Christmas Cookies. Photo by Everyspoon via flickr

by: Michael Paetzold

Making better cookies is a lot easier if you understand the difference between the average commercial bakery and the home kitchen. These tips will allow you to make better cookies at home whether it be for a special party or your annual Christmas cookie baking session.

There are 4 major things that are done commercially that are overlooked by the average home baker.

Number 1 is that the average home baker does not have a stone oven. Most commercial bakeries have stone shelves and that disperses the heat to the pan in a much more even manner. Obviously, buying a commercial oven for this alone is not feasible for most of us. (I have considered putting a commercial pizza oven in my laundry room but my better half vetoed that idea . Thus I settled for going out and buying an oven stone for our regular electric oven. This serves the same purpose with no loss of space in our laundry room and at a huge savings versus the price of a commercial pizza oven (even the used one I wanted).

The second thing is the thickness and quality of the cookie sheet. The average commercial facility uses a sheet pan or half sheet pan which is probably 2 to 3 times as heavy as the ones used by the average home baker. This like the oven stone disperses the heat much better and makes it much easier for the cookies to bake evenly. I definitely recommend checking out your local restaurant supply house to get some half sheet pans which will definitely be better than the cookie sheet available at your local supermarket or Walmart.

The third item I use when baking cookies is parchment paper. It is much easier to remove the cookies from the paper, your tray doesn’t get all cruddy and need to be cleaned between batches and you will have much less burning on the edges.

The fourth thing the average home baker misses is portion control. I have a variety of ice cream type scoops that I use for portion control. This allows each cookie to be the same size and allows them to all bake consistently. When I used a spoon, I always ended up with a variety of sizes and the cooking was never quite even.

Hope these tips allow you to make better cookies in your house. I know using these tips has improved mine.

About The Author
Michael Paetzold is the owner of I Love Desserts, your source for all things about desserts.
webmaster@i-love-desserts.com

There’s no better way to spark up the holiday cheer than to create a gingerbread house with the whole family. My mom, brother and I made these every year that I can remember as a child. My mom would make the dough from her old authentic German recipe handed down from her mom’s mom, and we’d cut out the patterns, assemble the house, frost it and adorn it from top to bottom.

photo by CreeHawk via flickr

Things have changed a little bit since then… I adapted the dough so that it is easier to work with, and I always make sure to use all-natural ingredients and candies that have no high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or food colorings. I also incorporate dried fruits, nuts and seeds (a phenomenon that would not have occurred in the home-designs of the 70′s). Goji berries and banana chips were definitely the favorites this year!

Since the icing has to hold all the candies in place throughout the weeks before Christmas, it uses about one ton of powdered sugar that allows the icing to get rock-hard within about 30-45 minutes of being exposed to the air. I generally do not recommend powdered sugar since it is goes through such a vigorous refinement process, but for such a specific purpose, I just don’t see any way around it.

Plan to set aside at least 3 hours for making your gingerbread houses, from start to finish. The dough and frosting can be made several days in advance (see storage techniques below). The dough or baked cookies can be frozen for several months until ready to use.

King Arthur’s Flour has an excellent tutorial on making a gingerbread house.

RECIPE: Gingerbread Houses – Baking, Assembling and Decorating
Yield: 1 large house (House A) OR 2 medium houses (House B) and 1 small house (House C)

This recipe makes a crisp cookie that can withstand the test of being frosted, adorned with candies and oogled over for weeks during the holiday season. The extra dough can be rolled and cut out into ginger people, but know that the cookies will be a touch harder than a typical gingerbread cookie.
GINGERBREAD
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups organic soft brown sugar
1 cup light organic sugar
1/4 cup molasses or sorghum syrup
4 eggs
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon allspice
SUGAR GLUE
1/2 cup light organic sugar

MAKING THE DOUGH: Blend the butter with the sugars and molasses in an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy (put the molasses into the mixer before turning it on or you will have molasses everywhere but in the dough). Add in the eggs and blend another 1-2 minutes.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and gradually add them into the mixer, scraping down the sides until incorporated. The dough will be slightly crumbly.

Remove the dough to a large bowl or a flat work surface. Bring the dough together with your hands, working it until the dough forms a smooth mass that holds together easily. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 30-60 minutes before rolling.

