Paula Deen's Magnolia Trumpets

Its tea time in the South. The spring table is set with beautiful Irish linens and the finest, frilliest china. Above us we can see the large oaks and magnolias are dripping with southern charm, also known as spanish moss. The afternoon sun is shining (but not in our eyes :) and a cool breeze blows in from the coast.  The perfect day to enjoy a Paula Deen specialty known as Magnolia Trumpets.

What? So, you don't believe us southerners enjoy tea every afternoon under the moss laden oaks and magnolias as the sun gently shines down on our best tiaras and feather boas? Well, I'm just appalled at your disbelief.... OK, so perhaps I am a bit of a romantic dreamer. But, it could be true, you just never know...

Alright, so really this is the way I imagine that these beautiful Magnolia Trumpets should be served. They are so delicate with their crisp caramel shells and fluffy white filling.  They would absolutely be perfect for any ladies gathering. I have a hard time believing a good ole' boy could fully appreciate the full beauty of these little gems. I'm not even sure I could enjoy seeing a manly-man holding a pink sugared trumpet shaped dessert. Well, on second thought its not such a bad vision, afterall. LOL!

Seriously, these are for your special occassions. They are quite time consuming. You can only bake 2-3 at a time. Once out of the oven, you must hand roll these to shape them into "trumpets." So, you probably won't be throwing these together at the last minute before a dinner party. Paula Deen indicates that you should wrap them over a spoon (after baking) to form their trumpet shape. I happened to have a cone roller (for making waffle cones) and I had better success with this.

Now, go get the table set for afternoon tea. I'll go find my tiara. If you start now, you should be finished making these just in time:) Enjoy!

Magnolia Lace Trumpets

Recipe courtesty of Paula Deen

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon Irish Cream Liqueur, optional
Filling, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 Line a cookie sheet with foil. Lightly grease the foil; set aside (if you don't grease the foil, the cookies will stick and be ruined).
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter, and syrup. Cook mixture over low heat until butter melts; remove from heat. Stir together flour and ginger; add dry mixture to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in Irish Cream, if desired.Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 3 to 4 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake only 2 or 3 cookies at a time because you must work quickly to form the cones before they cool and become brittle.*
Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Quickly invert cookies onto another cookie sheet, and wrap each cookie around the greased handle of a wooden spoon or a metal cone. When cookie is set, slide cookie off spoon or cone; cool on a wire rack. Fill cookies with filling.
To store: Place unfilled cookies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days or freeze unfilled cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies and fill.
*If cookie gets too brittle to roll, run back in the oven for a minute to soften.
Filling:
1 1/2 cups solid shortening (Crisco)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar ( I would recommend powdered sugar)
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot milk
Cream together shortening and butter. Add sugar and beat well. Add egg white and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Add hot milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until creamy. Put into pastry tube with star tip and fill cookies.