A Bench in the Woods|Manu

Short version:
For this project I used three molds: two made by myself (for the rectangular cookie and and for my name "Manu") and one silicone mold (for the leaves). Please see last picture attached.

Longer version:
While reading these words "you can make your own molds" and "everything is in your kitchen is a potential mold", an image came to my mind: a tin/copper sheet.

At the elementary school (3rd grade/about 40 yrs ago) we embossed a tin/copper sheet. It was very easy and lot of fun. We had to draw something on a paper, put the drawing on this metal sheet and trace on the drawing to impress the metal underneath. Actually it is possible to draw directly on the tin/copper sheet (... sky would be the limit with a projector, today).

Then feeling the drawing popping out from the metal surface was amazing.
Anyway, memories of a kid... to make the story short that image led me to experiment with my own mold (as there are lots of copper molds for cakes sold in the shops) and this is the outcome:

The main scene:
I sketched a Fall scene in the wood: a bench and some pumpkins nearby, one of them is sitting on the bench, there are trees in the background, and a big tree on the left.

I had the mold, but I wasn't sure if it would have worked out or what kind of dough to use, and not sure whether to tint the dough before or after baking the cookie.
I had all my answers after @Chris (FlourSugarButter) posted his beautiful variety of Springerle. So I researched and experimented with the Springerle dough. I pushed the dough into the mold rather than pressing the mold onto the dough (my apologies to the tradition) as the mold is very thin and could lose very easily its shape. The amazing thing is how the impression became more vivid hour by hour. The detail of the leaves on the lower right could hardly be seen right after the embossing but it was there the day after as the dough dried.

The leaves:
I used a silicone mold for the leaves. I let them rest and baked the next day. With my great surprise not only they held their shape and impression but they became puffy and something grew underneath them while baking, so they were just perfect as they weren't flat anymore.

Manu:
I have played with my watermark also in this challenge. I made a "Manu" mold. This one was pressed onto the dough and then I cut the edges with a cutter.

To color or not to color:
I decided not to color the cookies and to leave the "Springerle look" because I was afraid that the color would have somehow covered the embossing.

Make your own mold:

The molds I have used for this challenge:

Wow! That's so clever using copper molds. I think you should score extra points for the beautiful copper art that you have created. Your cookies and composition are excellent, and I love how the leaves appear to be gently falling to the ground!

Thank you for the excellent explanation

Such creative Manu!! Loveeee 

Sweet Prodigy posted:

Wow! That's so clever using copper molds. I think you should score extra points for the beautiful copper art that you have created. Your cookies and composition are excellent, and I love how the leaves appear to be gently falling to the ground!

Thank you, Christine! I love the way the leaves turned out and that something very close to the typical "Springerle foot" came out while baking them. This way they are not flat and they add dynamics to the scene.

Marimen posted:

Thank you for the excellent explanation

Thank you, I am glad you appreciated it!

Cool Sweets posted:

Such creative Manu!! Loveeee 

Thank you! Always kind!

Love the copper mold - it's beautiful in itself.

Excelente trabajo felicidades!

Julia M. Usher posted:

Love the copper mold - it's beautiful in itself.

Thank you so much, Julia, once again I am here to tell you how your CC and these Challenges inspire me...

CHELY Morales posted:

Excelente trabajo felicidades!

Thank you, Chely! I loved your Bùho!

Manu posted:

CHELY Morales posted:

Excelente trabajo felicidades!

Thank you, Chely! I loved your Bùho!

Muchas gracias Manu. Tu entrada está preciosa y muy creativa también!

Aaaaaaah! So nice! And you have used a Springerle recipe. I loved your mold and your sign and the leaves! Really nice and this challenge is so inspiring as we all get to learn so much new things and discover so much creativeness in what we do!

Love it, congrats Manu! I should give springerle a try, now I don't have excuses with this DIY molds ♡♡♡♡

Manu posted:

Sil Quiroga *Homemade Cookies by Sil* posted:

Aaaaaaah! So nice! And you have used a Springerle recipe. I loved your mold and your sign and the leaves! Really nice and this challenge is so inspiring as we all get to learn so much new things and discover so much creativeness in what we do!

Love it, congrats Manu! I should give springerle a try, now I don't have excuses with this DIY molds ♡♡♡♡

Thank you, Sil, here is the link to the recipe I used:

http://www.houseonthehill.net/...n-springerle-cookies

Hey you genious!!! Thank youuuu!!!

My dought always is what is:

2 lb. box sifted cake flour?

@Sil Quiroga *Ricas Cookies*

Sifted should be another way to say sieved, that's what google translator said (native English pls forgive me!). I always sieve the flour.

Manu posted:

@Sil Quiroga *Ricas Cookies*

Sifted should be another way to say sieve, that's what google translator said. I always sieve the flour.

Yes, but what I don't understand is what is cake flour. Is it self rising flour or is it refered to put a box of those powder with which we make cakes? That part is the one I don't understand quite much.

Wow! This is really clever and beautiful!

