Glorious Treats

How to make Fondant Roses and Leaves

2012-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I shared some delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes that were decorated with fondant roses. As promised, I'm back to show you how to make these pretty accents, perfect for cakes or cupcakes.

This post is a little sentimental for me... four years ago I was in the early stages of my obsession with decorative baking... I was devouring every book, website and blog I could find on the topic of cake and cookie decorating. I had recently discovered a sweet blog called Bakerella and was always sure to check her new posts each and every Monday. Monday rolled around and I found the most beautiful rose cupcakes I'd ever seen! That very day I pulled out my bucket of fondant and followed her instructions as closely as possible. I made a whole set of cupcakes and brought them with me to church group that evening. I was so proud of them! I was so pleased with the photos of my cupcakes that I made one of the photos my Flickr icon. To this day, it is still my icon. I love remembering the joy of successfully creating something new, and something I was proud of. Bakerella gave me that gift four years ago (and many times since), and I hope that I have given it to you through some of my posts as well. P.S. Can I also add that this proves I loved Bakerella before the whole rest of the world did! So by default, we should be friends... (too bad she doesn't know I exist!)

Anyway... would you like to make some pretty fondant roses?

If you're familiar with working with fondant, follow along below. If you're new to fondant work, I have a whole post titled Fondant 101 to get you started.

To begin, color your fondant as desired. Red can be a hard color to create (from white), so I usually prefer to buy pre-colored red fondant if I want a nice true red. I was out of red, so this color is made from white. I used Americolor super red, a bit of burgundy and a tiny bit of purple. It's also a good idea to wear plastic gloves while working with (especially while coloring) fondant. As you'll notice below, I was out of gloves!

1. Roll out a small piece of fondant.

2. Cut a strip about 1 1/2-2 inches wide (in this case I used the piece to the left of my cut).

3. Fold the fondant strip in half lengthwise (as shown).

4. With the folded edge on top, begin rolling the strip of fondant around itself.

5.-7. Continue rolling, as you pinch the base of the 'rose'.

8. When you've created the size rose you want (or have come to the end of the strip), pinch the base of the rose, and pull off any excess fondant.

9. Lay your finished rose to dry (2 hours minimum). I usually leave a bit of a cone shape at the end of the rose because it makes it easy to press into frosting on a cake or cupcake, but you could certainly cut it off if you prefer.

As a bonus, Cake Journal (another gorgeous site I've loved a long time!) has perfect video showing how to quickly make ribbon roses.

Now for the leaf...

1. Roll a tiny bit of green fondant into a ball.
2. Press the ball of fondant down onto your work surface. Use your fingers to press it flat, and shape it into a basic leaf shape (similar to a tear drop).
4.-6. Use a fondant veining tool (or the end of a small paintbrush) to draw veins on the leaf. Allow leaf to dry.

With any luck you should have some pieces that look like this...

You'll notice quite a bit of variety in the size and shape of the roses and leaves (above). Some of that is just what the fondant wanted to do, some is my choice. Sometimes I like nice tight, 'perfect' looking roses, other times I prefer a more ruffled, loose look.

Once dry, use your roses and leaves to decorate cupcakes or cakes (sneak peek of a cake below that I'll share more pictures of later this week).

Happy Decorating!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Roses {Recipe}

2012-02-06T04:45:00.000-08:00

Red velvet cupcakes are a classic treat that lend themselves so perfectly to Valentine's Day. Although I've admired red velvet cake and cupcakes from afar for a couple of years, I've never made any. In fact, I hadn't even heard of red velvet cake until a few years ago. Apparently it's famous in the south, but being born and raised in California I wasn't familiar with it. And to be fair, once I learned that they were simply a light cocoa cake with lots of red dye I wasn't sure I could ever feel really excited about it. Although I obviously use food coloring quite often for cookie and cupcake frosting, I try to avoid using excess amounts. But over the past 2 years of blogging, the one recipe I keep getting e-mail requests for is red velvet. I searched the web for natural color alternatives, but after reading at least a dozen different blog posts I concluded that using natural coloring (from beets, or similar) can be a lot of work, expensive, and often only produce mediocre results. All that to say, these are delicious cupcakes... and yes, they have quite a bit of food coloring in them. If that bothers you, feel free to make my favorite chocolate cupcakes, or vanilla cupcakes.