ROLLING: Divide the dough into five pieces. Roll each piece out on a flat, floured work surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out the patterns for the house using the templates. Work quickly, as the dough is easier to cut and shape while it is still cool. Using a pastry or pizza spatula, carefully lift the pieces onto sheet pans lined with a baking liner or parchment paper (or double up two sheet pans) to keep the cookies from burning.

BAKING: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake 10 minutes, until golden, rotating the cookies halfway through baking. Cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling.

SUGAR GLUE: Heat the 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sauté pan over medium heat until it bubbles and turns a very dark brown, 8-12 minutes.

ASSEMBLING: Have ready a sturdy surface on which to place your house (inverted sheet pan, wooden or plastic cutting board, sturdy cake board, etc.)

Prepare the sugar glue, keeping it on low heat while working so that it doesn’t harden up.

Have ready a house side panel and a front or back panel. Place them together to get an idea of how they will fit. Dip the edges that will come together into the sugar glue and very quickly hold them together, assembling them at the proper angle. It should hold within 10-20 seconds. Adhere the back panel and the other side panel in the same fashion.

To assemble the roof, very quickly drizzle the sugar glue onto the top edges of one side of the house. Place one of the roof cutouts on top of the house, letting it adhere to the glue. Repeat for the other roof cutout. Drizzle glue along the top of the roof where the two panels come together.

Assemble the chimney by dipping the edges of the pieces into the glue and holding them to the roof. Assemble the door, leaving it slightly ajar. You can do the same for window panels, if desired.
Royal Icing
Yield: for 1 large house (House A) OR 2 medium houses (House B) and 1 small house (House C)
This icing gets rock-hard in order to keep the candies on top of the house and to hold throughout the weeks before Christmas. If you plan to decorate a snow-drifted yard with your house, make a double batch of the icing. This recipe uses raw egg whites, but if you are hesitant, they can be substituted with meringue powder for the same affect (use recipe from any packaged meringue powder).
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pound organic powdered sugar, sifted or whirled in a food processor

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until the frosting stands in firm peaks and is stiff enough to hold a sharp line when cut through with a knife.

STORAGE: Place a piece of plastic wrap over the frosting so that the plastic is in direct contact with the frosting. Wrap the bowl in plastic and store refrigerated for up to 2 days.
While working, keep the bowl of frosting covered with a damp towel to keep it from drying out. Once spread onto the house and exposed to the air, it will harden up within 15-25 minutes. Decorate one panel at a time and work quickly!

Decorating Ideas:
Nuts and seeds
Dried fruits
Chocolate dipped dried fruits
Candied ginger slices
Banana chips
Pretzel fences
Panda brand red licorice
Gummies
Sunspire “MnM’s”
Shredded coconut for icicles and frosty trees
Ice cream cone trees
Cereal
Cookies

About the Author:

I am a Certified Nutritional Chef, food writer and culinary instructor through Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts in Northern California. I teach cooking and nutrition classes through the Whole Foods Market Salud Cooking School and write a monthly eLetter, also entitled Whole Gourmet Natural Cooking, to a wide audience.

If you’re looking ahead to the holiday season and wondering how you’re going to get all your baking done, consider freezing your cookie dough or fresh baked cookies ahead of time. When the holidays get closer you can get that last bit of shopping done or last present made instead of spending all your time in the kitchen.

Christmas Cookies. Photo by Everyspoon via flickr

Freezing Cookie Dough

Cookie dough will freeze well for 4 to 6 weeks. Rolls of dough should be sealed tightly in plastic wrap (chill in refrigerator first before freezing). Other kinds of dough should be stored in airtight containers. Drop cookies (unbaked) may be frozen on cookie sheets and transferred to freezer bags. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

Don’t try to freeze soft meringue-type cookie dough. Chocolate chip, brownies, peanut butter, and sugar cookie dough (or anything similar) freezes well. Let the dough defrost in the refrigerator (about 2-3 hours). Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookie dough.

Freezing Baked Cookies

Almost any baked cookie freezes well. Let cookies completely cool before freezing. Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap then store them in a ziploc freezer bag or storage tin (coffee cans or holiday tins work great). You can also just layer the cookies between layers of waxed paper in the container, but the individually wrapped ones will store longer.