Fernwood Cookie posted:

Wow! This is really clever and beautiful!

Thank you, Kerri! 

FABULOUS! I love your handmade copper mold, genius...the result is amazing! ❤️

Manu posted:

Short version:
For this project I used three molds: two made by myself (for the rectangular cookie and and for my name "Manu") and one silicone mold (for the leaves). Please see last picture attached.

Longer version:
While reading these words "you can make your own molds" and "everything is in your kitchen is a potential mold", an image came to my mind: a tin/copper sheet.

At the elementary school (3rd grade/about 40 yrs ago) we embossed a tin/copper sheet. It was very easy and lot of fun. We had to draw something on a paper, put the drawing on this metal sheet and trace on the drawing to impress the metal underneath. Actually it is possible to draw directly on the tin/copper sheet (... sky would be the limit with a projector, today).

Then feeling the drawing popping out from the metal surface was amazing.
Anyway, memories of a kid... to make the story short that image led me to experiment with my own mold (as there are lots of copper molds for cakes sold in the shops) and this is the outcome:

The main scene:
I sketched a Fall scene in the wood: a bench and some pumpkins nearby, one of them is sitting on the bench, there are trees in the background, and a big tree on the left.

I had the mold, but I wasn't sure if it would have worked out or what kind of dough to use, and not sure whether to tint the dough before or after baking the cookie.
I had all my answers after @Chris (FlourSugarButter) posted his beautiful variety of Springerle. So I researched and experimented with the Springerle dough. I pushed the dough into the mold rather than pressing the mold onto the dough (my apologies to the tradition) as the mold is very thin and could lose very easily its shape. The amazing thing is how the impression became more vivid hour by hour. The detail of the leaves on the lower right could hardly be seen right after the embossing but it was there the day after as the dough dried.

The leaves:
I used a silicone mold for the leaves. I let them rest and baked the next day. With my great surprise not only they held their shape and impression but they became puffy and something grew underneath them while baking, so they were just perfect as they weren't flat anymore.

Manu:
I have played with my watermark also in this challenge. I made a "Manu" mold. This one was pressed onto the dough and then I cut the edges with a cutter.

To color or not to color:
I decided not to color the cookies and to leave the "Springerle look" because I was afraid that the color would have somehow covered the embossing.

Make your own mold:

The molds I have used for this challenge:

Thank you for sharing this fantastic step by step tutorial! So useful and very creative!!! ❤️

Manu, lovely entry, lovely autumn scene, great copper work...well, everyhting is great! 

Beautiful

@Sil Quiroga *Ricas Cookies*

Cake flour is a finely milled, low protein flour, this is how it is called in the U.S., not sure you have the same ranking in Argentina, nor we have in Italy, I heard you have 0000...

It is not a rising flour. I dissolved hartshorn in milk.

@Evelindecora

Thank you Evelin! Glad you liked!❤️

@carouselselsel

Thank you Zara! The bench in the woods was the fourth sketch for the project in the  previous challenge with Ryoko that we didn't use.

Valerie J posted:

Beautiful

Thank you, Valerie!

Manu posted:

@carouselselsel

Thank you Zara! The bench in the woods was the fourth sketch for the project in the  previous challenge with Ryoko that we didn't use.

Everything you do is perfect, Manu! Happy to see some more of yours and Ryoko's @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. lovely ideas come to life again...Can't wait to see Ryoko's enrty now....and some more from you too

Absolutely gorgeous Manu!!! Just love this whole design . Thank you for such a detailed explanation about how you went about making this cookie! Even through such a detailed description I still found myself scratching my head trying to understand just how the copper molding works...obviously, this is totally unfamiliar to me but I'm enthralled by it. This project clearly took a lot of time, patience and ingenuity. While you were letting the dough rest, did you refrigerate it, freeze it or just leave it out at room temp? Just curious...most explanations of "dough resting" that I'm familiar with mean to leave it at room temp. Covered? Wrapped in a plastic wrap or towel? I'm totally fascinated by the process Manu!! Truly amazing creativity!! Love it

Manu posted:

@Sil Quiroga *Ricas Cookies*

Cake flour is a finely milled, low protein flour, this is how it is called in the U.S., not sure you have the same ranking in Argentina, nor we have in Italy, I heard you have 0000...

It is not a rising flour. I dissolved hartshorn in milk.

Perhaps its 0000 then! A bunch of thanks! Amazing work of your as always! And thanks for sharing!

Cookies Fantastique by Carol posted:

Absolutely gorgeous Manu!!! Just love this whole design

Thank you, Carol

Beautiful. 

