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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2012 Graduation Cookies

This is my very first cookie order!

Deja Vu? Kinda. Less than a week ago, with the help of my 2 daughters, we made Graduation Cap & Diploma Cookies pretty much just like these. I sent a few of the cookies home with one of my son's friends that is also graduating and his mom asked me to make some for them! I can't tell you how excited I was that someone wanted my cookies! Okay, I get email cookie orders pretty much weekly, but they are usually out of state and I decline. But now, who knows? Maybe this could be the start of something new in my life?

...Graduation Caps

...Diplomas

I really enjoyed making these cookies and once again found relaxation with my piping bag in hand!

The cookie box dividers didn't quite fit the cookies so had to go without, but my first order is boxed and ready to go!

Tonight they finally walk! Tomorrow look for the final graduation sweet of 2012 that I made for my son!

 

CONGRATULATIONS

CLASS

of

2012

~Christina

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Graduation Cap & Diploma Cookies

Less than a week to go until my son's graduation ceremony! His last day of school was actually today!

With so many things going on I just haven't had time or motivation to bake. I had lemon sugar cookie dough in the freezer that I used to make these. My daughter and partner in baking, Katie, actually flooded all of these cookies for me! My 4 year old wanted to get her hands into the fun and actually helped pipe the top outline on some of the graduation caps and diplomas! I helped guide her tiny little hand a bit, but she did great and had lots of fun!

I planned on these being my last cookies for awhile, but actually had a request to make a batch of these for a senior graduation camping trip before we take off on our vacation! I am pretty excited that my cookies are wanted! So look for more cookies similar to these soon!

CONGRATULATIONS

CLASS

of

2012

and

to my dear son Steve, you have made it to the finish line, just waiting for the ceremony now! It seems like just yesterday he was graduating preschool!

   

~Christina, Katie, & Jess

(we all had a hand in making these!)

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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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& Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Easter Bunny Cookies

It's Easter Bunny time and here are my bunny cookies!

For these cookies I used 2 teaspoons of lemon extract in my regular sugar cookie recipe. This is my first time using lemon in them and I love the flavor. I would have liked it to be a little bit stronger and may bump it up to 3 teaspoons of lemon extract next time for the batch. They are decorated with royal icing.

The bunny cookie cutters came in a set with a carrot cookie cutter. I originally planned on icing the carrots too, but I have been making so many cookies lately that I ran out of icing. I didn't want to make a batch just for the 5 carrots I cut out, we enjoyed those "as is" and even undecorated they were yummy with that lemon flavor!

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&

Bunny Hop Easter Link Party

This Weeks Cravings- Easter Cookies

Featured at: Hear the Bells' & Petals to Picots

Thank You Trilogy Edibles!

Let's see...today (yesterday by the time you are reading this) was a rough day from the start, but when the mailman was holding a small box, I rushed up the hill to him...okay, I am a huge dork, the secret is out, now you know! I knew it had to be my special cookies from Karen at Trilogy Edibles! I only took a second to take a couple pictures before I began devouring them like Cookie Monster!

I did share these guys with the family though! We all loved them. It was so fun eating cookies made by someone else...lol. I loved the light shortbread like texture of these cookies! So colorful too!

Thanks Karen for making my day!

Hugs!

Stop by and see lots more super cute stuff at:

Trilogy Edibles



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

Featured at: The Artsy Girl Connection

Bunny Hop Cookies

Can you guess what it was that I used as inspiration for these cookies?

We will get to that in a moment, but first let me show you how I made them!

I started by outlining and flooding the chocolate cookies using a size 2 tip and blue cookie icing. I let these dry over night and then the next morning used an edible marker to draw on the bunnies. They aren't perfect, I don't have one of those cool projecting devices, so I gave it a shot free handed. I then outlined the bunnies with black royal icing and let that dry for about 8 hours. After that was dry I flooded with white royal icing, letting that dry over night before piping on the faces. Despite all of the drying time, the black icing still bled a little. I have really never had a problem with icings bleeding before and not sure why I did this time. I also had to fill in a few holes which tend to happen when piping in small spaces, but overall they turned out pretty good!

Have you figured out my inspiration yet?

Here it is! The button for the Bunny Hop Easter link party that I am hosting with Happy Hour Projects!

6 little bunnies hopping in a row waiting for you to join the Bunny Hop too!

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This Week's Cravings- Easter Cookies

 

Featured at: Cups by Kim

Shamrock & Heart Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cut Out Cookies with a glaze style icing...yum! Best of all, I didn't even have to decorate them! These were my daughters project, she was making for her someone special. This is his favorite recipe that we use for cut-out cookies and for icing, and this flavor combination is absolutely perfect!

For the last Shamrock Cookies that we made, Katie cut and baked and then I decorated. Today the roles were reversed. It is always so nice working with my daughter on baking projects! I am so thankful everyday to have my daughter as my best friend!

This was her first time using this type of icing, it is a little different to work with since it is thinner than the royal icing, but it is slightly softer with better flavor too. I love the colors that she chose!

Of course Katie had to make hearts along with the shamrocks since they are for her sweetheart. Everyday, even St. Patrick's Day, is Valentine's Day for the two of them!

