Eiffel Tower Cookies

I made these cookies for Shelley's Paris Themed Bachelorette party! You remember Shelley, right? From here and here! =D The countdown is quickly wrapping up . . . only . . . 12 days from today! eek!

Cake Box Cookies

I really enjoy cake and cupcakes, but I actually prefer eating cookies because they are not as messy! So, now you can have your cake, in a cookie form. You can eat them the way they are or you can frost them. I have made carrot cake and red velvet cookies before and topped them both off with some cream cheese frosting!

Cake Box Cookies

Cake box of your choosing - I used funfetti today

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 375*

2. In your electric mixer (or bowl and spoon if you choose - very easy!) mix the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix until just combined!

3. Scoop 1 inch balls onto your cookie sheet. And with a glass flatten the cookies to 1/2".

4. Bake for 6-8 minutes.

mmm... enjoy!

Pecan Pretzel Bites - Take Two!

I showed you how to make Pecan Pretzel Bites here. Last night I was craving them and since I keep all the ingredients on hand I made some more, but I changed it up a bit. I used almonds this time, which are just as delicious, but I also used the Hershey Kisses's Hugs I received for Valentine's Day. Yuuum!

The difference: when using the hugs, only leave them in the oven, at 250*, for 2 minutes NOT 4, otherwise you will have quite a mess!

Valentine's Day Heart Cookies

I really love making vday cookies. They are very easy and fun to make. All you need is a heart shaped cookie cutter and three colors - red, pink and white! These cookies were individually bagged and given to family and friends!

Now, my husband gets something different! If you know him, then you know he loves scrabble, so I made a small game out of my cookies for him! I put tiny cookies in a bag, each embossed with an individual letter. He gets to solve my message to him! =D Of course, the bow and the scrapbook paper background is a little girlie, but what do you really expect from me?!

I love you Michael! Here's to our 10th Valentine's together!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Superbowl XLV

Husband and I hosted a party for the Super Bowl. It was a lot of fun, good friends, good food, and good game! I, for one, could hardly care about the game and I really only tolerate a party for the socialization and the commercials (which were sub-par this year). I made cupcakes for the party, some Packers cupcakes and some Steelers cupcakes! They were vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with a delicious, cream cheese frosting!

In the end, the packers won!

Shelley's Card Box

As you well know, I am going to be a bridesmaid for Shelley (one of my best friends) at her wedding in March, and I wanted to make something crafty for her! I decided on a Cardbox. This can be put with the presents and her guests can put their cards in the box! Then if she wants (and Drew allows it, of course!) it can be displayed in the house! Once my hands quit cramping and I finally get all the glue and paint off of my fingers, I think I will make one for myself. Just to put in the corner of my room!

Surprise, Shelley! I hope you like it!

Chocolate, Peppermint Cupcakes

Can you tell I like peppermint? Lol, well I love it! Mint anything is just delicious! I made some regular sized cupcakes and some mini ones! I was very excited to use the pretty cake plate my sister got me for my birthday!

Bridal Shower Cookie

One of my best friends, Shelley, is getting married in March and this past Saturday was her bridal shower. I made her a cookie that matched her wedding invitation and attached it to her present as the tag! (The purple ribbon came out fine, but the coloring on the cookie looks blue, it is actually purple).

Vegas Cookies!

I made 4 dozen cookies, 4 of each card suit for a birthday party for Husband's grandpa. He just turned 80 and his mom planned a surprise birthday party and requested that I make him some cookies to match her Vegas theme!

Rolos, Pecans, Pretzels, oh my!

My friend was having a girls movie night and I just cannot show up empty handed, so I needed something quick and easy! I remembered what I saw on a blog I read a few months ago and opted to make that!!

Pecan Pretzel Bites

Pretzals

Rolos

Pecan Halves

Yup, that's it! I'm telling you, this is very quick, very easy and very delicious!

1. Pre-heat oven to 250*

2. line all the pretzels on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper, but i was out) and top each one with an unwrapped rolo candy

3. Bake in oven for 5 minutes and no longer! They will not melt down as expected, but will hold their same shape

4. Top each rolo with a pecan half

5. Put the entire tray in your freezer to let the chocolate harden, for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

I now have a bag of pecan halves in my freezer, unopened pretzels and a bag of rolos just waiting until I need a quick snack again! OR, if you are just in the mood for something sweet, but do not want to make an entire cake, 28 cupcakes or or at least 36 cookies, you can make just as many bites of these as you want! =)

Coconut Cupcakes

I am back to the mixer for a quick batch of cupcakes! I wanted to try something new and found this recipe online.

Coconut Cupcakes

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Pre-heat oven to 325*

2. In an electric mixer cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, on high for about 5 minutes

3. With the mixer on a low speed, add the eggs in one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition

4. Add the extracts and mix well

5. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt

6. in three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry.

7. Mix until just combined and then fold in the coconut. (If you have someone that doesn't like coconut (ahem, my husband) then scoop a few spoonfuls in muffin pan before you add it).

8. Fill each muffin cup to the top (or 3/4 full without the coconut) and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a tooth pick comes out clean.

1. In the same (clean) mixer on a low speed, cream the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the powdered sugar until smooth.

2. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut. (I dyed my coconut by mixing it with a few drops of pink dye in a bowl.)

I left 6 for our neighbor dinner and the rest went to work with Michael! =)

50th Birthday Cake

Again, I baked all day long on the 31st for my mom's 50th birthday party later than night. The main thing I was baking was a two tier cake. The top tier was a chocolate cake and the bottom was vanilla. I hand-piped the design on all 4 sides of the cake. The bow and the fifty are made of fondant and then covered in glitter! The cake was a huge hit!

50th Birthday Cookies

I made a ton of cookies for my mom's dessert table, for her birthday. They were all 5's and 0's. The cookies are all silver and then decorated with blue and black. You cannot tell in any of the pictures, but they are all covered in glitter as well, so they have a light shimmer!

Ringing in 2011!!

Friday, December 31st was my mother's 50th birthday so she had a birthday party/New Year's Eve party! I was in charge of desserts and I decided to do an entire dessert buffet. I made cupcakes with whipped chocolate ganache, a two-tier chocolate and vanilla cake, brownies, sugar cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, M&Ms, white chocolate covered pretzels, and my sister made the while oreo balls. I added two pictures of her when she was little and another as a teen, she was not too thrilled about that! lol. It was a total success, almost everything was gone by the end of the night!

My sister and I decorated the house with 50 balloons and I also made her a birthday sign to hang on their fireplace mantle.

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope everyone has a Happy and Prosperous New Year!