Who doesn't love shiny cookies? I mean, really truly SHINY cookies? Okay, not every cookie needs to reflect my own face..but when you want that just-washed-actual-glass look instead of the very-nearly-almost-looks-like-glass-if-you-kind-of-squint-and-turn-your-head-sideways look, what is a decorator to do?
I bet you were hoping for a little more detail than that though, huh? Don't worry. I'll just keep talking until one of my children start crying.
I kind of thought that I would just spray a little bit on my cookie and walk away and it would be crazy shiny. The first thing I noticed though, was that there were little bubbles all over the surface of the cookie right after I sprayed it. I kind of freaked out and for some reason, my instinct was to keep on spraying until the bubbles disappeared, but the back of the can said not to use too much. So I panicked. And just kept staring at it, WILLING the bubbles to disappear. And wouldn't you know it? THEY DID. It takes about 30 seconds for the surface to completely smooth over...but it will. Trust me. I've tried it a jillion times now.
I let the first layer dry for about an hour because I was scared to touch it. But after a few more trials, I have determined that in my environment, the spray dries completely in about 15-20 minutes. I recommend placing your cookie on parchment paper to spray it. That way you can gently touch the over spray on the parchment paper to determine if the glaze is dry without ruining your cookie.
The cookie on the right was sprayed twice with the PME Edible Glaze Spray. It was actually a lot more glossy looking in person as well. Like...so glossy that I had to threaten to slap my own hand so I would stop touching it all the time. I sprayed quite a few different cookies and one coat was never ever enough. Two coat though was substantially shiny for almost all the cookies. If you want a thick "glass" looking layer, you'll probably have to pray it 4-5 times. Of course, you'll want to make sure each layer is dry before adding another one.
Let's talk about the flavor. It's pretty much non-existant. You won't notice a difference at all if you are eating the cookie. If, say, hypothetically, you wanted to LICK the cookie...you wouldn't be able to taste anything. It's kind of like a layer of unflavored gelatin. It exists...and you can see it...but it's kind of a non-entity at the same time.
Is this glaze spray your ONLY option for shiny cookies? Of course not! You can get a soft shine on any cookie by drying it in front of a moving air source like a fan or a dehydrator. It won't be AS shiny, but it will still be a little shiny. You can also paint part or all of a cookie with corn syrup mixed with alcohol. That will give it a nice "glass" effect as well. The corn syrup/alcohol method takes A LONG time to dry though. Like 24 hours...or more.
Bottom Line: One can costs $10-$17. That's a lot of money for a can of shine. I would never classify it as a necessary expense. And most of the time, you can pipe a "shine line" with icing to give the illusion of something being shiny without it actually being shiny. You could live your whole life without ever buying a can of glaze spray. But...it works REALLY WELL. And it's REALLY FUN. And kind of a cool effect. And if you wanted a novelty gift for "someone" (by "someone" I of course mean "yourself"), this would be a good one. It's usually cheaper if you can pick it up at a local baking store.
So... who wants to try it??!!! I'm giving away one can of PME Clear Edible Glaze Spray!! Just click that Easy Entry button by midnight on Friday, November 25, 2016!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't want to wait? You can grab one HERE.
