Saturday, December 18, 2010

White Christmas snowflake decorated sugar cookies


This weekend I'm all about white while I make some treats for my friends winter wonderland table.

Have just finished up these white snowflake sugar cookies decorated with marshmallow fondant and royal icing.


White stand from Sharnel Dollar Designs Pom Poms from Ah-Tissue

White, although elegant can be a little boring so I tried to add some texture, I also included some silver accents as the table will also incorporate silver, but these cookies would look elegant without the addition as well.


See the 3 different cookies above you can add as much or as little decoration as you like or a mixture is nice as well.


Snowflake Winter Wonderland cookies

Make up batch of sugar cookie dough (recipe below) and cut out snowflake cookies, I bought my cutter from Little Betsy Baker.

Bake as per instructions until golden and allow to cool completely.

Roll out fondant (mine is a mixture of 2 thirds marshmallow fondant and one third white ready roll fondant but you can use what you like) on a surface dusted with cornflour or icing sugar and using the same snowflake cookie cutter cut out the snowflake shape. Make sure the cookie cutter is clean and dry before you start cutting.

Using a clean brush that is only used for food purposes brush a tiny amount of water onto the cookie and then adhere the fondant gently rolling on with a small rolling pin. #



Using a clean foodsafe stamp press into the middle of each cookie to make a pretty indentation.

Mix up a little royal icing, I just used the powdered ready mix packet stuff for this and I added a little white white Wilton food colour. Pop it into a bag or disposable glad zip lock with a #2 tip and dot little decorations around the cookie. If you don't have a tip you could cut a really really tiny hole at the corner of the zip lock bag.



Add edible silver balls or other decorations as you like.


#Fondant dries out pretty quickly so I work with a little fondant at a time covering one cookie. The remaining fondant I leave wrapped in a little cling wrap/ glad wrap until I need it.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

114 grams unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces) softened to room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 extra large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon plain flour sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Using a mixer cream butter and sugar.

Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until dough comes together.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 30 mins.

Roll out dough to approx 7mm thick, cut out cookie shapes and chill for another 30 mins on trays. Bake at oven preheated to 180 C (350 f) for 10 to 15 mins depending on cookie size.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Have yourself a Merry Aussie Christmas


Catherine G, Chris E and Megan S this prawn cake pop is for you (please don't anyone report me to Cake wrecks this pop is a joke).

When I asked on my facebook page what kind of treats you wanted for Christmas there was a varied response.

But a couple of you suggested some Australian Christmas treats, you know seeings as it's summer here and  we don't have any snowflakes, furry hats and snowmen in December.

I thought about it for a while, I searched for what a true Aussie Christmas is and what I found is that we are a country with many different traditions and cultures.......no surprises there.

I live in Brisbane Queensland and about a half hour drive to the beautiful Gold Coast. Growing up Christmas celebrations meant prawns (shrimp), pavlova, mango, beaches and a bit of cricket. It's Christmas to me but just doesn't lend itself to a bunch of pretty Christmas treats.

So I thought about what Christmas really means to me:

  • Family
  • Joy
  • Love
  • Sharing

and you know what no matter how diverse our country is or what culture we come from I think these values can work for everyone, and not just in Australia.

I was going to make a bunch of sugar cookies with the words stamped onto them but I just didn't get time and all that would fit on the cake pops was Joy.

Fittingly that was also what I felt when I bit into this pop.
There are some basic instructions after the jump

Monday, December 13, 2010

Peppermint Marshmallow Christmas Tree Hi Hat cupcakes


I made these late at night with sore feet from a day of shopping and no will to decorate. I think you can tell.

But see what I did here, I used some free editing and pretty props to redirect your attention so you can't see what a bad job I did.

I've talked about it before I call it the pusscat dolls effect, and it works a treat until you look closely. 


Oh alright I know I didn't really trick most of you and they weren't really that bad but the dipped ones were a bit messy as I used some green wilton melts and didn't really thin the chocolate out enough.

Yup not taking my own advice, but I was really really tired. Please do what I say not what I do.

