Chocolate sugar cookies

Ok.. So I wanted to try out some chocolate sugar cookies for Valentines day. I love how they look. Not sure on the recipe. I think I need to try a few more before I decide on one. The colors just pop on these dark cookies though!

Valentine cookies

I decided to start practicing for Valentines day. Also I am hosting a MOPS moms night out and this is what I am teaching the moms to do. Decorate cookies. Since it is in Feb. I thought Hearts would be perfect.

I tried a new technique with the making the heart in the actual dredging part of the cookie. It was really easy!! Love this effect.

Bread or Cookies??

So I was in the baking mood today. Made some sugar cookies, then looked at the banana's I had in the fruit basket.. They looked pretty sad. So I decided to make banana bread.. then I thought.. oooohhh I have some chocolate chips. I should add those to the loaf.. Then I took it a step further and decided to see if they would hold up in cookie form. And what do you know?? They did!

I only made 6 at first on the silpat.. Then I let Eva try one!! LOL I too tried one.. I was pretty impressed that they tasted really good. And they were done all the way through.

I used a Med. pampered chef scoop to scoop them out onto the silpat. That way they are all the same size.

I had to keep checking on them. Not knowing how long to cook them.. I started at 10 minutes.. Then kept having to come back to them every 2 minutes.. They finally looked done at 19 minutes.. So I would say the time is between 18 to 20 minutes..

The big three O!!

I made this cake for my freind Tina who turned 30 in Dec.

This design came from a balloon.

Turkey's Turkey's

I enjoyed doing this one with the kids.. I had a friend come over and help.. We had 4 kids helping and eating all the candy!

All you need is Oreo's, Candy Corn, Woppers, Resses Peanut Butter cup (mini) and frosting. White and Brown. I had a friend send me a link to The crafty Crow that had these goodies on there site. I decided to give them a try.

You use the frosting to glue all the pieces on. I used brown frosting to glue everything together. Dont push to hard on the candy corn or you will split the cookie apart.. I used brown frosting on top of the white filling to increase the hold on the candy corn. They stuck in there easier. Then put the cup and the wopper on.

I used white frosting to put the beak on then pipe the eyes with white and a little dot for the color of the eyes. Instead of pipping orange frosting on for the feet I cut the orange part of the candy corn and used that for the feet.

They were fun to make. The kids enjoyed the final product.. And all the parts of the product!!

Corral cake and horse cupcakes.

This year Kiara seems to be into horses. So I decided to do a the horse cupcakes I saw in the book "Hello Cupcake" and then I came up with doing a corral for a cake. O-boy did I take on a project.. First I could not find, ANYWHERE, the white circus peanuts that they use in the book. I could have ordered them on line but did not have the time, nor did I want to spend the money it would have cost to order one small bag!! So I was lucky enough, after looking everywhere in my home town, to find the orange circus peanuts at Freddies... Just to let you know.. Fred meyers is the ONLY place around that carries them. So I had to dip them in white melted chocolate to get them white... it actually was pretty easy once I figured out a day or two before how to do it. It took a couple of tries. I tried just dipping them, then putting them on the waffer.. but that did not work to well. So I put them on the waffer (with melted chocolate) then dipped them.. much much easier.. On the side of the wafers is chocolate with sprinkles. Then I used melted choc. instead of frosting for the eyes.. that way I could grab onto the heads with out worring about the eyes and nose.

Then the assembly stared.. I had to do one at a time from this point on.. They went pretty fast though. You cut the cupcake then stick the waffer in all the way to the bottom.

Then comes the ears and hair between the ears. I used a size 3 tip and bag to do this part. I dont like using the ziplock method that they use in "Hello Cupcake" I am so used to using my bags it is just easier for me to use them. Then comes the mane down the back.. pretty much just dots and you pull back to make them stand up a little.. I did three lines.. one down the middle then two down each side on the corner of the waffer. Then just put a few "spots" on the horse and sprinkle jimmies on them.

Next comes the tail.. I tried just making them by melting chocolate then pouring it onto wax paper in the shape of a tail. But they ended up being to fat the first one I tried, the cupcake almost split in half.. So I went with the pretzel. I went through a whole bag just to get the correct part that I needed..!! I would get almost the right piece then it would break on me.. Hello cupcake does not tell you that!! But I managed to get enough for 12 cupcakes.
Then came the corral.. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted it to look like. And I must say, it does look like how I wanted it to.. But it took forever! I used the round waffers, I cant remember what they are called right now.. But they come in several different flavors.. I used vanilla. They were very heavy to use for this project.. I think that is why it took so long. The melted chocolate would have to harded completly before I could let go!! I broke several pieces off as I was putting another on.. ohhhhhh... as you can see I even tried the condensed air to try and freeze it quiker.. did not help much..
But then finally at midnight that night I got it completed!! I used fondant for the sign and edible ink for the writting.. Love the edible ink!!!

Todd was nice enough to make the trough for me from fondant.. I used pipping gel for the water.. then I added the chip strips for the hay.

Kia loved them when she saw them.. It made it worth all the hard work.

Craft Fair for MOPS

So... The craft fair has come and gone.. It was a huge success for M.O.P.S. . It was also a lot of work.. Tina and I are going to take a week to recover I think. We were there at the church all day.. every day for three full days.. My feet have never hurt so bad. Anyway.. Our bake sale table went very well.. These are the things I donated for the table.

Eva has yet to see the princess sucker!! I have two made and at home for some special treat sometime soon.

My flower sugar cookies I can now do in my sleep.. But I do love to make these.

And ofcourse the cupcake pops.. With my label on them!! :) I had three people ask for cards.. I should have made some! I am now going to order some asap!!

And something new for me.. Chocolate pretzels.. I have done some in the past but not with molds.. Tina gave me this mold and I had to try it out the same day she gave it to me last week.. So I made a few for the craft fair.. Next year I want to do xmas ones.. They sold fast..