Decorating Cookies

I've been following Bridget's blog for a while now. She just inspires me with all of those amazing cookie decorating ideas!! So for Christmas, my friend Haej got me THE coolest gift ever! She got me Bridget's Decorating Cookies book, but what REALLY makes it special is.....

it's SIGNED!

I love leafing through this book, looking at all the possibilities of colorful royal icing and cookie cutter shapes. She's also got some great cut-out cookie recipes in here, which I would share with you, but you really should just go out and get her book... I particularly like her Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookie recipe, which is oh-so-chocolatey and not too sweet!

As I drooled over page after page of beautiful cookies, I realized I needed to get my hands on every single cookie cutter imaginable! OK... maybe I don't need EVERY cookie cutter, but I did hop online to order the ones I thought I would use the most. My search took me to Etsy, where I bought one elephant, one onesie, one teacup, one teapot, one candy, one diamond ring, and one balloon cutter, adding to my collection of holiday and shape cutters.

My friend, Joyce, also got me the hippest cookie cutter set for Christmas! I think I may have enough cookie cutters...

- Band of Outsiders Cookie Cutters-

Neiman Marcus for Target

Here's my haul and the book of inspiration for my shopping spree~

So what did I do with my new cookie cutters and book of recipes/ideas? I baked cookies of course! I really wanted to use my new elephant cookie cutter, so I went with a baby shower theme. Now what to do with 3 dozen baby-themed cookies...

Peanut Butter & Pinterest

My baby bro, Andy, had finals last week so I wanted to make him a little somethin' somethin' to help ease the pain of all-night studying. I put together a big bag load of Korean snacks and Red Bull, along with a little homemade treat! This is a recipe that I found on Pinterest that just seemed way too yummy and easy to not try.

Andy loves Oreos, and brownies, and err peanut butter. Let's just say he's a fan of sweets (which is great for me because I can always count on him to eat my baked goods). I saw these brownie-covered Oreo peanut butter stacks and thought they'd be THE perfect indulgent snack!

You take 2 Oreos, spread some peanut butter on top of both, and stack. Place them in a paper-lined muffin pan and cover with brownie batter. Bake for about 15 minutes and voila you have the perfect little dessert! 

Here's another recipe I tried and loved on Pinterest! These require just 6 ingredients and make the most gooey, chocolatey, peanut buttery cookies. They are no-flour, no-butter, and no-white sugar!

These recipes are definite must-tries for the peanut butter enthusiast who wants an easy snack!

*** These pictures are clearly not taken with my new baby....

Bridal Cupcakes

Spring is finally here, bringing beautiful budding flowers, warmer temperatures, and the start of wedding season! I do love weddings! Sure, I'm left broke by the end of the summer and I really don't enjoy the rallying up of single ladies for the bouquet toss, but in the end it's a beautiful celebration of love. It's also a day filled with an open bar, a mini reunion of friends, and tears of joy (not listed in any particular order *wink*wink*). A coworker of mine is getting married this summer, and to celebrate it our school's awesome "Sunshine Committee" threw her a lovely shower. I had the honor of baking cupcakes for the occasion.

I decided to make 2 different designs: 

1. I made vanilla cupcakes for the base and piped on some vanilla buttercream with a round tip. I used a food-safe silicone mold to make my adorable little bows. The coral color really pops against the clean look of the cupcake.

2. I made chocolate cupcakes for the base and swirled on a light pink rose using a 1M tip. These roses are so easy to make and have the most beautiful result.

- chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream rose -

 - vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream-

topped with coral fondant bow & sparkles

- the 2 bridal cupcake designs -

Baby Announcement

I was a good girl and got my taxes filed early this year (aka my CPA filed them :P ). So, when that big check came in the mail I got a teensy bit greedy. I know I should be saving that money considering I'm a teacher (yup my other job) and don't work summers, but I really really wanted to get a DSLR to give my blog some umph. My friend, CraftySong, helped me a great deal in the search for my first grown-up camera. I cannot WAIT to start taking pictures with this baby!

Here she is!    5 x 4 x 3 inches, 17. 4 ounces     Isn't she beautiful?

Oh, Mickey You're So Fine!

A co-worker of mine asked me to make her a cake for a very special birthday. Her husband, lover of all things Disney, is turning 60 years young! Because this is such a special birthday, I wanted to make her and her family a cake that they will remember. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she had me at one word: MICKEY. As a die-hard lover of all things Disney myself (I have been going to Disney World almost every other year since I was 5), I was super excited to start on this cake.

She asked for a classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting (the birthday man's favorite). As for the design of the cake, I went red for Mickey's shorts (complete with 2 white buttons and a butt flap <3), yellow trim, and the iconic mickey ears cap on top. I also included the patch on the hat, but personalized it for the birthday man!

I hope I made Disney lovers and Mickey Mouse, himself, proud with this cake!

- the finished product -

- 3 layers of yellow cake and chocolate buttercream -

(note: Minnie is also present hehe)

- Mickey Mouse patch -

- his lil butt (bit of a seam in the yellow trim..) -

AF, I hope your husband and your family enjoyed Mickey!