Art Festival Cookies

I'm catering a lunch at an arts festival this Saturday at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and cookies are on the menu.

At first I thought I'd just make chocolate chip since they're crowd pleasing and quick to whip up. But in the end, I decided I should also offer another choice and come up with a cookie that's "artsy" and celebratory.

Decorated cookies, which I consider my art, were an obvious choice except that they're not easy to make in large quantities unless you do something really basic.

So I decided to go for round cookies decorated in an few bright colors. I love how these turned out, they are simple yet high impact and will be a colorful addition to my menu.

When you are just adding a base coat to a cookie, it's important that you keep the icing clean and neat and avoid smudges and smears. The secret is to use 15 second icing for the outline and flooding — That's icing that settles back into place in 15 seconds after you draw a line through it with the back of a spoon. This consistency is important when you are working on a small cookie and want the icing to settle and be smooth yet be stiff enough to not run out and over the edges of your cookies.

Once you get the hang of outlining and flooding, it goes very quickly. I was able to decorate 100 cookies in two hours — That's just 1 minute and 20 seconds per cookie!

Here's more information on the arts festival which is free and open to everyone. The Trinity Arts Commission has worked very hard putting together a special event that celebrates a variety of art mediums and offers something for all ages.  There will even be two performances of the play "A Wrinkle in Time."

If you would like to partake in the noon lunch, tickets cost $7.50 and can be purchased at the festival. I hope to see you there!

Trinity Arts Festival 

"A Wrinkle in Time"
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Ave, Portland, OR)

SATURDAY SPECTACULAR

May 16 - 10:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m.

Free admission to all events.

Childcare available 10-12 and 1-5:30 in the nursery.

All Day

CAULDRON ~ multimedia installation

IF YOU FELT THE SAME ~ multimedia installation

ARTISTS AMONG US ~ 15th Anniversary Exhibition

YOUTH ART EXHIBIT

MOVING OUTSIDE ~ outdoor fiber art exhibit

LIVE PAINTING DEMONSTRATIONS

ICON WRITING DEMONSTRATION

10:00 a.m.

AMAZING PORTAL ~ puppet theater (children/youth)

11:00 a.m.

SYMBOLS, STORIES, SELF, AND STARDUST ~ ceramic arts

COSTUME MAKING ~ workshop (children/youth)

RED DOOR READERS ~ readings

11:30 a.m.

YOUTH CHOIR PERFORMANCE ~ brief concert

12:00 p.m.

LUNCH ($7.50/person, Kempton Hall)

1:00-4:00 p.m.

ORGAN WITHOUT STOPS ~ marathon concert

DROP-IN ARTS & CRAFTS ~ kids

1:00 p.m.

MOVE! DANCE! PLAY! SING! ~ participatory session for kids

BOOK DISCUSSION ~ Book of Creation, John Philip Newell

LIFT UP YOUR VOICE & SING ~ beginning voice class

TIME & MULTIMEDIA ART ~ panel discussion

PLAYFUL INTUITIVE PAINTING ~ workshop

TRANSPARENT SNOW GLOBE COLUMN ~ interactive installation

2:00 p.m.

MOVE! DANCE! PLAY! SING! ~ participatory session for kids

WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION ~ presentation

SONGWRITING AS TRUTH-TELLING ~ participatory workshop

THE HERO'S JOURNEY IN SCI-FI & FANTASY ~ presentation

3:00 p.m.

SACRED DANCE & LABYRINTH WALK ~ guided session

UNLIMITED: A DOCUMENTARY ~ screening

INSPIRATIONAL FIBER WALL HANGINGS ~ discussion

4:00-5:30 p.m. & 7:00-8:30 p.m.

A WRINKLE IN TIME ~ dramatic adaptation by John Glore

And, here's how to make Colorful Cookies:

Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until blended, then beat on high speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat until well blended. Add flour and salt; beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until well blended. Divide dough into two equal portions. Place dough between sheets of plastic wrap. Press evenly into a disk and chill until dough is firm, at least 20 minutes. Working with one portion of dough at a time (keep remaining chilled), peel off plastic wrap and roll on a floured board until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with floured cutters and transfer onto bare baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees (325 for convection) for 7 to 9 minutes or until firm to the touch and slightly darker brown around edges. Cool on wire racks.

I used a small 1.5-inch round cutter to cut the cookies. When I make small sized cookies I'm careful not to roll the dough to thin since I want the cookie to be satisfying and perfectly balanced with the sweet icing. I aim for 1/4-inch.

Royal Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Food coloring

In a large bowl combine meringue powder, water and lemon juice and stir until meringue powder is dissolved. Add powdered sugar and with an electric mixer on low speed, beat until evenly moistened. Then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Divide and tint as desired and add water a few drops at a time to get desired consistency.

Using 15 second icing and a #2 tip, outline and fill in the cookie.

Use a skewer or scribe tool to manipulate the icing, evenly distribute it and fill in any gaps. Give the cookie a gentle shake to help the icing settle and that's all there is to it. Let the cookies dry completely before packaging or serving. This takes about 6 to 8 hours.