This recipe is really delicious, and I'm sure I'll be using it again. There is something a little special about the pretty dark red hue. This cake is a delicious, moist and fluffy, lightly flavored chocolate cake. Different red velvet cake recipes range from containing just a couple tablespoons of cocoa, to being a fully flavored chocolate cake. I would describe this recipe as a mild chocolate cake. As you can see, the color is dark red, or burgundy. If you would like a brighter red color, feel free to reduce the cocoa powder a bit, and/or add more coloring.

Red Velvet Cake (or cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)

1 teaspoons salt

1 1/3 cups oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

4 Tablespoons liquid red food coloring (or 1 tablespoons concentrated food coloring- I used Americolor super red)

1 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk (I made buttermilk with powdered buttermilk mixed with regular mix)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons white vinegar (all I had was apple cider vinegar and it worked fine)

Directions~

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners, or butter and flour cake pans and line bottoms with parchment.

2. In a large bowl whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt, and set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the whisk attachment), beat oil and sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, and continue beating. Add food coloring and vanilla and mix well.

4. Add flour and buttermilk alternately, in two batches. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix just enough to combine.

5. Place baking soda in a bowl or cup, add vinegar and stir (it will foam and expand). Add to cake batter and beat for 10 seconds.

6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3-3/4 full, or divide batter between cake pans. Bake cupcakes 20-24 minutes. Bake cake layers 25-40 minutes depending on the size of the pans.

This recipe will yield about 24 cupcakes, 3- 8" cake layers, or 2- 9" cake layers.

Recipe source- Adapted from "The Confetti Cakes Cookbook" by Elisa Strauss, as published by the New York Times. I scaled down the recipe from the original, which yields 36 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)

8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)

Directions:
1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar (one cup at a time) while mixing. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
4. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
5. Frost cake or cupcakes.

Recipe source- Glorious Treats (this is just my version of this very old, classic frosting).

For more detailed help with frosting cupcakes, I have a full post on How to Frost Cupcakes (here)

I decorated these cupcakes with handmade fondant roses. I'll share the tutorial this week.

As an extra special treat, I've teamed up with a group of amazingly talented ladies to bring you a dozen beautiful and delicious Valentine's treats! Check out all of these gorgeous creations!

1. Confessions of a Cookbook Queen- Valentine's Twinkies on a Stick

2. Buns In My Oven- Hot Fudge and Strawberry Donut Pudding

3. Glorious Treats (that's me!)- Red Velvet Cupcakes

4. Cookies and Cups- Glass Topper Valentine's Cookies

5. Bakingdom- Valentine's Day Cookie Cakes

6. The Hungry Housewife- Valentine's Jello Hearts

7. The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle- Valentine's Dotty Cookies

8. Sprinkle Bakes- Red Velvet Cake Minis

9. Bake at 350- Double-Decker, Stripey Valentine's Cookies

10. Two Peas and Their Pod- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

11. Scarletta Bakes- Mexican Chocolate Hearts

12. She Wears Many Hats- Valentine's Popcorn

Have a wonderfully sweet week!

Simple Heart Valentine's Cookies {Decorating how-to}

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love when a simple technique can be used to make something look extra special. These heart Valentine's cookies are super easy to decorate, but yield impressive results.

I started with a batch of Chocolate roll-out cookie dough. I used a medium sized heart cutter to cut my shapes, then a small heart to cut out the center. You can bake up the mini hearts, or roll the dough back together to make more hearts with cut-outs.

When your cookies are baked and cooled, prepare a batch of Royal Icing. To copy this design, you'll only need two bags of icing, one red and one white, both in a medium consistency. Certainly, adding pink details to these cookies would be beautiful as well.

How to create a string of hearts with icing...

1. Outline the cookies (as shown). Allow the outline to set up a bit (about 30 minutes).

2. Flood cookie with white icing.

3. Immediately, add dots (as shown).

4.-6. As soon as dots have settled into the white icing (about 30 seconds), drag a toothpick from the top center of the heart cookie, through the first dot. Continue dragging the toothpick through all of the dots on one half of the cookie, in one continuous motion (as seen above).

7. Repeat on the other side of the cookie, starting at the top, drag a toothpick through the dots.

8. Allow cookies to dry (about 8 hours).

9. Share with someone you love =)

Happy Decorating!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pops

2012-01-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

It would be pretty easy to argue that most any sweet treat is extra cute when put on a stick. These delicious chocolate chip roll out cookies are topped with simple butter frosting and sprinkles, and with the addition of a lollipop stick they make extra adorable Valentine's or sweet party favors.

