Floral Sugar Squares Recipes

FLORAL SUGAR SQUARES

Steps:

• Place the butter and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix with paddle attachment the mixture resembles small peas. Add powdered sugar, orange zest, baking powder and salt, mix to combine. Add egg yolks and mix jut enough to make a smooth dough. Do not over mix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. If your butter was very cold, you will be able to roll the dough immediately. If not, place it in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If necessary, remove the dough from the refrigerator. The dough will be hard when it comes out of the refrigerator and you will need to give it a few quick raps with a rolling pin to make it easier to roll. Lightly flour the dough and roll out into a 5 by 10-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut 1-inch square cookies and place them on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Arrange the cookies on a silicone mat covered baking sheet. Cut the stems from the edible flowers and place 1 flower on top of each cookie.
• Place the sugar, corn syrup and water in a large saucepan and cook to 320 degrees F. Pour a small amount of cooked sugar on the short side of a silicone baking mat placed over marble or granite. Use an offset spatula to spread the sugar evenly over the entire mat until it is about 1/16-inch thick. The spread sugar will cool very quickly but you want to use it while it is still warm.
• Overturn the sugar layer onto the cookies and remove the silicone mat from the thin sugar sheet. Use a mini-torch or heat gun and melt the sugar until it melds into the flower and coats the cookie. Use the heat of the torch to "cut" the cookies from the sugar. Move the finished cookie to a platter.

PINK ANGELS - A SQUARE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.

FLORENTINE SQUARES

Steps:

• Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-x-15 1/2-x-1/2-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang at each short end.
• Batter: Pour the cream, corn syrup, and sugar into a 1 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir to combine, then add the butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Then raise the heat to medium, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon--especially toward the end of cooking--to prevent scorching. Cook until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F, the soft-ball stage, on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes; the mixture will appear between ivory- and straw-colored. Remove from heat, and stir in almonds.
• Pour the mixture onto the center of the foil-lined baking sheet, and spread it in as thin a layer as possible. A pool about 8 inches in diameter is fine. Bake for 3 minutes; then spread the more liquid mixture evenly over the baking sheet. If the mixture still does not completely cover the baking sheet, bake another minute, then tilt the baking sheet to allow the mixture to spread evenly. Bake for about 5 to 6 minutes total, or until golden but not dark brown. Though the mixture bubbles while baking, the bubbles form more slowly toward the end of baking time than at the beginning.
• Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. While the mixture is still warm but no longer liquid, cut 1 1/2-inch squares using a ruler and a pastry wheel. If the mixture is too warm, it will not cut cleanly. If it is too cool, it will splinter or not cut; in that case return it to the oven for a few seconds to soften it a bit.
• Decoration: When the squares are completely cool, place the chocolate in a bowl over water at about 120 degrees F. When about two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the water. With a dry rubber spatula, stir until the liquid chocolate melts the soft or unmelted chocolate that remains. Fill a small handmade paper cone with the chocolate and snip off the tip. Pipe thin lines of chocolate back and forth over the squares' surface. Refrigerate the squares briefly, just to set the chocolate. Remove from the refrigerator and set aside in a cool, dry place.
• To store, remove squares from the foil and place them in layers, separated by strips of aluminum, in an airtight metal or plastic container in a cool place up to 1 week.

OLD FASHIONED DIABETIC DATE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine flour,baking powder,baking soda,and salt.
• Rub in butter until mixture is crumbly.
• Add sugar and oats.
• Mix well.
• Spread half of crumb mixture into 9"x9" greased baking pan,patting mixture until firm and smooth.
• Cook dates,with water,orange rind ,orange juice,lemon and sugar in a saucepan till smooth and thick.
• Cool mixture.
• Add to bottom layer of oat mixture.
• Add remaining oats to top of dates.
• Spread out evenly.
• Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool and cut into squares to your liking.
• Enjoy these great Date squares.

BROWN SUGAR SQUARES

Steps:

• Beat crust ingredients together until crumbly (mixer works well).
• Press mixture into a 9x13 baking pan (glass works fine).
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and chopped nuts. Pour over baked crust base and bake another 20 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.