Snowflakes & Snowmen Recap

Winter 2011

Is that it? Really Winter 2011? Technically Winter didn't even start until December 21st and is still going on...but I am just not feeling it. Watch old man winter come late and hang around until June! Today, a jacket isn't even needed! When it was raining a couple days ago and around 60 and sunny yesterday I almost complained, and then I thought, "Hey this really isn't bad for January, this is good weather!" So while adorable little snowmen are still appearing in blogland, mine are here to say good-bye, my mind is springing forward!

Oldest to Newest....Newest to Oldest

Where should I begin?

Newest.

Snowflake Cookies

These were my crown jewel of the season, my absolute favorite!

Snowman Gingerbread Cookies

These were just a fun and yummy cookie with the snowman candies that my daughter loved so much!

Dude, Where's My Snowman? Cupcakes

This is what happens when I am having a rough day...I find laughter in making snowmen pee!

I am not really a snowman bully...he just had too much eggnog!

Snowman Oreo Pops

Once again, the favorite snowman candies on a favorite quick and easy treat!

Snowman Oreo Pops

This is the traditional Snowman Pop I found popping up on the internet possibly originating from The Farm Girl Recipes, that was as far back as I could find it!

Dipped Christmas & Winter Oreos

It doesn't get any easier than this and I just thought they were so pretty...and yummy! I really don't like just eating Oreos plain, but dipped, now that is another story. There is a red and green Christmas Tree version of these also on the original post.

Mini Snowman Cupcakes

This was the first time I used the mini snowman candies. My youngest daughter picked out the snowflake mini cupcake liners and the candies for these cupcakes!

Snowman Family & Snowflake Cookies

My first cookies of the season!

Snowman Family & Snowflake Cookies

Just the snowflakes from the collection. These were my first snowflakes, they were my favorite until I made the last snowflake cookies of the season (listed first on this page)!

 

Mint & Dark Chocolate Snowflake Candy

Some may call this "bark", I just call it "candy", since it was made in a mold. It is another super easy and pretty sweet treat and they were the first snowflakes of the season!

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I link up at these fun parties! 

Flashback to New Years 2011!

It's Flashback Monday?!

 

This is a once in awhile segment, usually on a Friday, that I created to show you some of my past adventures before I began blogging! Friday is already the day before New Year's Eve and I wanted to give you plenty of time to gather ingredients if you decide to make one of these!

Where oh where did 2011 go?

On New Year's Eve guests enjoyed Martini Cupcakes!

These cupcakes were inspired by the folks from "Hello, Cupcake!" and they were a total hit!

To make these:

I used plastic Martini cups from my local party store. I rubbed the rims of the cups with corn syrup and then dipped in colored sparkling sugar to match the color of the cupcake I intended to put in side. Next, I put colored Jelly Belly's in the stem of the cup. Then, I melted and colored some canned icing and swirled around the top of the cup, being careful not to let it drip into the stem. It only takes about 10 seconds in the microwave to melt the frosting up, so be careful! By the time I got the last cup swirled with icing, the first was about dry and I placed an unwrapped cupcake inside and poured additional melting icing over the top, garnishing with Jelly Belly's, gummy fruit wedges, and umbrellas! These were a little time consuming and a pair of extra hands is very helpful.  In the end when your guest arrive to see these, you will know that they are totally worth it!

With the extra cupcakes that I didn't use in making the Martini Cupcakes, I swirled with buttercream, black and gold sprinkles and topped with some plastic confetti from the party store! I didn't have a problem with people eating the plastic either, just like a cupcake pick, people know to remove it! These cupcakes were a great option, since the buttercream was a little less sweet than the canned icing.

This was my first New Year's Eve making cupcakes!

 

New Year's Eve doesn't last forever and soon comes New Years Day!

Welcome to 2011! This was my first attempt ever at royal icing. I had all of the snowflakes piped, waiting a day and they started to break when I removed them from the waxed paper, so I piped over them again and made the snowflakes very thick! At the time I totally loved these cupcakes! I look back at these now and wonder what was I thinking?

