Rainbow Colored Icing is easier than you think!

Paste food coloring to the sides of the pastry bag with a brush and then fill it with the frosting mix. The result? Multicolor rainbow swirls adorning your favorite cupcakes.

How to crystallize edible flowers

 Thank you to our friends at The Cookie Chew for this beautiful and fun idea to crystallize edible flowers. Perfect for a Wedding or other special occasion.

Directions
1. Cut the stem of the flower.

2. Dilute the pasteurized liquid egg whites with some water(about 1-2 tbsp). Holding a flower with tweezers, brush the egg-white mixture on all surfaces with a small paintbrush.

3. Sprinkle the superfine sugar over entire flower. Shake off excess sugar. Place on a tray covered with waxed paper, and allow to dry. Repeat for all flowers.

4. Allow the flowers to stand in a warm, dry place until crisp, about 2 to 4 days, turning them around (especially the larger flowers) regularly so that moisture does not collect beneath them.


5. Once dry, store them in an air-tight glass jar. These candied flowers will keep for at lest 1 month in a dry place.

6. And voila!  A beautiful decoration to any cupcake, cake or cookie!

Dulce de Leche Brownies

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books)                                                                                                                                      David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup  flour
optional: 1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche

Cooking Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 8-inch square baking dish with a sheet aluminum foil that covers the bottom  up over the sides. If it doesn’t reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Spray the bottom and sides of the foil with cooking spray.

In a saucepan melt butter, add the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour and nuts if using.

Pour half of the batter into baking dish.  Spoon one-third of the Dulce de Leche, over the brownie batter evenly in dollops, then drag a knife or spatula through and swirl. Pour the remaining brownie batter over, then spoon the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife or spatula to swirl the Dulce de Leche creating a marbled effect.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies center will be slightly firm when they are done. Remove from the oven and allow cool completely.
Enjoy!