The Perfect Chocolate Cupcake

So a while back...wow almost a year ago I made some of the most perfect cupcakes ever.  Perfect chocolate cupcakes.  I have always been fond of Joy the Baker's chocolate cupcake recipe...but sometimes it is a little unreliable.  I've had them cave in more times than they've com out....

So I did some tinkering from another recipe I use quite a bit and came out with perfect, fool proof, soft, delicious chocolate cupcakes.

They're awesome.  Served them at my daughter's 4th birthday party and they were a smashing success....

Here's her cupcakes from last year...

TUTORIAL: Dracula In Love

So I was searching my brain for something cute to design for Halloween....and all I could think of was that movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall....and that Dracula love ballad..

Hillarious if you haven't seen it.  Jason Segal....

Anyway.....that's how I ended up with this:

Yes...Dracula is in love.... and he has it baaaaaaad.

Who is he in love with??  Uh...I dunno...probably a blood bank tech....

No matter....

To share the love I thought I would also share a little tutorial for y'all....simple and sweet...

Then maybe a few more shots of the collection here...because I took a bajillion pics....weird right?  I mean me?  Taking way too many pics of cookies?????

TUTORIAL: From the Vault: Fall Pumpkin Wagons

Gotta make this a quick post unfortunately  Baby John is in his fussy state today....trying to breath fire.  And my oldest refuses to clean her play room and is trying to get into my cookies....so.  I need to be efficient.

It' a really quick and easy photo tut of PUMPKIN WAGONS!!

And can you guess what cutter I used??

Double Chocolate Cookies

I like drop cookies...a lot.

I mean don't get me wrong...I love decorating...but there's something in the oh so instant gratification of just dropping dough on the cookie sheet and puting it in the oven.....

And then doin' NOTHING with it.

Ahhhhhh.....the simple life.

Ok so I couldn't leave them COMPLETELY alone....just a few...little eyeballs....

Anyway,  these cookies are AMAZING!  Like a delicious brownie. I kid you not.  The perfect texture, the perfect size, not cakey, not too dense, not too chewy...soft and light.... DELICIOUS.  And so easy to make!!!

Tutorial: Speckling with Luster Dust

Ok, I have a really easy tutorial for you...of course I did it in video because it's one of the only ways to really show you how to speckle...it's more of a live action kinda thing...


But first let me tell you a little about the cookies I speckled.

I made these for the Go Bo Foundation.  Follow the link to learn more.  This is one of two sets I plan on donating to the Go Bo Bake Sale.

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!

TUTORIAL: One Stroke Flowers

I made these cookies for my MIL last year.  I was feeling inventive....and my MIL is a super awesome woman and I love her.  So I wanted to do something pretty for her.  But I didn't have a lot of time.  So I had to cut a corner...my usual corner cut is to not mix colors.  I will make white cookies (because I don't have to color the icing to do that) and then airbrush....  or paint.

Now I know I have stated before that I am not the best at painting at cookies....Mostly because it's like painting with watercolors and that's just not my thing....but I still know a few painting techniques.

I remember in art class being taught this really easy way to paint two toned flowers.  It's called a one stroke technique.  Because you can apply 2 colors in one stroke and make a beautiful petal.

TUTORIAL: Shading With Luster Dust

So when I was working on my owl set last week, I was trying really hard to work with a certain palette.  It was all kinds shabby chic...and there's a fine line between shabby chic and just plain pastel.

It wasn't as easy as I thought.... so once I had my colors mixed and my cookies decorated...they still didn't look right.  The pastel was just PASTEL and the other colors were much too bright to be shabby.  But I still liked the palette. I needed to do something to fix that.

So I brushed off the cobwebs...and out came the dusts...

Luster and petal dusts I mean of course.

I haven't used them in so long.  In fact the only one I really use consistently are the gold or silver ones...and those are for painting...but I have this whole stash of petal and luster dusts that I swear have never even been opened.

But I had a plan for them today.

Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches

So I don't know if any of y'all know this about me, but I'm a native Floridian.  Lived there till I was 8 then became all Texified.  But still southern y'all.....always southern.

Anyway....it's fair to say I've had my share of key lime pie.  I LOVE key lime pie....it's way better than lemon meringue if you ask my taste buds.  Which no one really does....and my taste buds get hurt about that....taste buds have feelings too ya know.

So to make an effort to appease my taste buds, who get a little blue in the summer when they realize they aren't in Florida, we usually make a key lime pie out of an old cookbook our family has.  For some reason this year I couldn't place said cookbook.  Le Disaster.  So I didn't know what to do...taste buds were starting to complain and get all whiny.....nothing worse than whiny taste buds ya know.....we all know....

So I had to wing it....and experiment....and I finally came up with these!!

Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches!!

Seriously, these have everything that I was missing about our favorite lost key lime recipe.  Except now it's cool, refreshing and portable!  A real tropical frozen treat.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

I've oddly had a tone of requests for my sugar cookie recipe.  Which I think is interesting because a sugar cookie is a sugar cookie right?  But I still get requests.

Now I really like my recipe.  It isn't too sweet, in fact it's rather buttery which I love.  And has a soft texture. Not a super soft cookie but not a crisp cookie.  So if you like 'em crisp you wont like mine.

I warn you, it isn't ground breaking...I mean there's only so many ways to make sugar cut outs.  And it isn't diet friendly.  But it is delicious.

So here it is....

My sugar cookie recipe.

Tutorial: Stadium Cookies

Ok... So I made these stadium cookies like I don't know how many years ago for a college football playoff.  At the time I was just kinda getting in my groove and I had no idea how popular they would become.  Well, they are now one of my most copied cookies.  Not complaining.  I'm happy people seem to like them.  Just one of those things where you don't know how something is going to go over until years pass and you do a Google search.

