1960s-themed Cookies

When I think of the 1960s, I think of happy faces, peace symbols, daisies, and tie dye -- all of which I created in cookie form to celebrate two special 60th birthdays.

These are made using my FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIE and ROYAL ICING recipes. The colors were inspired by Wilton's "Peace Flower" mini baking cup set, which I used on the matching cupcakes.

I really love the way these cookies turned out, but I have to say, making them was a nightmare. Definitely my fault for getting ahead of myself and deciding to try new decorating techniques when I really didn't have time to do so. I guess I've been really fortunate up to this point, because I've never had anything go so completely wrong before. That's what I get for being smug.

As you can see from the picture below, the cookies on top are tie dye perfection. The cookies underneath these are my Pinterest fails. I tried a new decorating method called "dry brushing"; instead of awesome tie dye effects, I got loathsome tie dye effects with a side of pitting and dull finish.

The problem was, these looked great while I was decorating. I completed about 30 of them and, exhausted, decided to go to bed and finish the rest in the morning. I woke up to this and had to start all over again. The good news is, I think the new versions turned out even better.

The lesson here? Definitely try new things...just don't try them 48 hours before you have to deliver four dozen cookies and cupcakes for a joint birthday party.

Other notes:

I got the Peace and Happiness Stencils and Flower Icing Decorations from Copper Gifts. The Peace Symbol Cookie Cutter is from Cheap Cookie Cutters.
The happy faces were created using the Happiness Stencil listed above and a combination of Wilton and Americolor edible markers. I used the Wilton first to trace the eyes and mouth and the Americolor to fill them in for a nice, deep black color.
The sanding sugar daisy centers were applied using a dry application. Read more about this on my YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE COOKIES blog post.

You Are My Sunshine Cookies

The song, "You Are My Sunshine" holds a special place in my heart, as it's one I started singing to my daughter when she was in the NICU. Today, five years later, she's singing it to her baby dolls (and to me every now and then). So when my coworker asked if I'd be interested in making some sunshine-inspired treats for his daughter's second birthday, I had to say yes.

These are made using my tried and true FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIE and ROYAL ICING recipes. But let's be honest -- these cookies are all about the styling.

And by styling, I mean pretty pink, orange, and clear course sugar crystals with matching heart-shaped sprinkle bows and royal icing "cheeks". Because black icing and little kids never mixes well, I decided to draw the sunshine faces on using an Americolor edible marker.

I also played around with the photo "styling" a bit. I am not a professional photographer and even if I were, I think trying to capture fun, high-quality images of flat cookies would be difficult. There are only so many ways one can stack cookies to make them look interesting and still highlight the decorating. Let's just call this a continual work in progress...

Other notes:

I got the Sun Cookie Cutter from Copper Gifts. If I could buy all my cookie cutters from this amazing company, I would. All of their cookie cutters are handmade and are incredibly durable.
The course sanding sugar crystals are from a Cake Boss three-pack I found at Michael's
I always try to apply sanding sugar or sugar crystals (let's just call these sprinkles for the sake of simplicity) after the royal icing has dried overnight. Yes, it means you need to devote more time to decorating the cookies, so it doesn't always work out in terms of timing, but the results are so worth it. If you've never tried the dry application method, do it! All you need is 1/4 teaspoon meringue powder mixed with 1/4 teaspoon warm water and a small paint brush. Just "paint" the mixture onto the cookie where you want the sprinkles to stick, apply the sprinkles (I like to pour some in my hand for a little extra control), and tip the cookie over to remove the excess. Voila! Perfectly applied sprinkles without denting your royal icing or worrying about rogue sprinkles.

Construction-themed Party Treats

When a former coworker of mine asked if I'd be interested in making some treats for her grandson's first birthday, I jumped at the chance to work on a project that didn't entail pastel colors and flowers (not because I don't love them, but because it's just what I usually gravitate toward).

Construction-themed smash cake & sugar cookies

Everyone's inspired by Pinterest, right? But the problem with a lot of "pinned" cakes, especially themed-cakes, is that they're made of fondant -- not exactly great for a little boy's smash cake. So instead we focused on making the cake as editable as possible for a toddler while still encompassing the road construction-based party theme.

What one-year old can resist a triple chocolate smash cake?

I found a great, simple cake on Pinterest (courtesy of The Celebration Shoppe) and recreated it with dark chocolate buttercream frosting and crumbled chocolate pie crust "dirt". I found the CAT mini machines and construction cone candles on Amazon (links below).

Close-up on the chocolate pie crust "dirt"

For the cookies, I wanted to have a few different varieties to make the platter interesting, but stick to simple colors and designs. I decided to play up the yellow and orange from the cake decorations and made hard hats, dump trucks, and construction cones. I also wanted to make it clear that this was a first birthday celebration, so I made a bunch of number one cookies (some with polka dots to keep it fun).

I really love the chocolate sprinkle "dirt" on the dump truck:

If only real dirt tasted like chocolate sprinkles...

Thank you for letting me be part of your day, Noah! Happy birthday!

Other notes:

I ordered the CAT Mini Machine 5-pack and Construction Cone Candles from Amazon, but I've also seen them at party supply stores.
I found the number one and construction-themed cookie cutters at CheapCookieCutters.com.
To tint the royal icing, I used AmeriColor gel paste colors Egg Yellow and Lemon Yellow (for the construction yellow) and a combination of Orange and Tulip Red for the vibrant orange shade.

"My In-Laws are Moving to Florida" Cupcakes

In just a few more days, my beloved in-laws are beginning their next journey -- retirement -- in Florida. I know most people would celebrate their in-laws moving, but I actually like mine. I'm thrilled for them, but also sad. They're amazing people and wonderful role models for me, my husband, and our daughter, and dang it, I'm used to having them so close. Who are we going to play Cards Against Humanity with now? And okay, yes, I may also be a little jealous that they're going to be leaving the tundra of Minnesota for the beach.

With the big move coming soon, I wanted to make them some celebratory cupcakes and make them smile. I hope these beach-themed cupcakes do just that.

These were easy cupcakes to make -- just vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream tinted with Sky Blue AmeriColor gel. The tricker part was getting the frosting swirls to resemble ocean waves and graham cracker crumbs to mimic a sandy beach.

Strawberry fruit strips, miniature Teddy Grahams, and umbrella picks complete the "Hey, look at me, just laying on this beach without a care in the world" feeling.

And no baking experience is complete without my daughter further honing her skills. Here she is, practicing those frosting swirls while wearing a cape, beret, and an adorable facial expression.

Happy retirement, Kris and Ed! I can't wait to start getting all of those #retiredman tweets. I'll be dropping off the cupcakes soon...

Recipes used: VANILLA CAKE (coming soon) and FAVORITE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

40th Wedding Anniversary Part 2: Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie-filled Cupcakes

Stupid good. That's all I can say about these cupcakes. Chocolate? Good. Bourbon? Good. Pecan pie? Very, very good (it's my favorite). Topped with buttercream -- so good.

Click here for the recipe: BOURBON CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE-FILLED CUPCAKES