Chinese New Year royal icing cookies

It's almost Chinese New Year! :)

This year, Chinese New Year's Day will be the same day as the Valentine's Day on the 14th of February.

I've made butter cookies and royal icing, with the Chinese New Year's theme and full of red color (red is an auspicious color, symbolic of joy) .

Those are popular Chinese characters used during Chinese New Year:

吉 Ji - lucky, auspicious, propitious

和 He - harmony

財 Cai - wealth, money

喜 Xi - happines

福 Fu - good fortune, good luck, blessing

Chinese boys and girls are wearing red costumes.

Fish (魚, read: yú) is a significant symbol sounds like the word for riches or abundance .

Happy Chinese New Year

Christmas Cookies

One more week before Christmas day! Thus.. I can't help myself from not making cookies with the Christmas theme :)

I really enjoy "playing" with the dough, the cookies cutters and my most favorite part is when the cookies have been cooled down from the oven, then I can decorate them with royal icing. It's so much fun! ;)

p.s: I'm still using the same roll-out cookies recipe from Wilton.

Idul Fitri royal icing cookies

Tomorrow is the Hari Raya Idul Fitri or Lebaran, also known as "Eid ul-Fitr" - a celebration day for the Muslim people for breaking the one whole month fasting period.

I'm not a Muslim but living in a country with the largest population of Muslim in the world, it definitely makes me feel as I'm also celebrating it especially because we are having one week holiday. Jakarta will be empty (in fact, it's already quite empty the streets) because most people are returning to their hometown to celebrate this festive with their family.

My neighbor asked me to make some royal icing cookies with the Idul Fitri celebration theme.

Here is the result :)

Wishing to all my Muslim friends:

"Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1430 Hijriah
Minal Aidzin Wal Faidzin
Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Bathin"

Over the rainbow cookies

Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.
There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops.
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then - oh, why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh, why can't I?

Note: I'm still using the same recipe of my cookies with royal icing.

Cookies with royal icing

This is my first attempt to make cookies with royal icing as the decoration :)

I think the result turned out pretty good *happy*

Are you interested to try to make these cookies? Here are the recipes of the cookies and also the royal icing:

Roll-out Cookies
source: Wilton

Ingredients:
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

Makes: About 3 dozen cookies.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

Recipe may be doubled.


Egg White Royal Icing
source: Wilton

Ingredients:
* 3 egg whites (room temperature)
* 4 cups (approximately 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Makes: 2 1/2 cups.

Instructions:
Beat all ingredients at high speed for 7 to 10 minutes. Use immediately. Rebeating will not restore texture.


P.S: We had a big earthquake today! Not only the southern coast of Java but also Jakarta got hit by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake around 3 PM. I was in the office - on the 17th floor, when it happened.... It's so scary!!! During and after the earthquake, people were running out of the building and most of us got so dizzy.

The pics below were taken in front of the building's lobby.