Bride and Groom Cookies

Cookie hearts dressed up like a bride and groom! I think these have to be my favorite of all time. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to set up any cute pictures...I hope you can tell how cute they are from these quick pics.

A friend needed cookies for a bridal luncheon. I gave her several ideas and these were the ones she chose. Then, since I had never actually done these, I had to practice. Luckily I know people that will eat practice cookies. :) I was really worried about the tux, but that turned out to be the easiest. The dresses were more time consuming, but I fell in love with everyone of them.

Another friend saw them and wants some for the goodie baskets she is putting in the hotel rooms of out of town guests. I think they'd be great for showers also.


They weren't that difficult - anyone could make them - and who doesn't have a heart cookie cutter. These were made with my favorite sugar cookie recipe and royal icing.

I made the flowers for the dresses ahead of time so they could dry.

Outline sections with icing. Once that hardens, flood with diluted icing to fill in the section.

This is a handy little tool for directing the icing where you want it to go.

Also, notice the pearl necklaces on the dresses. I went ahead and piped them when I was outlining.


more pics of the finished cookies.....

Rim 'O the Cup Sugar Cookies

Cookies that hang on the edge of your coffee or tea cup, is that not adorable? I had never seen such before. My daughter discovered these cutters and gave me them to me for Christmas. Thanks Jessi, I love them. It came with 4 different shapes (I only used 3 of them this time). The package has a recipe on it, but I used my standard sugar cookie recipe. To make sure the cookies didn't expand too much while cooking, I put the cut out shapes in the freezer before baking them. I think I might do a bit more decorating on them the next time I make them. I outlined the cookies with royal icing and filled in the round cookies with icing. Outlining the cookies before icing the whole cookie keeps the icing contained - especially important on these since any icing in the slot might keep them from fitting on the edge of the cup.

sun	heart
round with dots	round iced solid

Here's some close ups of the cutters.

Elvis Cupcakes

I'm sure you've heard of Elvis cupcakes, cupcakes inspired by his love of grilled banana and peanut butter sandwiches. Well....I Did It My Way! We are having a party at work and I thought these would make the Jailhouse Rock! OK, I don't work at a jailhouse but he didn't sing Medical Software Rock. I'm All Shook Up with excitement about these. Alright alright, enough of that. :)

These cupcakes are banana cake with peanut butter pudding inside. Topped with chocolate and peanut butter swirled icing. I cheated and used bought chocolate frosting tonight.

Banana Cake (from Paula Deen) makes ~26 cupcakes

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Put paper liners in your muffin pans.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk. Start with flour and end with flour. Fold in bananas. Spoon batter into muffin pans - filling 2/3 full. Bake for about 18 minutes. A wooden pick inserted in the center should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Once the cupcakes are cool, use a melon baller and scoop out a well in the center of the cupcakes. Put the peanut butter pudding in a pastry bag and fill the hole. In another pastry bag, put peanut butter frosting in one side and chocolate frosting in the other side - so that both comes out of the tip. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Pudding

1 small box vanilla pudding

2 cups of milk

8 tbsp peanut butter

Prepare the vanilla pudding with the milk. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave. Add to the pudding, stirring well.

Basically I put in 2 tbsp of peanut butter per vanilla pudding servings.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

4 cups confectioner's sugar - sifted

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

half & half or milk

Beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla together. Add half & half or milk to get it to the desired consistency.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

I made these for a baby shower. The order was for a mix of chocolate cupcakes and yellow cupcakes all with cream cheese icing. Decorating was up to me...yay! I've been wanting to do cupcakes with cookies on top for some time...so here was my chance. I made tiny sugar cookies with a baby theme, decorated them and used them as cupcake decorations.

The baby's name is Alexis...hence the "A" on some of the cookies.

I was so excited about those cookies! I think I just love little things.

Here's a closer look:

Baby's name done in tinted white chocolate
Baby bottle with initial
Yellow ducky
Baby carriage
And because they are just so darned cute....here they are all together again

Tiny The Cat

This blog post is dedicated to the cat I love!

Tiny was my Mom's cat...he lives with us now. He looks like an ordinary yellow cat, but he's the funniest cat I've known. I'm not positive he knows he's a cat. He meows for us to open the pool gate for him even though he has ways of getting in. He thinks its ALWAYS dinner time. He'll follow us around like a dog. Lays out by the pool - in a lounge chair! Joins me and Frank when we sit by the pool. Sits up like a person. Is the star of a computer game - and I'm serious, it's called Tiny's Adventure.

Today we found him sitting up in one of the patio chairs and of course I snapped a pic. I decided he deserved his very own blog post.

Sleeping in box w/wood cutouts		Sitting up
Curled up in a planter - and Jeremiah		Watching a movie w/me and Jess (looking like a little old man)
Today's Pic		Tiny's Game

Jessi's My Little Pony Cake

Well, I was wrong...Jessi had a My Little Pony Cake for her 1st birthday, not her 2nd. She suggested I scan pictures of that cake in and post them since I just remade the cake for Kason. So, here they are Jessi. And just in time for your birthday coming up. Wow! This was 21 years ago, seems like yesterday. Nothing like a walk down memory lane...........

Here's a picture of the cake:


And here you are in Aunt Kathy's lap:
You were soooooo adorable!

My Little Pony Cake (Old School)

My niece's little girl's birthday (now that's a mouthful) was coming up and she (my niece) asked me to make the cake - a little last minute if I might add. Kay, if you're reading this - last minute was ok. :) Anyway, we settled on a My Little Pony cake. I haven't used that pan since Jessi was 2 and she's about to turn 22! I dug it out, washed it up and was ready!

I think it turned out cute - I mean you can't go wrong with a pink and purple pony - I don't care who you are. I just wish I could master the writing part. My writing on cakes always looks sloppy to me.

This is Kason smiling for the camera...she doesn't smile that way all the time....just for the camera. ;)
Yum...chocolate cake with cream cheese icing....Kason likes the cake.