Anyway, that was what I made to welcome in 2011!

I can't wait to Welcome in 2012!

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I link up at these fun parties!

 

Featured at: Mom On Timeout

Flashback to Christmas 2010!

It's Flashback Friday!

  

This is a once in awhile segment that I created to show you some of my past adventures before I began blogging!

  

The day after Thanksgiving, traditionally known as "Black Friday." I have already gotten a good start on Christmas shopping and there really isn't a sale going on that is worth braving the crowds for me. Are you going out to brave the crowds? I actually went to the Michael's Thanksgiving Sale and got lots of fun goodies yesterday, as well as did a little internet shopping! Instead of going out shopping today for Black Friday, I plan to spend this day decorating for the Christmas holidays! Here is what I was baking up last year!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with little Gingerbread Men on top

Peppermint flavored cupcakes, topped with crushed candy cane, with cute Snowmen liners and picks

Low fat/Low cal cupcakes made with box mix + 1 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1 cup water, with very little icing.

As you know I am not much of a cookie person, so in the past that task has fallen on my husband and daughter. This is a sampling of what my daughter Kaitlyn made last year for Christmas, all decorated with buttercream.

Funfetti Brownies with a Snowflake pattern drawn on with Wilton Cookie Icing and M&M's

Peppermint and Vanilla Cupcakes that I made for my Husband's office- The Peppermint has peppermint buttercream topped with crushed candy cane, the vanilla has vanilla buttercream topped with Christmas jimmies

Christmas Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies that we threw together in minutes and topped with buttercream and sprinkles

Wilton Gingerbread Christmas Tree made by my daughter Kaitlyn. The little Wilton Gingebread Houses were a joint effort between my daughter and I. The kit was incomplete, so we had to use crackers for some of the roofs.

This wasn't my favorite, but this was the final Christmas dessert, a "Hello, Cupcake!" design. I totally messed up the drawing of the body! You can view what they should look like at Duncan Hines Holiday Cupcakes. The good thing about not-so-pretty cupcakes is they still taste good!

 

2011 will be my first Christmas as a "blogger" and I am really looking forward to sharing what I make this year with you! I have already gotten a start on my baking shopping, 5 new Christmas Cookie Cutters, lots of new cupcake liners and some picks. My youngest even had some influence and had to have some mini liners and snowmen candy that I will be making cupcakes with!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...next milestone...Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

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Hauntings of Halloweens Past

It's Flashback Friday!

This is a "now just occasional" segment to share with you some of my past adventures...

With just a month until Halloween, join me won't you, as I travel back in time to show you my adventures of Halloween's past...

2010 was the first full year after I started making cupcakes and I made quite a few different Halloween Cupcakes that year!

Halloween 2010

I waited all year long to finally be able to make "The House That Boo Built" from the "What's New Cupcake?" book by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. I made this for Halloween 2010. There were 3 different sized cupcakes used in this cupcake haunted house, along with dark chocolate trees, crushed Oreo Cookie dirt, candy corn pumpkins, and candy bats just to name a few ingredients in this Cupcake Haunted House! 

With so many left over cupcakes of different sizes and leftover supplies, I handed them over to the kids to decorate however they wanted!

Leftover supplies from "The House That Boo Built"

Before Halloween, we took a trip to Disney World and found this yummy cupcake in the first bakery on Main Street! 

Halloween Cupcake from the Magic Kingdom at Disney World

 Of course, that inspired me to make my own when we got home. I couldn't get the frosting piped as nice as what they made at Disney World, but we have ghosts!

My Disney inspired Ghost Cupcake- 2010

Cupcakes with Sugar Candies-  2010

 

Funfetti Frosted Halloween Cookies- 2010

Cupcakes with Wilton Decorations- 2010

These were Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes made with a box of Spice Cake Mix mixed with 1 can of Pumpkin and topped with cream cheese icing. The sugar cookies on top were coated in candy melts.

Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes- 2010

These were super fast and easy to make, less than 45 minutes from batter to fully decorated. These were made with the Pillsbury Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix with the Pillsbury Easy Frost icing that you spray out of a can liked whipped cream! 