Beautiful ❤ and great tutorial

Cookies Fantastique by Carol posted:

Absolutely gorgeous Manu!!! Just love this whole design . Thank you for such a detailed explanation about how you went about making this cookie! Even through such a detailed description I still found myself scratching my head trying to understand just how the copper molding works...obviously, this is totally unfamiliar to me but I'm enthralled by it. This project clearly took a lot of time, patience and ingenuity. While you were letting the dough rest, did you refrigerate it, freeze it or just leave it out at room temp? Just curious...most explanations of "dough resting" that I'm familiar with mean to leave it at room temp. Covered? Wrapped in a plastic wrap or towel? I'm totally fascinated by the process Manu!! Truly amazing creativity!! Love it

@Cookies Fantastique

The metal sheet is thin and it takes nothing to impress something, then while miming the act of coloring you make the drawing pop out. The modeling tools for fondant are just perfect, especially the ball tool. Then you keep turning the metal sheet to add details... Really, it is easier to do than to explain. And it takes the same time as drawing on paper. You can even erase mistakes with the ball tool.

Resting means leaving the dough out at room temperature without covering because the design has to set. Then everything depends on the humidity, like for the royal icing. This is the link I gave to Sil, it explains everything very well.

http://www.houseonthehill.net/...n-springerle-cookies

Tina At Sugar Wishes posted:

Beautiful. 

Libuša Bartošová posted:

Beautiful ❤ and great tutorial

Thank you so much! So glad you liked it.

Oh be still my heart, this is stunning! <3

Kim Damon posted:

Oh be still my heart, this is stunning! <3

Thank you, dear Kim ❤️

Manu, this is fun!!!   So the outome of Springerle Cookie dough is different from the cookie dough we use?   I usually do no t put baking powder which I am always afraid to change the shape.   The copper does not need to be in the oven?   Do we need to freeze dough before we put it into the oven?  

Oh, those might have been asked you already,  I go back and read all comments and Springerle Cookie page.  (Oh, I know I should have read them carefully first, you know, I just want to communicate with you, hahaha)

carouselselsel posted:

Manu posted:

@carouselselsel

Thank you Zara! The bench in the woods was the fourth sketch for the project in the  previous challenge with Ryoko that we didn't use.

Everything you do is perfect, Manu! Happy to see some more of yours and Ryoko's @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. lovely ideas come to life again...Can't wait to see Ryoko's enrty now....and some more from you too

Right, it seems like @Manu biscotti decorati and I were talking about the bench for a long time.  The bench was Manu's idea but we both did not put that bench into our design.  @Manu biscotti decorati's idea is always brilliant.   I thought I was going to make mold but with aluminum foil, copper! that's great.  

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Manu, this is fun!!!   So the outome of Springerle Cookie dough is different from the cookie dough we use?   I usually do no t put baking powder which I am always afraid to change the shape.   The copper does not need to be in the oven?   Do we need to freeze dough before we put it into the oven?  

Oh, those might have been asked you already,  I go back and read all comments and Springerle Cookie page.  (Oh, I know I should have read them carefully first, you know, I just want to communicate with you, hahaha)

Yes Ryoko, this dough is really soft. Once the design has dried and you put the cookie in the oven it grows in the lower part and develops something called "feet"... it took me a while to understand this but I took a picture. 

The mold doesn't need to be in the oven, because the dough has become crusty on the surface and the design is set. That's why it grows in the lower part. The molds are carved in wood or in rolling pins and they are beautiful and they are pressed onto the dough and the design has a sharpness like Chris' entry or have a look at @Teri Pringle Wood's "Beautiful Springerle". I remember there was a video here on Cookie Connection, showing that, but I couldn't find it anymore.

•"•"•"•

@Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

Two days later I found those videos I mentioned above by @Pryaniki&Cookies by Maria Leonova:

http://cookieconnection.juliau...-springerles-cookies

http://cookieconnection.juliau...ake-russian-pryaniki

I have been part in a fb group about Springerle cookies since lots of months ago but have never tried doing them as i don't have the molds and i didn't dare to this new recipe haha They do amazing things.

But now i have the possibility of making my own mold thanks to your creativity, lets see what i get and i'll tell you Manu! Thanks so much for being so gentle. Lovely work, oh, I think I've already said that 

These cookies have a nice historical background and are ideally consumed in XMas! They are so lovely! Though I won't make them with anis, cause I have never liked it hahah

Manu posted:

Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. posted:

Manu, this is fun!!!   So the outome of Springerle Cookie dough is different from the cookie dough we use?   I usually do no t put baking powder which I am always afraid to change the shape.   The copper does not need to be in the oven?   Do we need to freeze dough before we put it into the oven?  

Oh, those might have been asked you already,  I go back and read all comments and Springerle Cookie page.  (Oh, I know I should have read them carefully first, you know, I just want to communicate with you, hahaha)

Yes Ryoko, this dough is really soft. Once the design has dried and you put the cookie in the oven it grows in the lower part and develops something called "feet"... it took me a while to understand this but I took a picture. 

The mold doesn't need to be in the oven, because the dough has become crusty on the surface and the design is set. That's why it grows in the lower part. The molds are carved in wood or in rolling pins and they are beautiful and they are pressed onto the dough and the design has a sharpness like Chris' entry or have a look at @Teri Pringle Wood's "Beautiful Springerle". I remember there was a video here on Cookie Connection, showing that, but I couldn't find it anymore.

Thank you, Manu．  This helps me a lot and it is very interesting．I should try this dough.