Batty for Blackberry Pie! (And Pie Crust Cookie Bats)

I'm kind of a batty lady...

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ok no I'm not really....just tired...and a little delirious...so this post might be a little strange...

But hey, you'll get a yummy recipe from it so....there's that.

Oooooo..looks creepy and Gothic...like it could be filled with baked black beetles.  Blackberry Beetles...

Baked Blackberry Beetles.....say that 6 times fast...

Ok, it isn't that hard ...never mind.

Anyway!!  It'a a blackberry pie!  A mini blackberry pie!  Make that 2 in this picture....make that 3 to 4 from this recipe that I'm just about to give you...

Caramel Macchiato Brownies

So I will admit....I'm not a huge coffee drinker.  I'm a little sensitive to caffeine.  That and I can't just drink it black.  I have to have some cream and sugar...THEN I like coffee...

So I STAY AWAY from Starbucks...because they have that SUGAR+coffee thing down....to a science.  

When fall comes around...sucker for those pumpkin spice....everything.  I try to limit myself to a skinny non fat cinnamon latte if I EVER decide I will give in to coffee....in college coffee and I were pretty tight...amigos...campadres...

Anyway....I don't drink coffee...I drink caffeinated sugar milk basically.....and that is why I am not a huge coffee drinker.

Doesn't mean I don't still WANT the sugar cream concoction...I do.  And I would have to say the KING of the over sugared creamy coffee drink would be...

The Caramel Macchiato

those yummy caramels are from Firefly Confections

I wanted one really bad the other day and I had no clue why....  Maybe I was in a caramel mood...but I was also in a dark chocolate coffee mood.  I was at a loss...

So I baked me some brownies...and put coffee in it....and then topped it with thick caramel sauce....and sugar...and chocolate...

Because I'M BAD!

Cherry Almond Muffins

So a couple weeks ago I need a girls weekend...like BAD.  So I went to see my friend Maryann (The Cookie Artisan) because she only lives like 3 hours away from me....and the drive to her house is like 75MPH the whole way so....sweet-borrowing-my-hubs-fast-car-action.  Anyway, while we were there she, being a perfect hostess of course (would you expect less?), made us blueberry muffins for breakfast.  Ok, so I usually hate blueberry muffins...the blueberries are always gritty and I dunno...but I was hungry.  So I ate one....then two....then stuck a couple into my suitcase...

Basically I was a blueberry muffin converter....

After I got home however and ran through my stash I needed more muffins....and I needed them BAD.  They were just so soft and moist and fluffy...and juicy...and sweet and perfect...and comforting....

Yes I AM talking about muffins still....

Almond Cherry Pie

Over this last 4th of July, I had a surplus of cherries.  How did this happen you ask?  Well, I was coming back through Dallas on my way to Joplin, and so you just know I HAD to stop at the happiest place on earth...

Mardi Gras 2013

I like Mardi Gras.  Granted, yes, I've never actually been to Mardi Gras....but I have a soft spot for it for some reason.  Maybe because I have a soft spot for New Orleans and Louisiana in general.

Yes, there are flaws in New Orleans...I mean...Bourbon Street...kinda dirty and well...  you know...

But the FOOD!  The food is some of the best anywhere.  And Louisiana is so beautiful.  All those bayous and moss covered trees....old homes...wildlife and water....

And did I mention food?

I basically go visit New Orleans (and Louisiana in genreal) just to eat.  I used to go visit my sister while she was in LSU.  Last time I was in Louisiana actually was when she graduated... I've been running short of valid excuses to get my fat happy butt back....

Anyway... Mardi Gras right?

Simple Gingerbread

Well, it's here....Christmas Eve.

I don't have much to say, except that I hope everyone has a wonderful day with their family tomorrow.

Here, let me deliver Christmas well wishes with delicious gingerbread.....

Mayan 12-12-12

I'll get straight to it.

My very good friend (and Cookie Con roomie) Pam gave us all some beautiful new cutters while we were at Cookie Con.  And then she asked some of us if we would come up with some creative uses for her new homespun tree cutter.

I love Pam, so naturally I said....ALI BEE IS GO!

I thought about it for a long time.  An finally I came up with a design that has NOTHING to do with Christmas!

Because I'm a kook like that.

Nope, instead it has to do with THE END OF THE WORLD!

Festive huh?

Twilight Is Nearing An End....