Freeze frosted cookies uncovered first until they are firm. Then pack them in airtight container lined with plastic wrap or foil. Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookies. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen up to 6-12 months (frosted, about 3 months). Frozen cookies thaw in about 10 minutes at room temperature (if you can wait that long). If cookies should be crisp when thawed, remove them from the container before thawing.

Gingersnaps

1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
2 eggs
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. molasses

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Add molasses, stirring well. Refrigerate dough for an hour or two to chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in a little sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Refrigerate dough for an hour or two to chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Peanut Butter Crackles

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
Chocolate kisses or stars

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and press chocolate kisses firmly into cookie.

About the Author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com

Some of my fondest childhood memories of Christmas are those of my brother, sister and me baking Christmas cookies with our mother. We’d all end up covered in flour and frosting, the kitchen would be a mess and the cookies never came close to resembling the perfectly-decorated confections featured on the pages of Mom’s favorite magazines, but we had a great time creating our “masterpieces.”

Here is a kid-pleasing Christmas cookie recipe that you can make with your own children, creating memories that will last for years to come.

Rolled Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread man. Photo by Andrea_R via flickr

These cookies are mildly spiced, for kids. If you like your gingerbread men a little hotter, use 1 tablespoon each of ground cinnamon and ginger instead of 2 teaspoons. The dough can be cut into gingerbread people, of course, and decorated with raisins, red hots, and chocolate chips before being baked. Or cut the dough into any shape and decorate the cookies with icing.

Makes about 40 medium gingerbread people

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup dark (not light or blackstrap) molasses
1 tablespoon water

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy Add the egg, molasses, and water and beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a ball.

Divide the dough into 3 equal balls. Wrap each ball in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and for up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; defrost it in the refrigerator before use.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a ball of dough 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough into gingerbread people or any other desired shapes and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. If making gingerbread people, make eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons with raisins, red hots, small gumdrops, and/or chocolate chips. Refrigerate the scraps.

Bake the cookies until they are firm, about 8 minutes. Slide the entire parchment sheet with the cookies onto a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely. Repeat with the remaining balls and then with the chilled scraps, using fresh parchment paper. Decorate with icing as desired.

Rolled Gingerbread Cookies will keep in an airtight container for several days.

Recipe reprinted from Mom’s Big Book of Baking by Lauren Chattman Copyright 2001, with permission from Harvard Common Press.

About the Author
Sherri Allen is the editor of an award-winning website devoted to topics such as family, food, garden, house&home and money. For free articles, information, tips, recipes, reviews and coloring pages, visit http://www.SherriAllen.com/

Peanutbutter Reindeer Cookies, photo by Diane Watkins

Adding an extra tablespoon of flour helps to firm them up so they keep their shape and don’t fall apart when you take them off the cookie sheet, but you could certainly leave it out. Remember that only Rudolph gets the red nose. I tried to make the antlers stick up, but I think they would be better if they were flat with the cookie. That way you could actually stack the cookies on the tray. My cookies didn’t stay on the tray long enough to need a second layer anyway, so it was not a problem.

These would be great to make with the kids. Make the dough ahead and put it in the fridge to chill and firm up. Then, when you’re ready, let the kids decorate them before popping into the oven.

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

½ cup peanut butter
½ cup butter (no substitutes)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 ¼ cup self-rising flour, plus 1 Tablespoon
m&m candies
pretzels

1. Cream the peanut butter and the butter well with an electric mixer. Add the sugars and mix well again.
2. Add the egg, mixing well.
3. Sift the flour into the dough, stirring with a spoon. When all is mixed in, place the dough into a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.
4. Form 1 Tablespoon of dough into a triangle. Place 1 ½ – 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Poke the antlers into the dough, then the eyes and nose. The dough will expand when cooked.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 310 degrees. Carefully remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

If you are like me, you love to bake cookies, but hate the all-too-familiar problem of burning the bottoms. During the past couple of years, I have discovered some techniques that have ended my burnt cookie bottoms frustrations. I know these techniques will work for you as well. Happy baking!

Burned edges and bottoms ruin the flavor and appearance of your cookies. Photo by Nat Mattison via flickr.