Traditional chocolate chip cookies spread or puff far too much to be used as cut out cookies, but this roll out version is just as delicious as the beloved chocolate chip cookie, but holds it shape quite well, and strikes the perfect balance between delicious and cute! Because this recipe contains mini chocolate chips, it would be difficult to cut the dough with intricate shaped cookie cutters. Simple shapes, such as hearts or circles work great!

Chocolate Chip Roll-Out Cookies

1 cup (unsalted) butter

1/3 cup (granulated) sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups mini chocolate chips

Directions-

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and cream together. Add egg yolk, then vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated, and light and fluffy (30 seconds). Add salt, then add flour, one cup at a time. Add chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.

Pre-heat your oven to 350*F.

Form dough into two large balls. Put one ball of dough in a bag in the fridge, while you roll out and cut the other dough as desired. Use remaining dough from fridge once you have used the first ball of dough.

Bake cookies in a pre-heated oven on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe source- Sugarbaker's Cookie Cutter Cookbook

If you'd like to make the cookies into cookie pops (as shown) follow the directions below...

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, cut with desired shape (a small heart in this case). Turn the cookie over and press a lollipop stick (these are 6"sticks), into the dough slightly. Use a bit of extra dough to cover the stick. Press the dough around the stick as best you can. Turn cookies back over, press down onto baking sheet slightly, and bake as directed (10-12 min at 350*F). The baked cookies will be nice and flat on the back, and should show no signs of the added dough. Cool completely before decorating.

Decorating your cookies...

These cookie pops actually look quite cute plain, and I was tempted to leave them as is... but it seems to me most anything is extra cute with pink frosting and sprinkles! These cookies could certainly be decorated with Royal Icing, but I wanted something extra simple, so I used my Simple Butter Frosting Recipe tinted pink, and spread it on the cookies with an off-set spatula. Top with cute Valentine's sprinkles and you have an adorable and delicious treat! The butter frosting does not dry as hard as royal icing, but will dry enough to be packaged in cellophane bags.

Happy Valentine's treat making!

Viking Professional Hand Mixer Giveaway!

2012-01-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

How about a great giveaway to get the weekend started right?

Quality tools are an important part of successful baking. And Beyond Pots and Pans is giving away one gorgeous hand mixer to a lucky Glorious Treats reader! This is not just any hand mixer! This is a Viking Professional grade hand mixer, sure to last you many years and help you "whip up" countless delicious dishes! And just for fun, the winner will even get to pick their color (stainless or red)!

Our giveaway sponsor, Beyond Pots and Pans is a great on-line source for quality kitchen tools and supplies. If you notice their ad on my sidebar, you'll find the discount code TREATS to help you stock up on any of your kitchen needs, including high quality cake pans, measuring cups and spoons, and a great selection of cookie cutters!

Would you like this pretty appliance to help you mix up delicious food in your kitchen?

Here's how to enter...

For one entry- Simply leave a comment on this post telling me what you would mix up with this powerful hand mixer.

(Note- if you are viewing this post in a reader, or via e-mail, you'll need to click on the post title to view this post on-line and comment)

For a second entry- "Like" Glorious Treats on Facebook, or let me know you're already a Facebook fan. Come back and leave a comment on this post (not on Facebook) letting me know you follow on Facebook.

Be sure to leave a contact e-mail in each comment, so I can contact you if you win.

All the details...

