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Dear Reader,
From my Holiday Email Bag:
"Suzanne, I tried to make your candy cane cookies...they looked lousy, and I feel even worse now that I've seen the picture of the ones you posted from one of your readers!
What did I do wrong?
They got all flat and melty. They were hard to shape. The only thing I can think of is that I didn't chill the dough enough? Or, should the dough be the consistency of playdough when you have finished mixing them (mine was kind of soft when I pulled it out of the bowl to wrap for the fridge). I think this is one of those times that if you made them in front of me, I might see how they should look during the whole process.
They taste yummy...I just won't put them out on my plate and I pictured them exactly the way you showed them today in the photo in your column!--HELP!"--Sally
(Suzanne replies:) Help is on the way! Yes, it sounds like the dough wasn't chilled enough, because if I'm having trouble getting going on the rolling and weaving part and the dough gets too soft, I have to put it back in the fridge so I can work with it. Don't worry about the cookies looking uniform. In fact, the first few candy canes I make end up huge. Since I only make them once a year, I've forgotten how much they expand and haven't found my rolling and weaving groove yet. Baking is trial and error as far as I'm concerned. No big deal if something doesn't turn out, it's not a failure but an adventure. Shake off the flour, mix up another batch, chill it real good and have fun! If you need more encouragement to try again, email me your phone number and I'll ring and talk you through it.
You'll find the recipe and a photo of the Candy Cane Cookies at: http://tinyurl.com/2fbxyo
And there's still some presents in Santa's bag. Click on the link to see some of the great gifts I am giving away and to enter the drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/5teedk Monday's winners are: Erica Parrott, Tricia MacNish, Linda Gagliardo and Mary Treace.
Have fun baking and thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com
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