Funfetti Cupcake with Easy Frost Icing in a spray can- 2010

My daughter has always had a Halloween birthday party and every since a cake disaster in 1996, I had always ordered ALL birthday cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. When I found these Halloween Cupcake Trio Cupcakes from Pillsbury, I knew they would be perfect for my daughters party, but could I do it? Yes! My first baking success ever! I made 24 yellow and 24 devil's food cupcakes and decorated them all, this took what I thought then to be a long time. Everyone loved them and I was extremely proud that I didn't mess them up! So these are the cupcakes that started my obsession with cupcakes!

The Cupcakes that started it all - 2009

Here is a close up of the 3 designs! This was also my first time using Wilton food colors, I was amazed how brilliant the color was compared to those tiny little bottles that you use for Easter Eggs!

Halloween/Birthday Cupcakes 2009

  

But...those were not the first cupcakes that were made at home...

   

In 2007, my oldest daughter had her birthday party the week after Halloween, which I ordered a cake for, but she still wanted Halloween Birthday Cupcakes on her actual birthday. She was just 10 years old at the time she made these, but she had some experience in baking making Christmas Cookies with her dad every year. She knew that if she wanted homemade cupcakes, she would have to make them herself. She made the Pillsbury Funfetti batter, filled the liners, baked, frosted, and decorated these cupcakes all by herself! She has always been a pretty amazing girl! If it wasn't for her, I probably still wouldn't be baking.

Halloween/Birthday Cupcakes 2007

Now this year, for her Halloween Birthday, my oldest daughter wants a very amazing cake, it is going to be a HUGE challenge ADVENTURE! Of course, before that, I am sure that I will be making a few different Halloween Cupcakes this year too, as Halloween is one of my favorite times of year!

 

Happy Halloween!

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I shared this Flashback with:

Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It

Flashback to the 1st Day of School in 2010

It's Flashback Friday!
This is a "now just occasional" segment that I post to show you some of my past adventures...

These cupcakes were inspired from Blackboard Cupcakes from the Disney Family Fun Website.

At the time I made these for the start of school last year it still hadn't even been a year since I started baking. I knew it would surprise the kids if I baked up a special treat for them and had ready for an after school snack on the first day of school!

These cupcakes were inspired from Cyper Sweets Cupcakes from the Disney Family Fun Website.

The cupcake liners I used have Mickey Mouse shapes, question marks, exclamation points, and different shapes on them (Ordered from The Party Works). They were leftover from a previous cupcake project and were the perfect color for these cupcakes too!

I started the cupcakes with a basic yellow box cake mix made with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce + 1 cup of water in place of the oil, eggs, and liquid called for on the box. I colored the vanilla canned frosting golden yellow and melted it in the microwave about 15 seconds at a time until it was perfect for dipping the cupcakes.

While the frosting was setting up, I made the blackboards (yes, our schools still use mostly blackboards) and laptops using chocolate covered graham cracker cookies. I piped each blackboard with white buttercream icing writing something a little different on each: kids names, school name, year, mascot, whatever I could think of school related. I did the same with the laptops and even threw in a Pac-Man to see if the kids knew what that was...and surprisingly they did! The green and red apples are made from Runts candy with a leaf sprinkle glued on with a spot of buttercream. The purple mouse was also a Runts candy, with a black food gel writer cord. For the blackboard and the upright part of the laptop, I originally tried to cut a slit to insert, but with the frosting method I used, I found they weren't very stable, so I stabilized them with a tooth pick. If you would rather use something edible a pretzel stick would work too.

I hope you enjoyed my Flashback to the start of school last year and I hope that it inspires you to commemorate the start of school with a special sweet too!

With exactly a month and a day until school starts, I need to get in gear and think of what to make this year for the first day!

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This Flashback is shared at:

Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday

A Well-Seasoned Life- Sweet Indulgences Sunday

A Little Birdie Told Me: Back To School Blog Hop

The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials

Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday

Mom's Crazy Cooking: This Weeks Cravings (After School Snacks)

These Cupcakes were featured at:

Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me (Back to School Edition) 

Flashback to July 4th 2010

It's Flashback Friday!
This is a "now just occasional" segment that I post to show you some of my past adventures...