 

For a list of recipe links, including those used for these cookies view my FAQ page!

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Shamrock Cookies

This past week has been a rough baking week for me. From a total fail of a berry pie to a not-so-perfect batch of icing. I cannot stress enough now how important it is to stick with a brand you like, that works for you. I tried a different brand powdered sugar and my icing just didn't turn out right! I had already flooded the cookies with it when I noticed that it was drying weird. The icing still tasted fine, so I continued and finished them as best as I could.

These 3 cookies were my favorite of the group. The woven look, as done on the cookie in the middle, is the best way to cover a bad flood job! I love the look of lines on a cookie, it gives them a bit of pizazz and people always think it is more difficult than it really is.

Here is the whole family of shamrock cookies that I made! For a list of recipes that I use including the Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe that I flavored with almond and the Royal Icing Recipe used here visit my FAQ page.

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Link up your St. Patrick's Day Projects at the Luck o' the Irish Link Party!

 

Featured at: Serendipity & Spice

Pot O' Gold Cookies

What pot o' gold would be complete without gold Disco Dust? Nothing like a little glitter to make the gold shimmer! I do have a hard time getting a good photograph when I use the Disco Dust though!

These cookies were made using my favorite basic sugar cookie recipe and royal icing. For a list of my favorite recipes visit my FAQ page!

May the Luck o' the Irish be with you!

 

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Link up your St. Patrick's Day Projects at the Luck o' the Irish Link Party!

 

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Mickey & Minnie Mouse Cookies

MICKEY & MINNIE MOUSE!

I have pretty much spent the past week feeling under the weather and still on the mend. I will be so glad when this roller coaster weather is over! It took me a few days, but I did manage to use some leftover icing and peanut butter cut-out cookie dough to make these cookies!

I have made Mickey Mouse Cookies using this Mickey Cookie Cutter that I got from Disney World before and had quite a hard time with the ears staying straight when moving the dough to the pan. This time to solve that problem I cut out the dough right on the parchment lined cookie sheet removing the excess dough. This made the process a lot easier! I experimented a little and made the dots on Minnie Mouse two different ways also. One way was putting the white dots on the wet red icing so they sink into the red icing and the other putting the dots on top of the dried icing, which made them pop out more. I still liked the first way best.

Everyone was glad to have a sweet in the house once again, but this is going to be another slow week, I am still drained! Wishing you all escape this cold season unscathed!

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Featured at: Crazy for Crust

17th Birthday Cookies

I seriously can't believe how time has flown and my baby boy has turned 17 so quickly!

I wanted the cookies to be special and to make something different for him that I haven't made before with a flavor I know he'd love.  I used the The BEST Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe from Created by Diane. The cookie dough cut out, baked up, and kept shape nicely for decorating! It also tasted great and everyone loved them! This is definitely a recipe I will use again!

Happy 17th Birthday Steve!

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Red & White Flower Cookies

Once I got going with Valentine's I just couldn't stop! My daughter thought these looked tropical, so I thought I would share these last since they could be any occasion!

For these I once again used the Sugarbakers' Chocolate Mini-Chip Cookies recipe. You can find the recipe at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle! The Ghiradelli Mini Chips made them perfect!

I had premade all of the royal flowers with leftover icing from the Valentine Brownies topped with Roses last month. After the flowers dry for 2 or 3 days, they can be stored in an airtight contain close to forever!

The cookies were outlined, flooded, and decorated with a size 2 tip. After the cookies were dry I glued on the flowers with royal icing. These could be done in any color for any occasion!

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Glitter Says "I Love You" Cookies

This cookies were just so much fun! I just love glitter! This was my first time ever using Disco Dust aka edible glitter and I have Lorraine's Cookies to thank for it, since I won her 1,000 Fans giveaway! If you haven't already, stop by and see her, she is a very talented cookie artist! The cookie cutter that made these cookies was part of the giveaway also and is available at Copper Gifts. The edible glitter is available at Karen's Cookies. (both were sponsors of the giveaway!)

  I have had these fabulous goodies for a few weeks and these fun items have been screaming at me to use them! I have found that I love putting words on cookies and the scalloped oval cookie is perfect for words! I had to dedicate one to my sweetheart, Brad!

Of course, I couldn't just not make one of these fun cookies for my daughter to give to her sweetheart too! Good thing he likes cookies and these cookies are made with a chocolate chip cut out cookie recipe, you can find all the recipes I used on my FAQ page!

To make the cookies, I first colored my royal icing black and let that sit for a day in an airtight container to deepen in color. The outline and flooding were then done using tip 2. After drying for about 12 hours, to be sure they were good and dry, I worked a little at a time (one cookie and just one part of that cookie like the dots or a name) piping red royal icing with a tip 1 and immediately sprinkling on the glitter and just letting it sit for about 30 minutes before dumping off most of the excess glitter. I left them alone overnight to make sure they were full dry and then used a soft brush to brush away the extra glitter that still remained. I can't lie to you, I had glitter all over the place! I worked over waxed paper so I could just fold it in half and put it in a container to use again. Static was loads of fun too and I think everything has a little sparkle to it now! However, I love it!

Disco Dust rocks!

:)

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