Oven Temperature
The first step to preventing burned cookies is to make sure your oven temperature is accurate by checking it with an oven thermometer. I bought one recently at a discount store for under $4.00. If your oven thermometer does not match your oven temperature setting, you will want to have your oven calibrated.

Oven’s Center Rack
Bake cookies on the oven’s center rack only. By using the oven’s center rack, your cookies will receive the same amount of heat on both sides of the cookies.

Baking or Pizza Stones
Bake cookies on flat baking or pizza stones. Baking stones are available at most specialty kitchen stores or online. They are much better for baking cookies than any metal pan because they are porous and allow air to circulate evenly through your cookies while they are baking.

Use a Scoop
I recommend using scoops instead of spoons or your hands for placing cookie dough onto the baking stones. These are also available at most specialty kitchen stores or online. The scoops ensure your cookies will be the same size and will be beautifully round when they are baked. They also make releasing the cookie dough onto the baking stones easier than using spoons or your hands.

Parchment Paper
Always use parchment paper when baking cookies. Using parchment paper keeps your baking stones clean for easier clean-up. More importantly, it allows you to easily remove the cookies from the stone to the wire cooling racks without messing up the beautiful round shape of the cookies. Once the cookies are completely cooled, they easily peel from the parchment paper. No more scraping cookies!

About the Author
Monica Brooks
monica@noburntbottoms.com

Monica Brooks is a full-time Mom and cookie connoisseur. She is the author of The Guaranteed No Burnt Bottoms Cookies Cookbook available at www.NoBurntBottoms.com. She lives in the Louisville, Kentucky area with her husband and two children.

There are so many cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

One cookie variation. Photo by moonlightbulb via flickr.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let’s start with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.

Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF).

Orange Cookies

(Makes about 32)
Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2″ in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Slice dough into 1/4″ thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares

(Makes about 54 squares)
In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13″x9″ baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2″ squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies
(Makes about 36)
In addition to the basic dough you will need:
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2″ balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things food and cooking related. Her website http://www.cookingnook.com contains easy dessert recipes, plus lots of other recipes, cooking tips, measurement conversions and kitchen ideas.

Finished cookies. Photo by Kristin at Meringue Bake Shop via flickr

by Diane Watkins

Beautifully decorated cookies make your holiday table look festive and add a nice touch to every activity. Decorating cookies is easy if you have the right equipment.

Start with a perfectly flat cookie. Prepare your cookie recipe dough. Chill the dough, and roll it out directly onto parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use

Start with a flat cookie. Photo by John Pozadzides via flickr.

roller rings or perfection strips, if you have them, to make sure your cookie dough is even. Your cookie decorations will look better and be easier to execute if your cookies are flat and even.

Cut the cookies out, leaving them 1/2 inch apart. Remove the extra dough, leaving the shaped cookies undisturbed on the parchment paper or silicone matt.

Transfer the parchment or silicone matt to the cookie sheet and bake the cookies according to the cookie recipe directions. Your Christmas cookies will be perfectly shaped and will not be distorted by moving them to the baking sheet. Cool your cookies completely before decorating.

Make Royal Icing

Make a recipe of royal icing by mixing:

• 4 tablespoons of meringue powder
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar

1. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. In another bowl, mix 8 cups of confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon gum arabic. Mix thoroughly, then add the sugar to the egg mixture.
3. Beat on low until the sugar is mixed in, then increase the speed to medium until stiff peaks form again.

Decorate the Christmas Cookies

Outline the cookie before filling in with icing. Photo by Humangirl via flickr

• Divide the royal icing into separate bowls for each desired color. Cover with a damp paper towel when not working with the icing. Add paste food colors to get the desired color, then add a small amount of water to the bowl and mix in. You want the icing to just barely flow but not be runny. Make all the colors that you will need for your design and keep them covered until ready to use.
• Place the royal icing into a pastry bag with a small round tip. Draw a thin line around the border of one color and fill in the border with icing. The icing should flow together to fill the area. If the icing does not flow, add a tiny bit more water. If it runs off the cookie, the icing is too thin.
• Wait a few minutes for the icing to crust before adding the next color. It works well to fill in all of one color on all cookies before moving to the next color. Pipe each color in this way, outlining the color right up next to the first and filling it in. Allow the icing to dry. It should take only a few minutes for the icing to crust.