I was sitting here chatting with my cookie friends instead of sleeping like all good pregnant women should be at 1:00am, and starting thinking about the Twilight movie coming out this weekend.

It's the end of the series.  The same nostalgia that hit when the last Harry Potter movie was released.

Well, except I still haven't accepted the end of Harry Potter.  I mean I have, but I still miss it.

Anyway, I was thinking back on Twilight over the years...and I realized I had a set of Twilight cookies that, for some reason or another, I don't think I ever got around to posting on my blog.  Facebook and Flickr yes... but the blog.... I couldn't find it.

So I thought I would go ahead and post them.  For old times sake.  To say goodbye to Twilight.

Have to give credit to Sugarbelle here.  She allowed me to use a few of her ideas...because really...she's already made the most awesome Twilight cookies.

Looking back.....I wish a year ago me would have taken the time to take prettier pictures....

Ah well.  Lesson learned...life moves on...

My Post Cookie Con Hand Painting Attempt

Also known as, my week trying to be as cool as Arty.

Well, I'm back from Cookie Con, and still not even kind of caught up on all the excitement.  I'm reeling.  It was AWESOME....with a capital AWE.

I'll do a Cookie Con recap later this week (or next), but for now I wanted to talk about something particular.

So Arty McGoo was there teaching in our little troupe that weekend.  And she did her all famous hand painting.  Really, if you enjoy damp dark places and have decided to live under a rock, and don't know who I'm talking about.... CLICK HERE.

Anyway, she did her demo on hand painting and somewhere during her presentation I said (aloud...why did I say it aloud?) "I think I can do that".

Then after Liz and I chatted, and she told me how fast and easy it was to paint on cookies.  I'm all for fast and easy....

And I came home.....and had a deadline to meet...and thought....quick and easy....ok... let's do this!

And after a WEEK this is what I came up with

Gothic Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!!  :)

Chocolate and White Halloween

I really don't enjoy black icing.

I just don't.  So I try and use it as sparingly as humanly possible.

Well during my design session for this years Halloween cookies, I noticed quite a few designs that required black icing....and we're talking lots of black......

Me no likey that....

So here's what I did instead

Right so it's not exactly black but the general point is made.  And the best part about it....you only have to mix one icing color.  If that.  It's just white.  White icing on chocolate cookies.

Now I suppose I could have added more cocoa or a little bit of Americolor black to the dough to make it darker....yes, that would have been nice looking.  But I didn't....because I didn't think of it till after I baked them.  Crikey.

But still....for some fast and easy cookies...not too shabby.  I used a little bit of Americolor black mixed with some water and painted on my remaining details.  These were seriously fast...and fun too!!  I even put a little sanding sugar on my ghost and moon.

I will be posting the last of my Halloween cookies tomorrow...on Halloween.  Seems fitting.

Till tomorrow!!!

Sweet Halloween

Ok, so I am arriving SO last minute to the Halloween Party this year.

Truth is, I've been so busy nesting for baby and getting ready for my big trip to Cookie Con, I've fallen a little behind.

 made like 5 different sets of Halloween designs and only finished 3.  Perhaps I can still re purpose some of them.  Or possibly post them late?  Dunno.  Haven't figured it out yet.

Anywho...  here's a quick little set I made for the kiddies.

Nothing fancy or WOW about them.  But cute and fun all the same.  All made with a little candy cutter.

I do have to say, I am SUPER excited and SUPER nervous about Cookie Con this year.
I'm teaching a class.....scary I know.  Now there is some REAL Halloween terror for you right there.

But I'm also really looking forward to seeing my cookie friends, and I know it's going to be a whole lot of fun.

I might post my teaching project and some pics of Cookie Con when I get back.  Perhaps a few tutorials of what I am teaching for those who are unable to make it this year.  It's all up in the air.  I dunno...

Anyway, I will probably have another post today....maybe two more...because I have 2 more sets to show you.  And I was hoping to have a tutorial for one of them but I don't know that I'm going to be able to get to it.  Boo....

Tell then.....!

Tutorial: Stacked Pumpkins

So about 2 years ago, I made these cute little stacked pumpkins out of a snowman cutter......

Tutorial: Sunflowers

I made these pretty little sunflowers about a week ago for a family friend

This certain family friend actually ran my wedding rehearsal years ago.  And now her offspring was getting married, and it was my turn to do something for her.