Shades Of Blue Cookies

Tonight is the first performance of my friend Sharon Whitney's play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," and I have the honor of making treats for the event including these pretty shades of blue sugar cookies.

If you would like to attend the play, here are the details:

Trinitarian Sharon Whitney's acclaimed play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," starring Jane Van Boskirk, is scheduled for two performances, Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 p.m. in Kempton Hall. To reserve a seat, visit www.trinity-episcopal.org. Seating is limited. A $10 donation at the door is suggested. This is an offering from the Cathedral Arts Committee.  


Eleanor Roosevelt's favorite color was blue so I think these scalloped edged cookies are just the thing to serve. And, Eleanor was a no-nonsense woman and I have a hunch she would appreciate the simple design and the ease of making them.

It really was easy. All I did was bake small rectangle cookies, tint some royal icing four shades of blue and then outline and fill.

Once again, these cookies show that a no-frills design is often the best.

Here's how to make them:

Bake a batch of cookies.

Make a batch of royal icing and divide it evenly among four bowls.

Get a bottle of blue food coloring. I used royal blue #102 AmeriColor gel paste.

Add the coloring to the royal icing by putting one squirt in the first bowl, two in the second bowl, three in the third and four in the fourth. This is the easiest way to get nice graduations of color.

Four shades of blue.

Outline the cookies with each of the four blues using a #1 pastry tip and icing that has been thinned to piping consistency (think toothpaste). I followed the shape of the cookies and made scalloped outlines.

Fill the cookies with a different shade of blue using a #1 tip and flood consistency royal icing. Use a skewer or toothpick to ease the icing to the border. If icing #1 is the lightest and icing #4 is the darkest, pair #1 with #3 and #2 with #4.

Let the cookies dry completely before serving or packaging.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Honey Drops

Eleanor Roosevelt's Honey Drops

When my friend Anne suggested that we make cookies for an upcoming performance of our friend Sharon Whitney's acclaimed play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," I loved the idea.

So with Sharon's blessing, we have been having fun deciding what to bake. Anne did some research and learned that Eleanor's favorite color was blue, so we'll make some pretty blue-iced sugar cookies.

We also learned that one of Eleanor's favorite foods was pie, so we'll bake some dainty hand pies

And, we found a recipe for Honey Drops, Eleanor's cookie of choice for afternoon teas at the White House.

I tested the recipe recently and it's a winner in my book. A full cup of honey in the dough makes a soft and tender cookie and a full cup of chopped orange peel adds zip and helps balance the sweetness. There's also almond extract, cinnamon and walnuts in them.

I think it will be fun to serve an authentic Eleanor Roosevelt cookie at the event.

Following is the recipe if you'd like to try making them. Or, if you have the chance, please attend the play.  It will be presented at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, in Kempton Hall with an evening performance on Friday, October 25 and an afternoon performance on Saturday, October 26. Cookies will be available at the evening performance.

Here are the details:

Trinitarian Sharon Whitney's acclaimed play, "Eleanor Roosevelt-Across a Barrier of Fear," starring Jane Van Boskirk, is scheduled for two performances, Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 p.m. in Kempton Hall. To reserve a seat, visit www.trinity-episcopal.org. Seating is limited. A $10 donation at the door is suggested. This is an offering from the Cathedral Arts Committee.   

Eleanor Roosevelt's Honey Drops
(Makes 6 dozen)

1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped orange peel
about 3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 320 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.

Mix together all the ingredients, except flour. Add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed and it can be rolled into balls.

Place the balls on the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

The cookies before baking.

Let the cookies set for a minute or so until transferring them to cooling rack.