Limit 2 entries per person. Entries with no contact information are not valid.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 9:00pm Pacific. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Prize and photos provided by Beyond Pots and Pans.

~~~~~~~~~~~ Giveaway Closed ~~~~~~~~~~~

Winner as chosen by Random.org...

Comment #578- Alisa

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies {Recipe}

2012-01-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I posted a delicious homemade lemon curd recipe and promised to be back soon to share some recipe that include this delicious treat. I'll start off with these pretty little Lemon Thumbprint Cookies. These delicious cookies are quite easy to make, and could be made with either store bought, or homemade lemon curd. These are sure to be a hit with any lemon lovers, and I think they would be a perfect cookie to include on a tea party menu.

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus a little extra for dusting the finished cookies)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup prepared lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

Directions ~

Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugars and continue mixing. Add egg, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. Add baking powder, and then flour (slowly, while mixing). Stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully incorporated. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator about 1 hour.

Place lemon curd into a small ziplock bag, and cut off one corner of the bag.

When the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350*F. Roll small balls of dough and place on a silpat lined, or parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten balls of dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Use your thumb to create a crater in the center of the dough. Fill crater with about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd.

Bake cookies about 15 minutes, or until cookie edges are just turning golden brown. Remove from oven, cool slightly, then move to a wire cooling rack to cool fully. Dust cookies with powdered sugar.

(Note- I found that when I dusted the cookies with powdered sugar, the sugar fully covered the lemon filling. I wanted the filling to show up a bit, so I dipped one finger into a small bowl of water, then just slightly moistened the lemon filling. Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and the sugar will only be visible just the cookie portion.)

Recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies

Recipe source- Women's Day

If you happen to be planning a tea party, here are a few more delicious recipes that could be included on your menu...

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Cucumber and Tomato Tea Sandwiches

Lemony Lemon Bread

Homemade Lemon Curd {Recipe}

2012-01-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

I've never been super fond of the title "Lemon Curd"... I guess it's the "curd" part that doesn't quite seem right. But when you take fresh, delicious lemons, some sugar, eggs and a touch of butter the resulting concoction is so delicious, I don't really care what it's called!

Lemon curd can be bought at the store (near jams and jellies) but it is quite easy to make at home, and the taste of this homemade version just can't be beat! You can make a batch and enjoy it on toast, pancakes, with yogurt, or as part of a delicious dessert. I'll be sharing several recipes very soon that include this sweet-tart treat!

Homemade Lemon Curd

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (usually requires 1-2 lemons)

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

3 Tablespoons butter (I use unsalted)

Directions ~

Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water). Heat, while stirring (almost) constantly with a whisk, until mixture thickens. It is done when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until cool. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Recipe source- Cupcakes by Pamela Clark.

Enjoy with toast, waffles, pancakes, scones, yogurt, or in a variety of delicious desserts. (More ideas coming soon)

Butterfly Birthday Cake

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

This week we celebrated my youngest daughter's 5th birthday. To me, 5 is that number where a child is no longer a "baby", or even a "toddler"... they're a kid. And in this particular case, when your 5 year old shares clothes with her almost 8 year old sister, and would probably be well suited to play pee-wee football (based on both size and personality)... she hasn't been much of a "baby" for a while! I love seeing my children grow, but of course it's somewhat bittersweet.

Last year I put together a fun Ladybug Birthday Party for Joy. We generally do "big" parties for our girls every other year, so this is her "little" party year. We celebrated with two of Joy's little friends (along with our daughter, Grace), and enjoy cake and presents at home, then headed to a local indoor trampoline "park".

When I asked my daughter what she wanted as a birthday cake the list was quite long and ranged from butterflies, to dragonflies, to rainbows, to pink and purple... so I had to narrow it down a bit and hope she'd be happy with it. I think the end result was very sweet and would work quite well for almost any age woman who loves pretty and feminine things.

For the outside of the cake I tried a fun decorating technique I first saw on My Cake School. I was very pleased that it was quite easy to execute and I think I'll definitely try it again. It's quite quick, and I think it creates a beautiful, and unique look. There are full instructions on this technique, described as a Petal Effect, on My Cake School.

I dressed up the frosted cake even further with fondant butterflies in pink and purple tones. I'll try to do a tutorial on the butterflies very soon.

A few pretty candles (available at Sur la Table, or Shop Sweet Lulu) finished the cake and added an additional element of pink and purple.

