Romantic-Vintage Royal Icing and Fondant 3-D Sugar Cookies
I was organizing my cookie cutters, and I came across a beautiful copper corset cookie cutter Sydney had given last summer. I couldn’t believe I had not used it yet. Since Sydney loves fondant I covered them in strawberry flavored and mocha-cinnamon fondant, from Fondarific. The decorative details are piped in royal icing. While Sydney and I were FaceTiming she suggested they would look best 3-D on a fondant molded stand with royal icing string work. Corset Sugar Cookies: Equipment: Corset cookie cutters Square cookie cutters Jewel...
read more3-D Ruffled Ombre Dress Sugar Cookie
I have been watching General Hospital for 48 of the 50 years it has aired on ABC, my grandma and I would await for every new adventure each day at 2:00 pm CT. I skipped school on November 17th 1981 to watch Luke and Laura”s wedding, I actually missed a few more days leading up to the event. I cried in 1994 when Maxie Jones needed a heart transplant; her recipient being her cousin BJ and again in 1995 when Stone Cates died. I inadvertently turned Sydney, my daughter, into a GH fan in 2006 when Luke remarried Laura on their 25th wedding...
read moreVictorian Two Tone Brush Embroidery
I was showing Sydney a two tone royal icing brush embroidery (that is a mouthful), and she thought the cookies would be a wonderful dessert to create for Mother’s Day. I must say I agree, the cookies would look exquisite in a clear top box with a blush pink ribbon. In fact I am planning on remaking the exact cookies for my 99 year old grandmother, she taught me my early culinary skills. I can remember when I was in college my grandma would send me care packages of treats. The treats, I admit, did not last long in my dorm or sorority...
read moreVintage Easter Basket
It was wonderful having Sydney baking and decorating with me this past week, however I admit saying goodbye has become harder as she visits more often. I began realizing our relationship will be a series of visits and goodbyes. She loves living in D.C. and will probably go to graduate school at George Washington University. I am happy to see her become a self assured adult able to live on her own, but I would be lying to myself if I didn’t also admit each time she leaves I have this empty feeling (my heart hurts). While she was here we...
read moreEaster Egg Cookie
I was inspired to create a sugar cookie with frills from a Craftsy video and a beautiful fluted egg cookie cutter I purchased at Copper Gifts. The design is a collaboration between Sydney and myself, we wanted something different and frills seemed perfect. The fondant is a monochromatic pink-purple color as are the frilled wrapped roses. To add an elegant touch we subtly colored the edges of the frills with antique gold lustre. While frilling the section Sydney thought this would be a fun project to create with your children. After many...
read moreValentine Sugar Cookie Card
Every year D.F. romantically buys a dozen roses and chooses a card in which he meticulously underlines the words he feels is a representations of his feelings for me. He buys Sydney sweet cards for an daughter and 2 roses as well. This year I thought I would create an edible Valentine’s card for him, and for Sydney (I am sending most of the cookie cards to her & her roommates). While the sugar cookie dough was chilling I began to design the look for the cookie cards; royal icing brush embroidery kept creepy it’s way into my...
read moreHoliday Baking: Fondant Kitchen Mixer Fun
With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching Sydney and I thought it would be adorable to create some treats of baking essentials. Over the summer I had found an awareness ribbon cookie cutter for pinktober at ecrandal, a family owned handmade cookie cutter store, while surfing around their site I came across a kitchen mixer with an inset and rolling pin cookie cutter (which I bought). Sydney’s palate is addicted to fondant so we decided the mixer cookies would be completely decorated with fondant. I used my kitchenaid...
read morePinktober, Ribbons of Hope
The month of October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness and most states, cities, and towns decorate the highways, buildings, and universities in calming pink ribbons, but breast cancer is the furthest thing from calming. We as a caring society need to do whatever it takes to assure the women in our lives have a mammography; one of my closest friends, AL, saved her own life by her persistence to have a mammography, at age 32, after finding a lump. I remember the day AL was given the horrifying news that her test was positive. (Medical...
read morePansy Garden
I had been waiting to experiment with a technique I had read about, but had not had the opportunity to work with, when Sydney and I were approached to create an edible party favor for a six year old’s birthday. The birthday theme was pansies. Lighting bolt: what could be more perfect than a pansy garden, a sugar cookie pansy garden? With bright beautiful colors and the elegant simplicity of pansies, the cookie blooms into an eye catching delight! The technique requires working with two or more colored icings in one pastry bag, placing...
read moreButterfly Lavender Cupcakes, Two Kind of Techniques
I seem to find myself in a more relaxed state during the long warm summer months. Sydney and I find time to lay in the sun and catch up on our lives. Although we are blessed to work together with an “occasional” lunch, Sydney’s life is busy with friends and preparing herself to transfer across the country to another university, and I am busy preparing pastry classes and scheduling our clients. The alluring sunshine with summer sounds of a light breeze blowing through the grass and butterflies fluttering on aromatic flowers...