Oh and loooove these teensy weensy little edible stars I picked up at Little Betsy Baker. 



The marshmallow topping seemed to be a hit in my family, my daughter actually rolled her eyes saying yum as she licked it from her fingers.

If you don't love peppermint you can omit it and I think this topping would also make great 'snowball' cupcakes without the green colour.

Pussycat dolls redirection props
Pom pom from Ah-Tissue
Cupcake Wrapper co Christmas wrapper from Details Details
Single Cupcake Stand from Mon Tresor


 Recipe after jump

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tim Tam rush pops


If you follow me on facebook you've probably already seen this photo, but what you might not have seen is that this is not just a normal everyday white Tim Tam truffle cookie pop, it's a Tim Tam Rush pop.

Or maybe when you were growing up they were called a Tim Tam Slam.

Or maybe you think I'm a little weird and you don't know what I'm talking about.

It's when you get a tim tam and slurp your coffee up through it and pop the whole lot in your mouth. I was never a huge fan back in the day but when I was growing up they only had original tim tams. Maybe if they had white tim tams I might have been a convert.

Although I'm not so sure, never was a big fan of soggy. But with these pops you get the yummy coffee/tim tam flavour and none of the unpleasant sogginess. Really the best of both worlds don't you think.

Waiting to be made into pops, the coffee ones at the front and plain old white tim tam at the back

I am a convert now and once you try them you might be too.  Recipe after jump.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Salted Caramel Cheesecakes



Here is the recipe for that salted caramel cheesecake that I didn't end up using for the daring bakers challenge.

So delicious, and if you don't like salted caramel you could make the cheesecakes and top it with something else........Ha. Right, as if.



Well anyway you could, just a simple raspberry puree, or mango even just a dollop of cream. The actual cheesecake is very easy to make.

I made a mini dessert table type version as well which was kind of cute, but you will need to adjust the baking times down.


The pics have a base of hazelnut pasta frolla but I recommend just leaving it our altogether.


Salted Caramel Cheesecakes makes 8 single serves

Cheesecakes
228 gram (8 ounce) cream cheese at room temp
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs at room temp
1/2 cup sour cream
8 small ramekins or glass jars (I used Ikea tea lights)

Preheat oven to 160 C (325F). Have a large deep baking tray ready (for water bath).

Mix cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy and free of lumps approx 1 min. Add eggs one at a time ensuring each addition is mixed. Beat in sour cream. Scrap down sides throughout process and do not overmix and incorporate too much air.

Strain into a pouring jug and then fill the ramekins/jars with cheesecake mixture.

Place ramekins/jars into the baking pan and fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the jars. Bake for 16 mins and turn off oven leaving cheecakes in the warm oven for 2 hours.


Remove from waterbath and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours.
 Salted Caramel Topping (recipe makes a lot of caramel you will have around a cup left over to use for other delicious purposes)

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup (use liquid glucose if not available)
2/3 cup caster sugar (superfine)
80 grams unsalted butter (4 US tbsp)
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups cream

Combine water, corn syrup and sugar in large heavy based saucepan. Cook over medium low heat stirring constantly, brushing down sides with water when necessary until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat to med-high and continue to cook without stirring for 5-7 mins or until syrup turns golden amber, swirling the pan if necessary to distribute the caramel. 

Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt.



Slowly pour in the cream being careful as mixture will bubble and whisk in well. Strain through sieve into heatproof bowl. Cool for at least 20 mins.

Spoon a thin layer of warm caramel onto each cheesecake and chill until cold.


Saturday, December 4, 2010

Pink Glamour Girl Birthday Party - Real Party

Pink Girly Glamour
When my friend told me she was having a pink girly glamour party for her daughter's 7th birthday party, I couldn't help but offer to help.

I mean did you hear what I just said PINK..... GIRLY..... GLAMOUR....PARTY.  I was there whether she wanted me or not.


Luckily she was happy for me to help and I did what I do, that is baking and she decorated up a storm.

I was provided with some cookie cutters, a colour theme, a cake preference and was pretty much given free rein.

