Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are my families favorite thing to make. We try to make them for every occasion you can think of. My daughter and I are getting requests for these cookies now because they are so good but no one wants to take the time to make them. So if you have the patience and time, here is how we do our cookies!!

Rhonda's Sugar Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and mix like you would pie crust.

In another bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well. Combine with dry ingredients. The dough will be a little crumbly at this stage. I really like this recipe because you don't have to refrigerate it!! (I don't like waiting!)

This dough can be rolled out or shaped into balls and pressed with a fork or glass that has been dipped in sugar. We like to do both!!

Take some dough and knead it a little before you roll it out. I like to roll mine fairly thick. Thinner for crispy cookies and thicker for cookie bouquets.

I have to show you my "handicapped" rolling pin!! (I have RA). Cut out your cookies as desired and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.


Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for around 9-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cookie. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, I take a fondant smoother, (or any flat, solid object) to make the cookies flat. The reason for doing this is so that the icing will stay on the cookie better and not run down the sides.



Cool the cookies for about 15-20 minutes and put them in an air-tight container.

I like to use this container I found at WalMart. It's a cake taker, but I use it for cookies and cupcakes.

Next comes the icing. I love to use a glaze most of the time but Royal Icing may also be used. Sometimes I do both!! The glaze recipe below is just for a small batch. I usually quadruple it!

Cookie Glaze

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1/4 cup warm water

1-2 teaspoons flavoring (almond, vanilla or your favorite)

3 cups powdered sugar

food coloring (paste)

Dissolve corn syrup in the warm water. Mix in extracts and add sugar until you have a smooth glaze. Add more to thicken or more water to thin. A lot depends on the humidity and where you live. Use the thicker for outlining and thinner for filling in. If you are familiar with color flow, it's the same technique. Your fill-in icing should disappear into itself at the count of 10.

I love to use these squeeze bottles for the thicker outlining part. They are mostly used for candy making or condiments. I then thin out what is left in the bowl with a little water and spoon that onto the cookie. If using different colors, (one for outlining and one for filling in) let the first color dry for an hour or so before decorating with the second color. Otherwise, your colors will bleed. Once dry, you can then decorate on the top of the first layer with more glaze, royal icing or food coloring markers.

Outline first then quickly fill in so that there is no distinguishing outline.

Once you get the hang of it, just have fun being creative!! There are all kinds of possibilities!!

Photos and Tutorial by Rhonda Christensen. 2009. all rights reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

 

To make these cupcakes, use any vanilla cake recipe that you wish, replacing the liquid in the recipe with pink lemonade concentrate, undiluted. You can also add a few drops of food coloring if you want it more on the pink side.

For the icing, use:


1 lb. unsalted butter (softened)
2 stick salted butter (softened
1 small pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar ( or more to suit your taste)

pink food coloring

In mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and silky. Turn speed to low and add the pudding mix. when it is all incorporated, slowly add the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated bring speed up to high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Turn speed back down to low and add food coloring and add powdered sugar by tablespoons, tasting along the way. When it is sweet to your taste, beat again at high speed for a good 5 minutes to really break down any graininess that you might get from the powdered sugar. Bring back down to low speed and beat for a while to get rid of air bubbles. this recipe needs to be refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before decorating or serving.

For this cupcake stand, I just used foamboard and cake dummies I found how to make this cupcake stand from Cake Journal.

Rhonda Christensen
2009
All Rights Reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Hello Stripes!

I was trying to figure out how to make a Hello Kitty for a grown daughter and not make it too child like.  Not really sure if I accomplished that or not, but this is the result.  I had no fondant, but did have gumpaste and chocolate.

While I was scouring the internet for some ideas, I came across this striping effect for the cake.  Thought I would try it out and I loved it!!!

Here I used a vanilla cake recipe and tinted it pink and a chocolate cake recipe.  My batter was very thick, so I would suggest using something a little more thin.

I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup for this one, but if you want the stripes to be even closer and have a thinner batter, use about 3 tablespoons for each color.  If you are making more than one pan, make sure you do them at the same time so the batter will come out more evenly.

Keep alternating the two different batters until you have the pan half full.

