Snickers Chunky cookies

So what do you do with all your halloween candy that's just sitting around? You mix it into cookie dough of course.

chocolate chip cookies with crunched up snickers bars. Moist, chewy, caramel goodness with a hint of peanut and a nice follow up of smooth chocolate.

snicker chunks:

      1 cup butter (2 sticks)
      1 cup packed brown sugar
   1/2 cup granulated sugar
   1/2 tsp. baking soda
      2 eggs
      1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
      1 cup sliced or crushed snickers bars
      1 cup milk chocolate chips.

(if you want your cookies to be a bit more soft and chewy, half the butter amount and replace the 1/2 with vegetable shortening.)

1) preheat oven to 375 degrees. mix the butter with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds. add the brown sugar, sugar, and baking soda. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, and then using a wooden spoon, mix the remaining flour by hand. Stir in snickers pieces and chocolate chips until combined. Drop the dough in rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

2) bake in 375 degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. once out of the oven, let cool on the sheet for another couple minutes. it will help the caramel cool and harden so as to not fall out of the bottom of the cookie. transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Tracy and Seth's groom cake

so my friend got married on 10-10-10. they had a beautiful Hawaiian themed wedding and even more beautiful cupcakes made as the wedding dessert. a couple months before the wedding she called me and asked if i would make a groom's cake. something Star Wars since they are such big fans. they both LOVE chocolate so what better than to trap Han Solo in chocolate carbonite. the funniest part is when i brought the cake and gave it to the people in charge. they didn't know what it was or what to do with it so they dressed it up with some flowers and put it on the side of the table.

Bento Box

   

My first attempt at a bento box! Matt came home with a present for me and it was a hello kitty bento box! oh boy! what better than to make him lunch in it!

There are two types of sandwiches, roast beef with pepper jack cheese and chicken with cheddar. once they were put together i cut them out in different size hearts. the piggies are rice balls with the snouts and ears made of sliced chicken.  i used black pepper for the eyes. the mushrooms are hardboiled egg whites cut in half over a baby carrot. the stars are peeled cucumbers, and the flower is a peach carved into petals. i took the yolks of the eggs and mixed them with a little mayo, salt and pepper, and just a little paprika. i then made little cutout circles out of it. i laid everything down on some green leaf lettuce and TADA! not bad for a first try!

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

some i made with chocolate chips, others have a kiss in the middle. either way, they taste amazing!

1/2 cup shortening / or butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for outer crust)
1 cup chocolate chips/ or kisses


Mix butter (butter makes the cookies more moist and soft, whereas the shortening gives a soft yet crunchy effect, like soft pie crust.) and peanut butter together with a mixer for 30 seconds. next add the sugar, brown sugar baking powder and soda. beat in egg, milk, vanilla until combined. beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then finish with a wooden spoon. if you want chocolate chips now is the time to put them into the mix. shape into 1-inch balls, coating each one in the sugar. place the balls on ungreased  cookie sheet. the oven should be at 350, bake for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm and bottom is brown. if you want chocolate kisses, while cooling, press a kiss into each cookie allowing each kiss to slightly melt into the cookie. let cool  for about 10 minutes.

the ultimate pancake

if pancakes with candied bacon in the middle is wrong, i don't want to be right.

buttermilk pancakes:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbs cooking oil

In a mixing bowl,, mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, make a well in the center.
In another mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. once mixed add to dry ingredients.
candied bacon:
get the griddle ready, about med/ med-high heat. cook bacon about 1/2 way and then sprinkle each piece with about 1 tsp of brown sugar.
Once the bacon is 3/4 done, pour about 1/2 cup of batter over each piece. no need to use butter of anything to cook the pancake in, the bacon gives off enough to give the entire pancake a nice bacon taste. carefully flip over each pancake . each side should be about 2 minutes.once cooked on both sides, take off the heat, let cook for a few minutes, then serve with maple syrup.