 Glamour girl cookie pops, sugar cookie with marshmallow fondant, royal icing and fondant decorations

I had a great time making these treats, my girls particularly liked the glamour girl cookies I made with red hair to match the birthday girl's beautiful hair. I cut the sugar cookie freehand without a cutter and the decorations were inspired by the fairy wand cookies I made for my daughter's party.

And I also made the stand to pop them in, y'all know when I do craft it's easy peasy, A styrofoam box wrapped in pink polka dot wrapping paper with some scrap material I had laying around stuck on with double sided sticky tape and then a pink ribbon also stuck on with double sided sticky tape finished with a cute flower.

I told you it was Easy Peasy.

and Jo my friend made these dazzling glam bottles up for the strawberry and chocolate milk.


 Bottle Bling it's my new favourite thing

Yup that's right it's bottle bling.

Jo found this beading bling at Stacks (local discount store) and stuck it onto recycled juice bottles. Some of the mums already have plans for using these at their next party with some more adult type drinks.

Jo also wrapped up chocolates in pink and brown polka dot paper and stuck various glamour stickers she grabbed at the local discount store. Could it get any cuter.....well it did .

Even the juice poppers got the same glamour treatment.


Oh and while she was at 'Stacks' she found these little pink and purple handbags for $2 each she used for treat bags. I think they were a great find.


The party was held at a local dance studio Stepping Out at Underwood. The mum's got to sit upstairs and relax while the hosts played games and entertained the kids until they were ready to tackle the food. Have to love that, happy kids and happy mums.

It was totally girly, totally glamorous and the kids had a wonderful time.
 
The birthday girl checking out the treat table
 

Party Menu

Cake Pops

Raspberry French Almond Macarons

Assorted glamour cookies (handbag, nailpolish and mini mirrors)



Glamour Girls with Red Hair Cookie pops

Chocolate layer cake


Strawberry and Chocolate Milk
Assorted lollies (candy and sweets)

mini chocolate tarts


mini jellies and puddings

juice pops

and glamour chocolates

Glamour wrapped chocolates and the party invitation




Party Treats made by Bubble and Sweet
Mini Jellies, puddings, chocolate tarts and decorating by Jo
Party held at Stepping Out Dance Studio Underwood
Pink Beanies and square cake stand by Sharnel Dollar Designs
Round paper lanterns Robert Gordon
Pom poms on ledge by Ah Tissue
Photos.......as though you can't tell I had to take them myself this time.

Related recipes in this blog:
Macarons
Fairy Wand Cookies
Cake Pops
Sugar Cookies

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Christmasy tim tam pops the super fast no bake way



I'm a bit behind on my Christmas cooking, I have so many great ideas and just not enough time.

If your a bit like me, check out this cheat's version of a tim tam pop, there's no mixing, it's really just a tim tam on a pop.

Ok well I did make the decorations from mini cookie cutters I bought from Little Betsy Baker.
But you could even buy the decorations ready made if you want, sooo cute and the kids could help stick them on too.

and to display them I bought this pop up RUSS Christmas Card, I picked it up from my local newsagent, just stick some clean styrofoam inside and maybe a little weight.

Or if your not into the whole cookies on a stick thing, they would be cute in a little box with a ribbon as a sweet little gift for someone.

Apologies to all those countries out there who don't get white Tim Tam's, you might be able to substitute a more local cookie.


Christmas Tim Tam pops

Equipment and Ingredients
8 inch cookie pop/ lollipop sticks (make sure you do not get the thick Wilton ones)
Metal skewer
packet of white tim tams
little melted chocolate or candy melts
microwave safe dish
fondant or royal icing decorations

Using the metal skewer make a hole in the center base of each tim tam as per picture.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave on short bursts at med low until smooth.

Dip the end of each cookie stick/ lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and then carefully push into the hole you have made in the Tim Tam.

Pop onto tray and repeat with remaining Tim Tam's. If you are adding decorations pop them onto the Tim Tams using the remaining melted chocolate.

If necessary refrigerate a few mins until chocolate is firm.