Anyway, I thought I would show y'all how I made them years ago.  Or kinda how I made them.  A quicker and smaller scale version of them anyway.  The ones I made years ago were like 5 inch cookies and had this rather unnecessary scalloped edge on them.  Anyway....here's a toned down version of them that's super super easy.  And I think the cookie I used is like 3 inches or something.  So there you go...party sized.  Just in time for the Super Bowl.....

Tutorial: Edible (OR Storable) Christmas Cookie Ornaments

This year, I think I've done more cookie decorating than ever before...which is ironic because I haven't taken any cookie orders this season....

I had this plan (last year) to make a whole cookie tree...not a tree made of cookies, but you know, our little 2 foot tree covered in cookies.

The 2 foot tree....it's our first tree as a married couple.  We still have it....

Anyway, best laid plans blah blah blah.... you know how it goes.  Didn't happen this year.  Of course.

But that didn't stop me from trying.  At least trying to kick the cookie ornament urge.

So I made a few and put them on the big tree :)

Wanna learn how to make them?  They're super easy.  And the best part is I only had to make one color of icing...woot!

Recipe: Easy Brownie Triangles with Mint "Buttercream"

So after the events last Friday, I didn't feel much like working over the weekend.

It's Christmas, a time for love and family and peace, and the thought of working through another weekend with my daughter was a little depressing.  So I didn't.  I had fun with her instead.

Every time I make cookies she asks me if she can be my little helper.  It's heartbreakingly sweet...that little face with those doe eyes looking up at me.... tho I know her real motivation is just to get her hands on a cookie and icing...to eat it.  Still...

So this weekend I made a project that she and I could do together.  Even got the hubs to join in.

So yeah, it's a family activity.  Something you can easily do with your kids this holiday.  And it's fun too!

No, these wont be OMG amazing or expertly done or perfect by any means....just clean wholesome down and dirty baking fun.

Tutorial: Christmas Bow

So like so many people this season, my schedule looks like this:

go go go...to-do to-do to-do....shopping shopping shopping...work work work...party party party...

Christmas.

Did I mention party?  I think there's something going on every weekend for the next month... maybe more.  Who knows.  Anyway, with all these parties going on (which I love btw....I mean who doesn't love a good party around Christmas?) I get asked to make a lot of cookies.

Yesterday I went to my first cookie exchange party.  And I had to bring cookies (duh).  4 dozen of them.  Well, with everything else going on this month, I don't have a ton of time to make really exquisite Christmas cookies in large batches.  And I would imagine neither do a lot of people...I mean we have to get everything done to get ready for Christmas.  There's social engagements, the shopping, the cooking, decorating.... and of course we want to spend time with our family.  So when it comes to cookies like these....I keep them old school simple.

Classic simple and festive.  Does the job.  And it's cute to boot.

Tutorial: Stacked Pumpkins

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

Tutorial: Writing in Cursive

 I've been a little MIA.

Things have been going on and it's been a little crazy and stressful.  But I'm still here.  And I haven't forgotten about my blog.  :)

Needless to say with all the action and adventure going on over here I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on new cookies.  So I thought I would post something I prepared a while back but never got around to posting.

Writing in cursive on cookies.  I know it's not the most exciting topic and tutorial but important none the less.  There will be SO many occasions when a client asks you to write someone's name on a cookie

Tutorial: Orchid

My friend Haniela emailed me a while back.  Asked me if I would make an orchid.

Um yeah!  I would love to!

See I bought this gorgeous orchid cutter from Ecrandal YEARS ago but never had the opportunity to use it.

So I was thinking SCORE!  An orchid!  :)

And when it was all said and done, I ended up making this:

Tutorial: Hand Painting - The Basics

So a couple days ago I posted these:

And I instantly got questions about these:

Tutorial: Blue Butterflies

I received an email from a family friend last week with an interesting story:

After the tornado, I was following the Humane Society adopt-a-thon on Facebook.  There was a senior dog with health issues that kept getting passed by.  The Humane Society posted his picture and a large group of people were following the picture to see if someone would adopt him.  Finally, a woman named Wendy posted "I'm on my way".  Everyone went insane and was so excited.  The Executive Director of the Humane Society met Wendy at the gate and Wendy and her husband Rick adopted Max.  They in turn set up a Facebook page called Max's Miracles Page and a core group of people followed Max and donated to his care and upkeep.  Unfortunately, Max passed away in August.  A group of seven women that followed Max, Wendy and Rick got together and gave Wendy and Rick gifts from ashes I was able to get from Max's Vet.  We called ourselves Max's Aunties.  Shortly after Max passed, Wendy and Rick had an even more horrible tragedy ... Wendy's 23 year old son died in his sleep.  The group of aunties supported Wendy and Rick and have been there for them trying to help them through this horrible period.

The Aunties are from all over:  Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas City, North Carolina, Louisiana and three from Joplin.  Most of us have not met.  Next Sunday, this group will all be together for the first time here at my house.

I just thought this was so touching I just HAD to make cookies for her.

Tutorial: Making Royal Icing

It's hard to decorate a cookie without icing.  Some use butter cream, some use glaze...

I use ROYAL.  I like royal simply because it gives me the versatility and detail that I like.  I can make transfers, flowers, crisp clean lines, leaves...just about anything I like. 

 Royal Icing

5 TBSP Meringue Powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp additional flavoring (optional)
2lb confectioners sugar
1 TBSP to 1/4 c. Light corn syrup


Place meringue powder, cream of tartar, water and flavoring in the CLEAN bowl