Carnival edible centerpiece
( Centrotavola di Carnevale )

Colored edible centerpiece recipe

Preparation and cooking

• - Prepare cookie dough.
  Put flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl or on a work surface.
  Make a well in its center and add olive oil, beaten egg, 3 tablespoons of orange juice and grated lemon rind.
  Slowly draw in flour from the edge of the well, stirring, and work until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
• - Color your dough.
  Divide your dough into 4 portions.
  Protect work surface before going on.
  Add 12 drops of yellow dye to your first portion and knead until homogeneous.
  Add 12 drops of red dye to your second portion and knead until homogeneous.
  Add 12 drops of blue dye to your third portion and knead until homogeneous.
  Color your fourth portion in orange with 3 drops of red dye aand 9 of yellow dye.
  I suggest you to wash your hands at every change of dye.
• - Preheat oven to 180°C.
• - Line the bottom of 2 baking pans with waxed paper.
• - Shape your cookies.
  Roll out every portion of your dough on lightly floured surface, beginning from the center, to a thickness of 2 to 3cm (1in). You have to use a long pasta rolling pin for this.
  Cut your dough into strips, vertically and horizontally. You have square or rectangle shapes.
  Knead every rectangle or square with your hands to have a little ball (cherry-sized).
• - Bake, five minutes.
• - Meanwhile prepare streamers.
  Knead marzipan with icing sugar.
  Give it a purple color with 9 drops of red and 3 drops of blue food dyes.
  Roll out marzipan on a work surface where you have sprinkled some icing sugar.
  Then cut your sheet into strips.
  Coil every strip as you can see in the photo.

Just before serving

• - Assemble your centerpiece.
  Arrange baked cookies on a dish alternating their colors.
  Add marzipan strips and smarties.
  Look at the photo for more details.

Note

Tips

• - You can choose other natural food dyes for cookies according to your own taste and increase their amount.
• - You can prepare this centerpiece ahead, even the day before.
• - Be careful not to cook too much these cookies; they're very little!

Menu planning

• - This is an edible centerpiece but, obviously, to be eaten at the end of your meal. These cookies are very tasty.
• - Prepare this centerpiece for a buffet too to decorate your table!

Healthy eating

• - Nutrition facts do not include smarties.
• - Like all sweets, this edible centerpiece must be done very sparingly given the amount of sugar and presence of dyes.

Loretta