Rainbow Glass Gem Corn on Cob Sugar Cookies

 

Ever heard of glass gem corn? 

It's a little like maize corn that you see in the fall but the kernels are more translucent and resemble strands of glass when on the cob.  And it comes in some really cool rainbow colors.

In case you're not familiar with glass gem corn, here's a short video explaining some more about it

I went down a IG rabbit hole looking at all these colorful heirloom corn photos the other day so of course I had to try making some. 

                              

I started with a base of sugar cookies cut out into cobs (I freehand cut these out)

For rainbow kernels, I used jelly beans.  I tried at first to use the whole jelly bean as kernels but they seemed too big so I cut them in half.

Use some melted white chocolate to attach the "kernels"

Fill in as closely as you can get them

Husks are made from wafer paper cut out roughly in husk shapes (see in pic below) then painted with a little brown food color mixed with water.  While still wet attach the paper to back of cookie and let dry.

When dried the husks crinkle a bit to give overall shape/texture. I also sprayed the jelly beans with some edible food spray in pearl color to give them a more glass-like appearance versus regular maize corn.  

I really like how they came out but next time I may try to make them more 3D versus flat for more effect.  If you'd like to see more of the real thing, you can go down a glass gem corn rabbit hole on Instagram here! 

Rainbow Babka Bread

Back on the bread kick! Specifically babka bread which I became a bit obsessed with making during quarantine. There's something about this yeasty swirled bread that I love.

 

The recipe is a really easy one for babka using flour, oil, quick rising yeast, vanilla, egg, honey and then food colorants/gels for the rainbow colors.

Once the dough comes together divide it into 6 equal pieces (or however many colors you want to use)

Mix by kneading until color is incorporated and let rise for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Roll all the dough out together into a rectangle shape - about 9X14 or so

I used a white chocolate spread and some crumbled graham crackers for the filling but you can use whatever you like.  Chocolate or Nutella would be great too.  Roll up from the longer end then cut all the way down the center for 2 smaller long "strands"

Wrap the "strands" around each other for that babka bread swirl.  There are lots of YouTube videos that have great tutorials too.  Let proof for another 30-40 minutes.

Pre-rise

Post-rise

After baking and brushed with some simple syrup

Fun inside and outside!

Baking babka bread is so relaxing to me for some reason - it must the kneading and then swirling of it! Make anything rainbow and that makes me even happier!   

I also made another rainbow babka bread previously but made the filling rainbow instead of the dough.

This was a fun filling for sure!

Which do you like better??

Babka Dough Recipe

1 package instant yeast

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/8 cup honey

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup warm water

2-3 drops of 6 food gel colors

Directions:

• Mix yeast and warm water together and let sit for 5-10 mins
• Mix vanilla, oil, honey, egg, and salt together
• Add flour to bowl and add yeast mixture and mix until incorporated
• Add the other ingredients and mix until incorporated
• Turn out onto the counter and kneed until soft and pliable
• Divide dough into 6 equal pieces
• Add 2-3 drops of food gels; 1 color in each dough section; knead color into dough until uniform color throughout
• Combine colors loosly and cover and let proof until doubled in size
• Roll out to to 11X14 rectangle (save small portion for mummy eyes)
• Add filling and roll lengthwise into jelly roll
• Cut down center and twist each length around each other
• Add to loaf pan and let proof again for 30-40 minutes
• Bake at 350 degrees until internal temperature is 190 degrees (cover with foil if the top starts to brown)
• Add simple sugar syrup as glaze on top (optional) 
• See this video on how to roll out, cut, and shape babka dough

Filling

1 cup of white chocolate spread (or spread of your choice)

1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers

Simple sugar syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup of water

Heat water to boiling and add sugar until dissolved; let cool

Rainbow Fortune Cookies

Making home made fortune cookies have been on my to do list for a long time.  I've loved them ever since I got my first Chinese take out many moons ago.  My kiddos also love these crunchy little cookies too.  

I mean really who doesn't like fortune cookies??

And because of my love for all that is rainbow - I decided to try to make some rainbow striped ones for Saint Patrick's Day.

The cookie batter is really simple and made with just egg whites, sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, and water.  These have food coloring as well.  Once the batter is mixed, divide it up until small bowls and tint each your favorite rainbow colors.

You do need to do only a 2-3 cookies at a time since you need to work with them quickly once they bake.  For the rainbow effect, add the batter to plastic bags, snip an end and pipe the colors.  Having a 3 inch circle template may help you keep the lines even. 

Once the cookies bake (only 7 minutes) add your fortune then fold the cookie over and then bend it into the fortune cookie shape.  (Be careful they may be hot!)

Place them in a muffin tin until they cool and keep their shape.

I wasn't sure how well they'd come out especially since I didn't do a plain test batch to try out the technique but watching some YouTube videos definitely helps! I used this one:

And you get to come up with your own fun fortunes!

Make some rainbow fortune cookies for your favorite little leprechauns this Saint Patrick's Day!

Directions:

Recipe and directions for original fortune cookies can be found here at Fifteen Spatulas.

• For these rainbow fortune cookies follow the same recipe
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Divide batter into small bowls and add 2-3 drops of your favorite colors of food gel
• Cut 3 inch circle templates (3) and add them under parchment paper
• Add each batter color to a plastic baggie.  Snip an end of each and pipe rows of color following your circle template
• Bake for 7 mins (edges will be just slightly golden)
• Working quickly, flip cookies over add fortune to each and fold cookie in half
• Bend cookies over the lip of a cup to get your fortune cookie shape
• Place in muffin tin until cookies cool and hold their shape

Rainbow Frosted Mini Donuts - vegan, raw, natural colors & no refined sugars

Happy National Doughnut Day! 