Add a Third Dimension with Another Layer of Royal Icing

Pipe another layer of icing details onto the dried icing for a three dimensional cookie and a more detailed look. Try stacking decorated stars, with the largest on bottom and getting progressively smaller to form a tree. Combine sleigh and reindeer and attached them with licorice strings. Build a gingerbread nativity scene with all the cookie characters.

Design Your Own Christmas Cookies and Cookie Decorations

With practice, you will be able to make professional quality cookies in a large variety of designs. Start with the designs in your cookie cutter shapes, then branch out to designing your own cookies. For inspiration try simple coloring book or stain glass patterns. The possibilities are endless with a little imagination.

Image via Wikipedia

Banana Pudding Popsicles

by Mama Jade

• 1 cup Nilla wafers, crushed
• 1 cup bananas, mashed
• 1 pkg vanilla pudding
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 small tub cool whip
• Popsicle molds

Combine the pudding mix and milk and beat until smooth.  Add the bananas and nilla wafers and stir until well mixed.  Fold in 1 cup of the cool whip until well combined.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.  Enjoy!

Tips:

• The cool whip is not a requirement, but it does help smooth the consistency of the popsicle.
• If you like extra banana, try banana flavored pudding instead.
• Use fully ripe bananas, but not over-ripe. Bananas that are just beginning to get brown spots on the skin, like those in the picture, are ideal.

Related articles

• Traditional Southern Banana Pudding Recipe (easysoutherncooking.com)
• Healthy Fruit Ice Pops (easysoutherncooking.com)

Summer is upon us and down here in the South, the temperatures have been in the 90s for over a month now. With school being out for the summer, keeping the kids both occupied and cool is paramount. Both a delicious treat and a wonderful munchkin friendly project, ice cream comes in countless styles and flavors. It can be made in individual batches or in large quantities and ingredients can be found to sooth any palette. A most delightful way to beat the heat, ice cream is the perfect treat for parents and kids alike.

Image via Wikipedia

Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream still tops the charts as America’s favorite flavor, with chocolate and strawberry close behind. Ice cream is typically made in two ways: cooked and uncooked. In the cooked version, a custard base is made by heating milk and flavors and adding eggs until the texture thickens. From there, cold cream is added and the entire mixture is moved into an ice maker to set. In the uncooked version, the ingredients (sans egg) are added together until mixed and then added to an ice cream maker.

Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt tends to be smoother in consistency than ice cream, due in part to a difference in the ratio of milk fats and proteins in the yogurt and part to added air incorporated while cooling. The original frozen yogurt was made with Greek yogurt, which has a strong, tart flavor in comparison to other yogurts or ice creams. Today’s yogurt is typically lower in fat but has a good bit of sugar mixed in to cut the inherent tartness. Though the battle rages on, frozen yogurt does offer something that ice cream does not: enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Frozen yogurt tends to be easier to digest for those that are lactose intolerant.

Sorbet and Sherbet

Sorbet is a sweet, often fruit flavored dessert. Unlike ice cream, it contains absolutely no dairy and does not have extra air whipped in. This makes for a very dense and extraordinarily flavorful dessert. In older times, sorbet was served between courses at dinner to aid in cleansing the palate In more recent times it is served as a low or no fat alternative to ice cream. Sherbet is a slightly different dessert, very similar but containing enough dairy to bring the milk fat up to between one and two percent (compared to ice cream, which is regulated at 10% or higher milk fat). This creates a smoother texture.

Gelato

Gelato, while similar to ice cream, is a completely different beast. Gelato contains many of the same ingredients: milk, cream, and sugars with various purees for flavor. While ice cream averages around 14% milk fat, gelato averages between four and eight percent. It also tends to have a significantly higher sugar content, between 24 and 30%.  Instead of being frozen in one large batch, gelato is typically frozen very quickly in smaller batches. Churning adds a small amount of air, creating a dense, extremely smooth dessert with intense and often exotic flavors. They have a much shorter shelf life than ice cream and should be consumed within a few days or purchase.

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