Happy birthday to my sweet Joy... who will always be my "baby"!

Chocolate Valentine's Sandwich Cookies

2012-01-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

After I made the Heart Cutout Cupcakes last week I had some delicious cherry frosting left in the fridge. I've had Valentine's treats on my mind and was already planning to make a batch of chocolate roll out cookies, so I thought the cherry frosting might be a good match. The resulting combo was both pretty, and delicious!

Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies

First, prepare a batch of Chocolate Rollout Cookies. Roll out dough and cut with a small heart cutter. Bake as directed. Cool completely.

When the cookies have baked and cooled, prepare a batch of frosting. I used the delicious Cherry Frosting Recipe I posted here. You could also use my simple American Buttercream, tinted pink. Flavoring of strawberry or cherry could be added, or just vanilla would be delicious as well.

For easy application, fill a large piping bag fitted with a round tip (with a 1/4- 1/2 inch wide opening). Or simply use a large plastic ziplock type bag and snip off the tip. Squeeze frosting onto what was the bottom side of a cookie. Top with another cookie. If desired, immediately sprinkle edges of frosting with sprinkles.

*A few notes- The frosting needs to be on the thick side, or it will just squeeze out and make a mess. Be sure to add only a limited amount of liquid to whichever frosting you use, or add an additional cup of powdered sugar. Additionally keeping the frosting very cool will help. If the frosting is too soft, put it in the fridge to set up. Also, as you make the sandwich cookies, you can pop them in the freezer for just a couple minutes to set up.

These sandwich cookies are best the day their made, or can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. (The chocolate cookie itself could be made a few days in advance, and stored in an airtight container until ready to assemble).

Happy Baking!

Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce {Recipe}

2012-01-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Panna Cotta (Italian for "cooked cream") is a delicious, smooth, custard-like dessert. The description I gave my husband (who had never heard of panna cotta) was that it's like a cross between jello and pudding. One of my favorite things about panna cotta is that it can be flavored and dressed countless ways. I've had delicious variations that were flavored with orange, lemon, and as I'm sharing today, blueberry. I'm sure you'll be seeing a few more variations from me soon, as I had forgotten until recently how delicious and refreshing panna cotta can be.

Yogurt Panna Cotta

Adapted from Italian Food Forever

3/4 cups skim milk*

1/2 cup heavy cream*

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4- 1/3 cups honey (or sugar)

2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used non fat)

*I used both skim milk and heavy cream because that's what I had on hand, you can use all skim milk (a total of 1 1/4 cups, 2% milk, or whole milk)

Directions ~

1. Place 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top. Set aside while the gelatin becomes moist.

2. In a saucepan, warm the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup of cream until simmering, but not a full boil.

3. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of honey, stir and (carefully) taste. If you would like, add a bit more honey. (I used 1/3 cup total)

4. Add the bowl of gelatin, and whisk until the gelatin has fully dissolved into the hot milk mixture.

5. Remove pan from heat, and stir in 2 cups greek yogurt. Stir until fully combined.

6. Pour final mixture into small glasses, bowls, or ramekins. Place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours. The panna cotta will keep well for 2 days. (Make sure they are covered, and that there are no strong odors in your refrigerator to absorb)

*If you are making the blueberry sauce (as shown), I added a bit of blueberry sauce into the bottom of each glass, and let it set a bit before adding the panna cotta. When you pour in the panna cotta, pour very gently and slowly at first, to not displace the sauce too much. Fill your glasses or dishes about 3/4 full with panna cotta, then put in the refrigerator to set. Top with a little additional blueberry sauce and fresh blueberries before serving (or anytime after the panna cotta has set).

Blueberry Sauce

*This is what I used, but there are about a thousand different ways to dress panna cotta. Feel free to experiment.

1/2 cup good quality blueberry jam (I like Trader Joe's store brand)

3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if using fresh, add about 1 Tablespoon water)

Warm jam and blueberries in a small sauce pan. Mix until fully combined and hot. Allow to cool slightly before using.

This yogurt panna cotta could be a delicious treat for breakfast, or as a cool and refreshing dessert.

Enjoy!

Sweet Heart Cupcakes

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

The title of this post has a bit of a double meaning... this post is about these sweet, heart cupcakes, but it's also about A sweetheart! I first saw this creative cupcake idea on Just Jenn Recipes several years ago. I made them a couple times pre-blog and I had this idea on my "future post ideas" list for this year. Then, last week Kristan of Confession of a Cookbook Queen posted an utterly delicious looking cherry frosting and I knew it would be the perfect filling for these sweet treats. Kristan also recently mentioned that she has become a "Valentine's person"... it may have something to do with wanting gifts of candy and flowers, but we wont mention that to her hubby. So, when I knew Kristan's birthday was on it's way (it's today!), I thought these would be the perfect cupcakes to send her (virtual) birthday wishes!

