St. Blaise's Cookies

We have a couple of family feast days coming up at the beginning of February, so for the sake of my sanity I knew we wouldn't be celebrating the feast of Candlemas with any foodie fun. (We will be going to Mass and having some candles blessed, but that's about it.) 

But, like Jessica, I saw these adorable candle cookies over at Family Fun and really wanted to try them. Well, since St. Blase's Day is one of our family feast days, and Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes are easy enough to find I decided to pass on hunting down the cookies used for the base and decided instead to use a simplified version to represent the candles used for the blessing of the throats, which is traditionally done on St. Blase's day.

St. Blase's feast day isn't until February 3rd, but I went ahead and made this little tutorial for the visual people, like me, who might need to see it in pictures to better understand my alterations.

I used:

Pepperidge Farm Vanilla Pirouette cookies

white chocolate chips

mini marshmallows

white sugar

a few drops each of red and yellow food coloring

First, I made my own orange colored sugar by mixing a few drops of red and yellow food coloring with plain white sugar. Tossing it around in a zippered baggie works great plus the kids get a kick out of watching the color change. Not having any powdered sugar on hand to make the glaze frosting they recommended, I melted some white chocolate chips and snipped off the corner of another zippered bag. When my family made gingerbread houses this past year, I learned that melted white chocolate makes an excellent construction substance. It's easy to pipe on and firms up in a jiffy.

Next, cut the mini marshmallows in half on the diagonal and dip the cut end into the orange sugar to create the flame effect.

Use a drop of melted white chocolate to attach the marshmallow to the cookie and dribble some down the top to create the look of melted wax. I used another little drop to attach the two together in an X shape for this picture, but for the feast day, I plan to pick up some red licorice laces to tie them together, just like the candles that will be used to bless our throats on the day.

It is also a tradition in some countries to have some bread blessed on St. Blase's Day to keep on hand for treating sore throats. Long, thin bread sticks might also be a fun way to remember this Holy Helper and are easy enough to add to almost any meal!

Also, if you are looking for a coloring page for St. Blase, you can find one here on my personal blog.

Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. - blessing of Saint Blaise