Since this was so thick, I did had to tap it down after each addition.

Here it is just out of the oven.  Well after I took the cake out, it sank!!  I used an eggless recipe and I always have trouble with them!  Sorry, but you still get the idea for the cake.  ;0)

Here is the inside!  Oh man that is a lot of cookies and cream filling!!  lol!!  The effect is totally different then just marbling the batter.  It would be so fun to experiment with different colors and flavors!!

I then iced the cake with buttercream icing.  I let the icing set up for a couple of hours before hand painting stripes using luster dust and alcohol.

Then I had to try out some disco dust for the first time!  Oooo it's so fun, but messy!  Can't wait to use it again!

I have a candy mold that I used for the gem border.  I didn't like the pink color of this chocolate, so I used some magenta petal dust mixed with alcohol and then sprinkled pink disco dust on them.

Each gem was painted and dusted singly. 

I added the gems around the top and bottom border.  I thought it kink of looked more like a drum.  Oh well!  

I also made the Kitty and the "K" out of gumpaste.  The "K" was also sprinkled with disco dust before adding it to the cake.  Small pink isomalt gems were sprinkled on the top.  This was a fun cake to experiment with and the birthday girl and her daughter loved it.

Tutorial by Rhonda Christensen

2011

All Rights Reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes

This is a super delicious strawberry cupcake recipe that I found from Candice Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes.  I was so yummy that my hubby had some for breakfast this morning!!

Ingredients:

Makes 1 dozen.

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Sprinkles Strawberry Icing

Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes.

• 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air.

 Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Be creative with your icing techniques.  There are no wrong ways of icing a cupcake!

And who says you have to eat a cupcake like....a cupcake?!!  Fresh strawberries, strawberry puree and whipping cream made this look and taste more like an elegant dessert for a sweetheart treat!!

Tutorial and Photography by Rhonda Christensen

2011 All Rights Reserved

This material may not be reproduced without permission from the author.

Easy Flavored Party Popcorn

This is such an easy treat to make for any occasion and there are so many flavor options!

Here is all you need to make Jello Popcorn:

8 cups popped popcorn

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons corn syrup or honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 3oz box jello, any flavor (don't use sugar-free)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan with foil and spray lightly with a non-stick spray and set aside.  Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Place the butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted.

Add the sugar....

...and jello and stir to combine.

Increase heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat so it just simmers.  Continue simmering for 5 minutes.  The mixture will start out thick and will stay somewhat thick although will become a little more liquid.  

After the sugar mixture cimmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over the popcorn, being careful to not touch the hot syrup!!  It's very hot!  Mix right away, stirring so that all the popcorn gets well coated.

Spread out the popcorn evenly onto the prepared pan.  Put it in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Some jello flavors have more mix in them then other, so if one flavor is more liquid, it may need another minute or two in the oven.  Remove the pan and let cool.  Break the mixture into pieces and store in an airtight container.  

You could also leave them soft and gooey and you could make them into balls, but if you are going to pack them up for giving it's better if it's been baked to give it that crunch!

Here I have lime, raspberry, orange and lemon flavors. Can't wait to experiment with more flavors!

***

Tutorial and Photography by Rhonda Christensen

All Rights Reserved 2010

This material may not be reproduced without permission from the author.

Easy Turkey Cupcakes

Need a quick Thanksgiving treat?  Here is an easy, but cute cupcake to add to your holiday table.

(I know the pictures aren't that great!!  I really had to do these in a hurry! Sorry!!)

With a #104 petal tip, pipe red icing in a ruffled wave around the outer rim of the cupcake.

With a #104 tip, pipe orange inside of the red icing.

Again with a #104 pipe yellow icing through the middle.

Using a #7 tip and brown or chocolate icing, start at the bottom, middle of the ruffles.  Let the icing build up a little and then move slowly drag your tip up through the middle, stopping before you get to the top edge of the yellow ruffle.  Add a little extra for the head.

With a #3 tip pipe an orange beak, a red waddle and white for the eyes.  With the brown or chocolate icing and a #1 tip, pipe small pupils on the white eye part.

Tutorials and Photos by Rhonda Christensen

2010- all rights reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.