Get out there and get your freebie OR make your own! 

And I know you're thinking - no sugar - what the what??!! That cannot be a real doughnut.  But these are definitely sweet - just no refined sugars and you can feel less guilty for eating a bunch.

AND my obsession with natural colorants continues as these have no artificial colors or flavors added.

The base is all raw (Don't think like raw meat, but not baked) made from dates, coconut, pumpkin seeds, and coconut oil.

And the donut "glaze" is made from cashews, coconut oil, and a little maple syrup for sweetness.

The colors come from some of my favs these days for naturally coloring sweets:

And sprinkle them with fun and good stuff like edible dried lavender, freeze dried strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries, unsweetened coconut, candied ginger, nuts, turmeric, hibiscus powders - pretty much whatever you have you can add on top.

I love a pretty frosted doughnut and these mini healthy versions are perfect for my night time sweet tooth! 

Healthy eating and exercising was my 2017 new years resolution - not a diet but a real change in lifestyle and eating habits.  I still indulge and enjoy myself just in moderation - especially as I try to set an example for my 3 kiddos.  It seems today more than ever every one of us has to be accountable for their own actions and set an example for the next generations - you can't assume leaders or other role models will make the right choices.  

Thank you for swinging by and do something nice for someone today!

Rainbow Frosted Mini Raw Doughnuts

by Michelle Clausen June 2 - 2017

Ingredients and Instructions:

Doughnuts

1 cup mejool dates
1/4 flaked unsweetened coconut
1/8 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 teaspoons of coconut oil 

1. Add ingredients to food processor and pulse until all is chopped into very small pieces and pasty.
2. Scoop about 2 tablespoonfuls and add to mini donut pan (or shape into mini donuts)
3. Refrigerate 15 minutes then remove from pan.

Frosting

2 cups raw cashews (soak over night in water)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of coconut oil (melted)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Add cashews to high speed blender and blend until mixture is thick and creamy and no large pieces (you may need to use a spatula to move cashews around until all are blended well).
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until mixture resembles icing.   
3. Add mixture to smaller bowls and tint with natural colorants (about 1 teaspoon of powder for each cup of frosting - or more depending on how dark you want the color - the color does darken a bit as they set) like carrot powder, turmeric powder, freeze dried raspberry, freeze dried blueberry, matcha, hibiscus powder, blue spirulina powder, or beet powder.  
4. Sprinkle frosted "donuts" with edible dried lavender, freeze dried strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries, unsweetened coconut, candied ginger, nuts, turmeric, hibiscus powders.

Prep time: 60 minutes Yield: about 20-24 doughnuts.  Stores 1-2 days at room temperature (or 2 weeks refrigerated - you can also freeze them to last longer)

If you want some regular donut recipes and treats - you may also like these!

Watermelon Doughnuts

Churro Doughnuts

Beer Doughnuts

Donuts and Cupcakes

"Cronuts"

Baked Wheat Donuts

Rainbow Carrot Sugar Cookies

Happy April all! I've got an edible cookie craft this week for ya.  You all know my fascination with rainbow foods right?? Well I can't get enough of rainbow carrots.  I first ran into them at Trader Joes and had to buy a bunch.  I mean look how cool they look!

I made rainbow carrot cupcakes with them already so I felt the need to recreate them in some other sweet treat.  Like in cookie form.

So you get rainbow carrot shaped sugar cookies!

I used store-bought sugar cookie dough to speed up the process but tried to use all natural powders to tint the dough.  I've been on a healthy eating kick so have been trying to also avoid food gels - not totally but I do like to try to get cool vibrant colors without the added dyes.  

And I love the way these colors came out.  Carrot powder, red hibiscus powder, turmeric, and powdered freeze dried blueberries (I did add a bit of food gel to the last one because I wanted a deeper blue/purple color).  

Then just shape your carrots with the dough.  It's easy because they don't need to be perfect or all the same size.  That's what makes these multi colored carrots so fun.

I did freeze the cookies for about 15 minutes before baking as I was hoping they would hold their shape a bit more - but you can see they do flatten a bit.

But I still think they look pretty unique and carrot like - or maybe like peppers - rainbow peppers??

Melt some green candy wafers and attach some carrot "stems" aka edible Easter grass.  You can find this fun stuff in the Easter candy aisles of your favorite retail or drug store or Amazon of course!

The powders don't really add much flavor to the cookies but they do add some great natural color to the cookies.  Serve both this Easter - some rainbow carrots as a side dish and then some rainbow carrot (or pepper!) cookies for dessert!

Thanks for "hopping" by! And Happy Spring and almost Easter to those who celebrate!

Rainbow Carrot Sugar Cookies

by Michelle Clausen April 2 - 2017

Ingredients

• 1 roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (or your favorite sugar cookie recipe)
• 1/2 cup light green melting candy wafers/melts
• Green edible grass
• Powders for tinting dough (2 teaspoons of each hibiscus powder, powdered freeze dried blueberries, turmeric, carrot) - I did use a little purple food gel to get a deeper purple color

Instructions

1. Divide cookie dough into 5 even sections
2. Kneed powder colors into cookie dough.  For deeper colors you can add 1 drop of food gel.
3. Take sections of each color and roll into carrot shapes and lay onto cookie sheet. 
4. Freeze cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cookies are just barely starting to brown.
6. Melt green candy wafers in microwave safe bowl in 10-15 second intervals.
7. Add some candy to top of each carrot and attach some of the edible grass as stems.
8. Let harden 10 minutes.

Prep time: 60 minutes Yield: about 30 carrot cookies