read moreLadybug Sugar Cookies, For Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day has a plethora of meanings to many people, for me it is about being a mother. I question from time to time if I was and am a productive mother, with mistakes and all. I find myself looking through old photographs and memories, hoping Sydney felt and still feels love and safety through her life. I remember Sydney’s third mother’s day, she asked me when was Children”s Day. To which my reply was everyday, of course I knew she meant a special day set aside for children. From the moment she was first placed in...
read moreVanilla-Yuzu Whoopie Pie
I was in Starbucks grabbing a green tea grande, and saw they started selling whoopie pies shaped like French Madeleines with buttercream in the middle. I was inspired to bake up my own whoopie pie, however I just could not shape it like a French Madeleine. So as I was saying I felt compelled to bake a batch of whoopie pies; I couldn’t decide on flavor, Sydney thought vanilla bean with a tart yuzu crème frâche filling would be good. Yuzu is an amazing flavor it is tart, but unlike a lemon or lime. The amazing fruit originates in Japan,...
read moreAlmond Sugar Cherry Blossom and Rose Cookies
Sydney and I were asked by a special friend if we would cater a wedding shower for his fiancé, Carrie. I’ve met Carrie a handful of times, but felt we needed a girls night, in order for Sydney and I to really have the chance to know her, by the way she is a lovely person. We felt honored to be apart of her special time. She wants a luncheon with two entree choices, sides, and a large dessert table. Carrie had mentioned that cherry blossoms were very intriguing to her. Since this was more of a girl’s night I scheduled a date to...
read moreTriple Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies
Anyone who has children is familiar with the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” well DF, my husband is a mirror of that little mouse when it comes to chocolate cookies. His absolute favorite cookie is a soft triple chocolate chip cookie, to cut some of the chocolate I add macadamia nuts and ivory chunks. Sydney caught him on Saturday having quite a few for breakfast; she tried to explain nutritionally triple chocolate chunk cookies might not be the best choice. I was around the corner and busted out laughing, my almost 20 year...
read moreMacadamia Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie-Cake
Wow, I think this is the longest amount of time I have been away from my blog. Sydney utilized her spring break to visit the colleges she wants to transfer to, NYU, Goerge Washington University, and Georgetown University. I never knew visiting three colleges in two states could be as excited and exhausting as it was. I had intended on writing an article during our down time; however we really did not have any down time. It had been a very long time since I visited our nation’s capital, the feeling of pride and patriotism was almost...
read moreBrownie Boats
Every once in a while I’ll have an idea, that mesomorphs into another design. Sydney and I thought brownie bites would be a perfect snack for a party or school lunch; we placed the batter in a flexipan half- sphere. Once the brownies were finished baking we realized the half-sphere shape was bigger than we originally thought. Coincidently we had been working with fondant and began turning the scrapes into character chickens; I thought they might be adorable in the brownies. Sydney called them brownie boats; she thought the baby chicks...
read moreAlmond Marshmallow Meringue; for the Oscars
The 84th Annual Oscars, Academy Awards began this evening at 5:30 PST, Billy Crystal is hosting for the 9th time.. anything is possible. In 1992 he surprised us all as Hannibal Lecter going as far as shaking hands with Anthony Hopkins still in Dr.Lecter’s mask and inviting Sir Hopkins to “dinner.” His grand Titanic entrance in 1998; 2000 Oscars “What are the stars thinking?”, and 2004 the year of Lord of the Rings too many parody’s to write. Not only will the Academy be entertainingly funny, but the...
read moreDecant Brownies, Just Having Some Fun
Brownies, almost everyone loves them and DF probably more than most. Sydney and I were feeling a little mischievous today and decided to play around with brownies. We cut them in 1 1/2-circles, placed them on a stick and glazed them with a decant ivory chocolate, colored red. DF simply went crazy for our brownie pops. Decant Chocolate Brownies: Adapted from the Soho Charcuterie cookbook 453 gram/1 ¾-cup unsalted butter 453 grams/ 2 2/3 bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine 170 grams/ ¾-cup white chocolate chunks 170 grams/ ¾-cup...
read moreSugar Cookie Dress For the Oscars, The Joke is on Me
It would seem the Oscars forgot Leonardo DiCaprio’s nomination and my invitation again. I was sure after last year’s Tuxedo Mousse Cake lost invitation the Academy would have taken extra precautions to ensure my invitation would arrive. With only twenty two days left to the Oscars it is time to realize The Academy has over looked me and once again over looked Mr. Dicaprio’s wonderful portrayal of J. Edgar Hoover; I suppose I am in excellent company. It is a shame I spent days working on two wonderful dresses; I...
read more“Masquerade Paper Faces on Parade,” Mask Almond Sugar Cookies
I have a friend/client who every year hosts a Mardi Gras Party; this year she wanted a change to refresh the party, and asked Sydney and I if we could put a few ideas together. The Phantom of the Opera was both mine and Sydney’s first thought, and we began discussing an array of ideas. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera has magical mystic to his operatic play; that leaves a lasting impression to the audience. We started envisioning a party in which the guests would have a similar experience. Sydney and I began...
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