch of salt,” this can be replaced with a more accurate measurement of 1/6 teaspoon. The same is done for a “dash.” Piping Gel: Transparent gel that can be tinted any color for decorating, writing or pattern transfer. Refrigerator Cookies: Also called "Icebox Cookies," these are prepared by shaping the dough into long rolls and then refrigerating them. Once cold, the dough can be sliced and baked. Rolled Cookies: Sugar Cookies are the most popular example of this type of cookie. Chilled dough is rolled out with a rolling pin and then cut into shapes by using a cookie cutter, knife, glass, jar or pastry wheel. Rolled Fondant: Also called sugarpaste, this thick, malleable dough is usually bought pre-made (although homemade marshmallow fondant is delicious) and in this form is often rather tasteless. However, some pre-made rolled fondants such as Fondx taste much better than others. Its flawless finish and easy usage makes this a popular choice for covering cookies. Rolled fondant can also be modeled, formed, twisted, imprinted and cut out to form decorative finishes and embellishments. Roll & Cut Mats: Used for cutting out fondant cookie-cutter shapes. Rolling Boil: When water in an open saucepan reaches boiling point and all of the liquid is moving with bubbles continually rising and breaking on the surface. Rolling Pin: A long, smooth cylindrical roller mainly used to roll out the cookie dough and the fondant. This may or may not have handles. Most are made of wood but can also be made from marble or plastic. Round Tip: Decorating tip (also called a nozzle) used to make outlines, designs (such as spirals) and cover the top of the cookies with icing or glaze. Rounded: Measure dry ingredient just over the brim, leaving a rounded, rather than flat, top.

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Royal Icing: A sweet, very hard drying decorative icing used in cake decorating to pipe well-defined decorations such as intricate latticework. In cookie decorating, this hard, brittle icing is often used to ice cookies when a softer glaze covering isn't desired. The icing was traditionally made with raw egg whites, but due to health concerns, meringue powder is now more often use. Rubber Spatula: Used to scrape the insides of your mixing bowls. Sanding Sugar: A cane sugar with larger granules that sparkle when sprinkled on cookies. Scale: Bakers use scales for measuring when recipes call for weights rather than quantities. Scant: "Just barely," as in a scant teaspoon. Score: Using a knife, fork or the edge of a spatula, make shallow slits or impressions, such as with peanut butter cookies. Scrape Down: This term refers to the process of moving the dough down into the bottom of the mixing bowl with the rest of the dough when mixing (with the mixer turned off!). This is done by running a rubber spatula or pastry scraper around the inside surface of a mixing bowl. Semisweet Chocolate: A combination of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and sugar. At least 35 percent of the mixture must be chocolate liquor. Separate/ Separated Egg: To divide an egg into its two distinct components - the egg yolk and the egg white. Shortening: A white, flavorless, solid fat that is often used in cookie dough. Quality shortenings contain more emulsifiers and those of inferior quality may have a greasy taste. Sift: To pass dry ingredients through a sifter or sieve to aerate and remove lumps. Sifter: A large can with a mesh bottom and a hand-operated mechanism that is used for sifting fine dry ingredients such as flour and confectioners’ sugar. Sieve: A wire mesh bowl-shaped utensil used for sifting, straining or puréeing ingredients.

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Silicone Mat: This can be used when for the no-flour method of rolling dough on parchment. The silicone mat prevents the parchment from sticking. Also used for rolling fondant, which is rolled directly on the mat. Simmer: Cook just below boiling point (about 185°F. at sea level). Small bubbles will rise slowly to the surface. A mixture simmers before it boils, and a recipe calling for a simmer, usually requires bringing the mixture first to a boil and then reducing to a simmer, which is then maintained through the rest of the cooking process. Soften: To change the texture of an ingredient or combined ingredients to make them softer or a room temperature. Sprinkle: To scatter a powdered ingredient, small decorations such as sprinkles, or tiny droplets of a liquid. Stand Mixer: Used for creaming, mixing, blending and everything else that a hand mixer does, while leaving your hands free to work on other tasks. Standard Metric Conversion Chart: Converts measurements such as cups and ounces to their metric equivalents. Sugar: In cookies, sugar is not only used as a sweetener, but also to add volume, tenderness, texture and color. Sugar acts as a preservative. Sugar Cookies: These are the most popular cookies for decorating as well as for Cookie Bouquets. When made with butter, these cookies have a shelf life of about one week, and when made with margarine they have a shelf life of about one month. Some sugar cookie recipes are better for cookies that will be decorated than left plain. The best recipes for cookies to be decorated are ones that create cookies that don't spread too much while baking and that aren't too soft after cooling. Good recipes for sugar cookies to be used in Cookie Bouquets include the one in your Cookie Bouquet Video, as well as ones provided at cookie cutter Websites. Textured Rolling Pin:Used to apply fabric like textures, such as lace or polka dots to fondant. Thermometer: The two main types of thermometer used in cake decorating are the sugar (candy) thermometer and the oven thermometer (to see if you need to adjust your oven's temperature to make up for any inaccuracy.) Toothpicks: Thin, sharp matchstick-sized pieces of wood or plastic used in cookie decorating to manipulate the icing in a tight corner and to make designs. How To Speak Cookie Decorating

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Treat Bags:These are sometimes used for wrapping cookies for cookie bouquets, although spendier than sheet cellophane and sometimes too small. Plastic zip top baggies are an economical alternative to cellophane treat bags. Vanilla: Pure vanilla, with its wonderful aromatic flavor, is the most widely used flavoring in cakes. Vanilla, is the fruit of a thick green orchid vine that grows wild on the edge of the Mexican tropical forests. Vanilla is sold in different forms: extract and essence, pods (beans), powdered, and vanilla sugar. White Chocolate: Technically this is not really chocolate because it doesn't contain chocolate liquor. Good white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin. White chocolate is ivory-colored (white chocolate made with vegetable fat is whitecolored) and is rich and creamy. It’s sweet and has a subtler flavor than regular chocolate. Zest: Used as flavoring and decoration, this is the outer rind of citrus fruit (lemons, limes, oranges, etc.) that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume. Cold fruit with a thick, bumpy texture yields the most zest. The zest can be removed using a knife, vegetable peeler, grater or zester, depending on its use. The zest is most aromatic and flavorful when first removed, so use immediately. Inside the outer rind is a white membrane (pith) that is very bitter and should not be used.

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