Although I've been reading Confessions of a Cookbook Queen for quite some time, I was first able to meet Kristan last spring at the Wilton Blogger's Workshop. Then, this past fall on my drive to Cookie Camp, we made a stop off in Kristan's hometown for a visit. Kristan is just as sweet, funny and beautiful as her blog and I feel lucky to count her a friend! Happy Birthday Kristan!

Now let's have a cupcake!

These fun cupcakes are quite easy to create!

First, bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes. I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, but feel free to use any recipe or box mix you prefer. The only special instructions would be to make sure to fill the liners just a bit more than you might normally (about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner), because you need to have a bit of a dome above the top edge of the liners.

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare of batch of delicious Cherry Frosting. You can use the recipe below, or you could use my simple American Buttercream, or Cream Cheese frosting, and simply tint it pink with some food coloring. Canned (pre-made) frosting would work fine for these as well.

Maraschino Cherry Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

4 cups powdered sugar

4 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

1/2 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries

pinch of salt

Directions~

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter until smooth.

2. With the mixer running, Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

3. Add 4 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice, one tablespoon at a time.

4. Continue beating, and add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, and chopped maraschino cherries. If desired, add a drop of pink food coloring (I used Americolor electric pink).

5. Beat until fully combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe source- Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Heart Cutout Cupcake Assembly

(idea source- Just Jenn Recipes)

1. Use a serrated knife to cut off the top of the cupcake, using the top of the cupcake liner as a guide.

2. Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut out a heart shape from the cupcake dome.

3. Spread frosting onto the cupcake base, in a mounded shape.

4. If desired, sprinkle the cupcake dome with powdered sugar. Place top back on cupcake and press down a bit.

Share these sweet treats with someone you love!

Several other bakers have created special birthday treats for Kristan, be sure to check them out!

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip {Recipe}

2012-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, beautifully prepared food is always more appealing than food that is haphazardly served. For me, this is especially true when I'm trying to eat a bit healthier. If I still get to enjoy beautiful food, and hopefully a few sweet things too, I don't feel deprived. This delicious Strawberry yogurt fruit dip is sweet and delicious and is a great choice as a snack or light dessert.

Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (regular or reduced fat)

1- 6 oz container Strawberry yogurt

1/2 cup finely chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen- I used frozen)

1/2 cup marshmallow cream (sometimes labeled marshmallow fluff)

Finely chop/blend frozen (thawed) strawberries in a food processor or food chopper. You could also do this by hand if needed, although in that case I would suggest chopping them while still partly frozen. If chopping by hand, chop on a paper plate, or something to catch the extra juice, so you can use that too.

Using a stand mixer, or hand mixer, beat cream cheese until fully smooth. Add strawberry yogurt and blend until smooth. Add chopped strawberries (with juice). Add marshmallow cream. Blend until fully combined.

Put dip in the refrigerator to set up for at least 30 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit of your choice. Dip will keep well in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Recipe Source- My version of a recipe found in A Little Taste of Heaven, by Philadelphia brand cream cheese, 2001.

Create a beautiful fruit platter to serve your family, or take to a party. For a more formal affair, you can create beautiful individual fruit plates (as shown below) using mini dessert dishes (these are Libby brand, bought at Target) and place the fruit on small wooden skewers.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

2012-01-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Let's start the year off right... with chocolate! As many of us adjust our eating habits a bit, this simple treat could be the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth without falling off the wagon entirely. Mix this delicious chocolate syrup into a glass of skim milk, and you have a sweet, yet still light treat.

I love when I can re-create a recipe at home that is as good or better than the store-bought version, and this homemade chocolate syrup makes the cut! I have recently had a hard time finding store bought chocolate syrup that doesn't contain overly processed sugars (high fructose corn syrup), preservatives and artificial flavors. A simple look in my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook revealed an easy recipe that sounded like it could be a great solution. Of course the real test is, does it actually taste good... and I'm very pleased to say, yes! In fact the flavor and thickness of this homemade syrup is extremely similar to that familiar brown bottle of Hershey's. I would even go so far as to say this taste better!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli)

1 cup water

dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, add sugar, cocoa, and salt. Whisk together gently. Add water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool. Store in the refrigerator.

For delicious chocolate milk, add 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to 8 oz. of milk. Heat for hot chocolate.

For milk shakes, combine 1 cup cold milk, 1/4 cup chocolate syrup and 2 cups (1 pint) of vanilla ice cream to a blender. Blend.

This syrup would also make a delicious dessert garnish or ice cream topping.

