Summer Vacation Cookies

It's finally here...VACATION TIME!

Here are the cookies I made for the road!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

2 sticks margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

In stand mixer with dough hook mix together margarine, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add in flours and cocoa powder 1 cup at a time until fully mixed. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or more depending on cookies size.

These cookies are made with Wilton mini cookie cutters and this recipe made 100 mini cookies. The cookies are iced with royal icing.

Soft, chewy, and bite sized!

See you in a few weeks!

  ~Christina

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Bunny Hop Link Party & Features!

Happy Easter!

I certainly hope the Easter bunny brought you a basket full of goodies! Maybe you made some of your own Easter goodies or are looking for some to make! Here are the features from the 2012 Bunny Hop hosted by Happy Hour Projects and Mrs. Fox's Sweets!

(listed in no particular order)

1. Coconut Macaroon Easter Egg Nests by Miss Candiquik

2. Ravenous Rabbit Cupcakes by Hungry Happenings

3. Personalized Easter Egg Cookies by Lizy B.

4. Easter Chick Cupcakes by Bird on a Cake

5. Whole Wheat Vanilla Pudding Birds Nest Cupcakes by Pamela's Heavenly Treats

6. Chocolate Easter Nests by Pink Recipe Box

7. Brown Butter Easter Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

8. Chunky Bunny Plushies by Hopeful Threads

Visit Happy Hour Projects to see more features!

  

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The Bunny Hop runs through April 8th at midnight....so you may still have time to link up your Easter projects and recipes! Thank you to everyone that has participated or just stopped by to check out the Bunny Hop!

Have a wonderful Easter!

Bee & Flower Easter Egg Cookies

A slight twist on a regular looking Easter Egg cookie

I decided with these cookies to try a different cut out cookie. Well when they say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," let me tell you that is the truth. These cookies spread out too much for my liking. I did use lemon extract in the dough for a perfect springy flavor!

Lemon & Berry Anyone?

Think you don't like fondant? Have you tried Fondarific? This blue is the Fondarific Berry Blue and it is so perfect with the lemon flavored cookie! I rolled out the fondant, made the impressions with a rubber stamp, and then cut out out with the same cutter I used to cut the cookie. Now you see why the cookie spreading too much was such a problem? To adhere the fondant to the cookie, immediately place the cut out fondant on the warm cookie. If the cookie has cooled, put the fondant on the cookie and put it in a "warm" oven for just 1 to 2 minutes. Keep an eye out, with both Fondarific and Duff fondant as soon as it begins to get slightly shiny, it is done!

Other than Fondarific and Duff, I have only used Wilton brand fondant. Wilton fondant doesn't adhere to the cookies well and it is just easier to use a food safe brush and brush a little corn syrup onto the back of the fondant to use as glue.

Spring flowers are not complete with out the bees!

This truly is an easy way to decorate cookies, especially when time is running short!

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I link up at these fun parties!

Link up your Spring & Easter projects at the Bunny Hop!

 

Featured at: Lady Behind the Curtain

& Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Bunny Cake Pops

I decided to give Bakerella's Bunny Cake Pops a try.

I think mine look more like ogres with the ears so far apart! I'm not quite Bakerella, that's for sure! While they may not be the cutest bunnies ever, the flavor combination of the Vanilla Candiquik, French Vanilla Cake, and the Whipped Fluffy White Frosting reminded me of doughnuts! YUM!

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I link up at these fun parties!

Link up your Spring & Easter projects at the Bunny Hop!

 

Sheep Cupcakes

Something about spring brings on the sheep! This idea is from "Flock of Sheep" in the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book. They are quite easy to make and great to make with children.

What you need:

cupcakes

mini marshmallows (cut in half)

ready made whipped canned frosting

black and pink tube icing (or color a little of the white icing)

tips 1 and 66

Frost cupcakes with spatula. Use piping bag with just coupler to pipe on head. Refrigerate a few minutes for frosting to stiffen up. Use tip 1 to pipe on eyes in black and nose and mouth in pink. Use tip 66 to make ears. Place halved marshmallows all over cupcake.

Enjoy!

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I link up at these fun parties!

Link up your Spring & Easter projects at the Bunny Hop!



Butterfly & Flower Cookies

Spring is officially here! I am so glad about that! I am just not a cold weather person and I am so glad to be decorating spring themed cookies!

Naturally, the colors are similar to some of my Christmas Cookies...lol! I am finding that I have a particular cookie style. I seem to gravitate towards brighter, more vivid colors and patterns when designing my cookies. I don't like using a ton of different colors in the same batch and usually stick to 3 or 4 colors max.

I also love using fondant accents in my cookies. Fondant is a great way to add extra dimension to cookies.

These cookies are chocolate flavored with royal icing. The chocolate cut out cookie is one of my favorites and the flavor reminds me of chocolate Pop Tarts! If you haven't already, check out my FAQ page to view the recipes that I like to use for my cookies!

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I link up at these fun parties!

   

Link up your Spring & Easter projects at the Bunny Hop!

Featured at: The Artsy Girl Connection

Butterfly Cupcakes

We all love fancy homemade cupcake, but sometimes it's nice to have something easy that you can make for school parties at the last minute or just an everyday cupcake with a little decoration on the top with very little work or time involved. These cupcakes were inspired from the "Butterflies in Flight" Cupcakes in the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.

I made the cupcakes even more fun and simple by using a funfetti box mix mixed with 12 ounces of Diet Mountain Dew (regular soda may also be used) and I also added some pink coloring to the batter. The soda is used in place of the eggs and oil called for on the box. Experiment with different flavored sodas to add some fun and interesting flavors to your cupcakes! I got this idea a few years back from one of the Hungry Girl books and use this method quite often for cupcakes. This recipe will make about 18 cupcakes filled 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

To keep these easy, I used pink ready made canned frosting for less mess and less work! I colored about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the pink frosting lavender and put it into a piping bag with tip 18 to make the stars between the pretzels that I pressed in. The heads of the butterflies are White Chocolate Easter M&M'S. In the book, black shoestring licorice is used for antennas, but after trying one with licorice, I decided to keep the cupcakes a softer color and not add the black, besides, I really do not like licorice!

Whether you are in a rush for a last minute dessert or just looking for an easy project to make with the kids, these cupcakes will do the job!

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I link up at these fun parties!

Link up your Spring & Easter projects at the Bunny Hop!

Feature at: Happy Go Lucky

Bunny Hop! Easter Link Party

Flowers are blooming and Easter is on it's way! Before you know it the Peter Cottontail will be hopping down that bunny trail and blogland will be filled with lots of colorful Easter recipes and projects!  Adrianne, from Happy Hour Projects, and I have had such a fun time seeing all of your recipes and projects from the past holiday parties we have hosted and we have decided to keep it going with the Bunny Hop!

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We aren't just stopping with the Bunny Hop, we have decided to keep our holiday parties going throughout the year! To make it easier, we have each added a section on our blogs for all of our holiday parties. You can find my tab to "Holiday Parties" right under my top banner. This is where you will find the links to all of the Holiday themed parties that Adrianne and I will be hosting though out the year and a quick reference for you to find a collection of ideas when these holidays roll around again! Come on back each holiday to link up your projects!

For the Bunny Hop, we just ask that your posts are family friendly and Easter or Spring themed! List up as many recipes and projects as you would like, nothing new? Link up something from your archives! Above you will find the Bunny Hop button for our party that you are welcome to add to your post or hall of fame as our thanks for coming to share! It's not required, but is super adorable, don't you just want one?!