For this cupcake, I painted the inside of the piping bag, prepared with a 1M tip, with red up one side and blue up the other side and filled with Vanilla Buttercream frosting.

I experimented with a couple different star tips too 

My daughter is the cookie maker in the family and made these stained glass 4th of July cookies!

She started out with our favorite sugar cookie recipe: Martha Stewart Essential Recipe No. 2: Sugar Cookies. She rolled out the dough and cut out with a large star cookie cutter and then cut out the center with a small cookie cutter. She put Jolly Rancher candies in a zipper bag covered with a towel and used a hammer to break it up. Once the cookies were placed on the cookie sheet, she filled the center with the crushed candies. After the cookies baked, she iced them with Vanilla Buttercream icing and this is what they looked like! This was her first cookie project using this technique and I think she did a fabulous job!

Here are all of the different cupcakes and cookies that we made for July 4th, 2010!

Even the inside of the cupcake was Patriotic with Pillsbury Stars & Stripes Funfetti cake mix!

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These cupcakes are linked up to:

Cupcake Tuesday

Bears at the Beach!

It's Flashback Friday!
This is a "now just occasional" segment that I post to show you some of my past adventures...

These are the cupcakes I made last year for my birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me!

To make these cupcakes- I frosted about 1/2 the cupcake very thinly with white icing and smashed on some crushed teddy bears...okay that sounds really horrible! I feel guilty just saying it...so...if you want, use crushed graham crackers or brown sugar for sand. However, using the teddy bears give you one less thing to buy if you don't have the other items on hand!

For the water, I used a stiff consistency butter cream icing and kinda molded it on with my fingers. Towards the end I realized I could almost make waves with it.

I used Gummy Lifesavers as floats, Goldfish...as fish- haha (No Goldfish were harmed in the creation of this cupcake!), and Airheads to make beach balls, towels, and surf boards. Some of the umbrellas didn't want to stay up, so I used a small piece of Airhead to glue that up too! 

See the little waves?

These cupcakes were some of the first adventurous cupcakes that I made! Lots of fun!

 Since then I have discovered other methods of making water, check them out at the links below!

The Little Mermaid Cupcakes- I used Decorator Icing and Piping Gel

A Years Worth of Disney Cupcakes!- Check out the Disney Cruise Cupcakes on that post...I used buttercream, but also used a small spoon to make whitecaps on the waves!

These Cupcakes are linked up to Cupcake Tuesdays!

Pick-ing Princesses and Kissing Frogs!

It's Flashback Friday!
This is a "now just occasional" segment that I post to show you some of my past adventures...

I had totally forgot about these cupcakes that I made last year to celebrate a milestone for my Littlest Princess!

Usually, I start my 1M Swirl from the outside of the cupcake and swirl in. For these cupcakes, I swirled from the inside to the outside and it kinda gave it a rose look. As a rose, it would make a very quick and easy Mother's Day Cupcake. However, I made these to celebrate a milestone for my Littlest Princess!

A liner and matching pick, some pink sanding sugar and poof...quick and easy cupcakes!

Lots of Princess Cupcakes!

When your child brings home a fundraiser catalog and you are trying to pick from all the overpriced stuff just what to buy (yep, I said it!)...THINK CUPCAKES!

I called these "Princess and the Frog" Cupcakes!

The little "Fudgy Frogs" were from a fundraising catalog. The frog had a mint flavor so I carried that through using some Peppermint flavoring and green icing coloring to color the "Funfetti" boxed cake mix....made with a can of diet soda...no eggs or oil! It looks like I got the cupcake a little too brown on top...but I didn't hear any complaints! A little leftover buttercream icing and a shake of the purple sanding sugar...and again quick and easy!

The Princess and the Frog Cupcakes!


These cupcakes are linked to Cupcake Tuesday where you can find all kinds of cute cupcakes ideas!