Cat In The Hat

A totally amazing talented friend of mine called me last week to help her with a project she had. She needed to make a birthday cake for a 2 year old, and this is the idea she had in mind. she wanted to make a cat in the hat! not bad for her first time decorating a cake this big! i gave her pointers, but she did almost everything on this thing! good job Erin!!! xoxox

admiral's birthday

so Admiral Ackbar had a birthday party and what's the best thing to do for someone's birthday then cut their head off, roast it, shove an apple in their mouth, and serve it to their guests! ok, or make a cake that looks like you did that, and let the Admiral have his birthday!






the cake is chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and chocolate butter cream frosting. rolled out fondant airbrushed with orange and yellow. the collar is rice crispy treats covered in fondant and dried and cracked to look look like cracked crab meat. sticking out of the collar are red and blue light sabers, which are pretzels covered in colored chocolate.

katelyn's 1st birthday cake

princess Katelyn turned 1! and every good princess needs a castle, especially one that's pink with glitter.



the bottom layer is neapolitan, vanilla sponge cake, strawberry buttercream filling, chocolate butter frosting.


the top tier is chocolate sponge cake, raspberry preserve filling, chocolate ganache frosting.


the towers are ice cream cones stuck together end to end with a sugar cone upside down. covered in fondant and hand painted stripes. the flowers are sugar paste rolled out and cute, covered in pink glitter. the doors are oreo cookie chocolate bars.

Katie's birthday bunnies

so this year i made something a little different for Katie's birthday. i've never made carrot cake before and i'm glad everyone liked it because i wouldn't try it, i hate carrot cake. however, it was really fun to make something different and it was a good excuse to try a bunny theme.


the carrot cake: oven 350

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
4 beaten eggs
3 cups shredded carrot
3/4 cup oil
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
8oz. crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup crushed pecans
1 tsp vanilla

in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg. set aside. combine carrots, pineapple, coconut, oil, vanilla. add eggs. stir together with the dry ingredients. add nuts. stir together just until mixed then arrange in cupcake trays or cake pans. cupcakes take about 15 minutes, cake takes about 30.




cream cheese frosting:

i was told over and over and OVER that the most important part is the frosting. it has to be thick and taste like cheese cake or it ruins the cake. no pressure...

2 3oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
4.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

start with the cream cheese in the mixer, after about 30 seconds add the butter in chunks. beat on high until the two have mixed really well then add vanilla. little but little add the sugar until completely mixed together. taste after 4 cups of sugar have been put in, add the rest slowly to your desired level of taste.



all of the cupcakes were frosted then airbrushed lightly with pink(it was a pink themed birthday).
the bunny feet are circus peanuts, cut in half using only the bottoms. the pads are pink jelly beans also cut in half, secured with a little frosting. the tail is just a little more uncolored frosting.



the fleur de lys are vanilla fondant with a little pink dye.

christmas wreath

vanilla cupcakes with vanilla fudge frosting with white chocolate leaves and rolo ornaments.



the white chocolate leaves were made by melting down the chocolate, taking a mint leaf and painting the chocolate onto it. once its set and dry simply peel the chocolate off the leaf and repeat. using a mint leaf gives the chocolate a faint but really yummy taste.

Lanie's birthday cake

better late than never! so this pretty lady had a birthday a couple months ago, and i was so excited about it i made her cake, took it to her house, and ate it... without ever even thinking of taking pictures of it. someone was nice enough to snap a few shots, so here is her pirate themed birthday cake!

pretty standard round 4 tiered red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. covered in fondant and airbrushed blue and black.

the hard thing to see is the skull is actually another cake made for her to save if she wanted to. its the same red velvet with cream cheese frosting, covered with fondant and hand painted to look like a skull and cross bones. (the patch was added later)

all in all it was a 6 layer, 2 tiered scurvy red velvet pirate cake. and if all pirates tasted so good, i might learn how to swab a deck?