Cookie Crust

I decided to make a last minute batch of Magic Cookie Bars for tonight's David Bowie alternative liturgy at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral but didn't have graham crackers for the crust and didn't feel like running out to the store.

So I improvised and substituted a sweet crust recipe that I use for making tarts and it worked just fine. The only difference was that I knew that the crust would require a bit more baking time than a graham cracker one so I pre-baked the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven before adding the cookie bar toppings and baking according to the Magic Cookie Bar recipe.

This simple cookie crust would also be great for cheesecakes, cream pies, really any recipe that calls for a graham cracker crust. If you want to use it in a recipe that calls for an already baked graham cracker crust, bake the cookie crust in a 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until done and golden brown.

Here's the recipe:

Cookie Crust
(enough for the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

Beat the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the flour and mix just until a dough forms.

Mix just until a dough forms.

Press this dough evenly into the baking pan or tart shell and pre-bake for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven before adding fillings or topping and baking according to your recipe instructions.

I pressed the dough into a 9x13 baking pan that I lined with parchment.

After pre-baking the crust, I topped it with condensed milk, coconut, chocolate and walnuts for the Magic Cookie Bars.

I lined the baking pan with parchment so that the whole thing lifted out which made cutting the bars a breeze.

Bars ready to be served at tonight's David Bowie alternative liturgy.

David Bowie Lightening Bolt Cookies

 

These lightening bolt sugar cookies are for the upcoming David Bowie alternative liturgy at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.  

I wanted to mimic the lightening bolt on the cover of David's 1973 album "Aladdin Sane," but I couldn't find a two section lighting bolt cookie cutter.  My solution was to buy a three section lightening bolt cutter and simply cut one part off before baking.

The cookies came together fairly quickly and were fun to make. The real secret to success is making certain your icing isn't too thin because the areas you need to fill are narrow and you don't want the icing running off the sides.

Usually I use 10 to 15 second icing for flooding. This means that a line drawn through the icing with a table knife settles back into place and disappears in 10 to 15 seconds.

For these cookies I used 20 to 25 second icing and had a scribe tool on hand to help ease the icing into place.

Here's how to make them:

The only lightening bolt cutter I could find.

Cut out the cookie.

Cut off on section of the lightening bolt.

Cookies that are ready to be baked.

Using a #2 tip, outline the lightening bolt with red 20 to 25 second royal icing, leaving a blank strip on one side.

Using the same #2 tip and red icing, fill in the section.

Repeat this on all of the cookies.

Using piping consistency black royal icing and a #1 tip, add a single line to all the cookies.

Add a few lines of blue royal icing, using a #2 tip and 20 to 25 second icing, to fill in the rest of the cookie. Use a scribe tool or skewer to blend the lines together. Now all you have to do is let the royal icing dry before packaging or serving.

If you don't have a lightening bolt cutter, an alternative is to pipe lightening bolts onto plain round cookies that have been flooded with white icing. I made some of these for the liturgy too. I hope you can join us.

David Bowie Liturgy

 

What do David Bowie's classic rock song "Space Oddity" and Christ's anguish in the garden have in common? Come to this alternative Lenten liturgy with a live band, set to the songs of a consummate musical chameleon, to find out. 

From a theological examination of "Major Tom" to the meditation on death found on "The Next Day," the music, mingled with readings and prayers, span Bowie's career. 

There is no charge to enter but there will be a free-will offering to benefit Trinity's hunger programs, which supports the Wednesday Community Meal and served more than 40,000 meals last year.

If that's not enough to get you to join us, there will be cookies!

Here are the details:

David Bowie Liturgy
Saturday, April 5, at 6 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 N.W. 19th Ave, Portland, OR)