Recipe source- Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1968.

I put the cool syrup into a icing bottle I already had on hand (available at craft stores in the cake decorating department). A bottle designed for ketchup or dressing could also work.

{Prop notes: The large bottle I have the milk in I bought from Cost Plus World Market, but they are also sold at Farmhouse Wares. The smaller bottles I put the chocolate milk in I bought on Etsy a while back, and the shop is no longer open. I also own a few I've bought at antique stores and on Ebay. Shop Sweet Lulu has some similar, smaller ones.}

Enjoy!

Celebrating the Sweetness of 2011!

2011-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

As we all look forward to the beautiful potential of a new year, it's nice to pause and look back at 2011 to remember the work we've done, the goals attained, and the memories made. Of course Glorious Treats is just one part of my life, but it is a very big part. Baking, and creating beautiful things is my passion and I love being able to share my joy with you!

Looking back, I'm realizing why this year went to fast... I was busy! In addition to doing my best to take care of our home (with lots of help from my amazing husband), I've homeschooled my oldest daughter (2nd grade), and chased around my pre-schooler all the while!

Early in the year I had the opportunity to attend a taping of the Oprah show (thanks Sharnel!!), and to close the year I fulfilled a longtime dream and was included in a segment on the Martha Stewart Show! And along the way this year I made some wonderful new friends! I met lots of wonderful bloggers at the Wilton Blogger's Workshop, then met in person many long time "Cookie friends" this past fall at Cookie Camp.

In between doing dishes, 2nd grade math and flying around the country, I made a lot of cupcakes... and cookies... and treats! In fact, in 2011 I've posted the nice round number of 100 blog posts!

Here are a few of my favorites (and hopefully yours too!) of 2011...

Pink Ombre Cake

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Rainbow Jello

Fudge Mint Brownies

Beach Wedding Cookies

S'mores Cupcakes

Pretty Butterfly Cookies

Chocolate Cupcakes in a Jar

Joy's Ladybug Birthday (photo by Gene Chutka)

Pink and Purple Penguin Party (photo by Gene Chutka)

I think my oven must have been on for 600 hours this year! And lets not even think about how many bags of powdered sugar I went through!

I'd love to hear which posts were your favorites. What would you love to see more of in 2012?

Wishing you all a safe, happy and sweet New Year!

Pink Snowflake Cupcakes

2011-12-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure is the case with many of you... this week will be very busy in our house! Finishing off the gift lists, wrapping, baking, cleaning.. oh yeah, and we have to have something for dinner each night! I love the Christmas season, and I treasure the special activities, parties, time with family, and delicious food! This week there was a hitch in my plans, when my main computer (the one I store all my photos on) went haywire.. and is currently in the shop in the "hopes" of being able to recover my photos. So... my nice organized plan of having a few more delicious treats to share with you was foiled! But this weekend I "whipped up" some pretty cupcakes as one last treat to share for the year. After today I'll take a little break from posts until New Years and enjoy a little extra family time.

These pretty pink treats were made using my favorite basic recipes...

Chocolate Cupcakes

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Rolled Sugar Cookies (with royal icing)

For the cookies... simply outline and flood in the desired color, allow to dry fully (6-8 hours). Then using (outline consistency) white icing, pipe a snowflake design. Hold the cookie over a paper plate and sprinkle with white sanding sugar. Dust off excess with a dry paint brush.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

"But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

Christmas Recipe Collection

2011-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

(left) Snowflake Cupcakes (right) Gingerbread Cookies

I'm sure many of us will be rushing around this weekend putting finishing the touches on our Christmas lists, baking holiday treats, and hopefully spending some extra time with our friends and family.

Here is a collection of some of my favorite Christmas treats. Many of these would make beautiful gifts, and make delicious additions to your holiday meals.

Great for gifts...

Lemony Lemon Bread

Traditional favorites...

(left) Chocolate Crinkles (right) Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars

Rich and delicious....

(left) Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (right) Fudge Mint Brownies

Personalized Christmas Cookies (and lots of other Christmas cookies)

Quick and easy treats...

(left) Candy Cane Hearts (right) Rolo Pretzel Bites

Have a wonderful weekend!

My Day on the Martha Stewart Show!

2011-12-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

This set of pretty pastel cookies are from the Vintage Pastel Christmas Dessert Table I prepared last year. They have long been one of my favorite sets of cookies... but now they're one of my favorites for a whole new reason. These babies were recently on the Martha Stewart Show! In fact, they are also currently being used on the Martha Stewart website as the star photo to represent the whole show that day!

Take a look...

The segment of the show that I got to be a part of was all about a group of on-line cookie (decorating) friends I have the privilege of being a part of, called the "Cookie Queens". The segment focused on the diversity of our group, as we have members from all over the world, some professional bakers, many hobbyist, some bloggers and the bonds of friendship we share. A representative of our group, Maryann Rollins was live in the studio and did a beautiful job representing our group, as well as demonstrating how to decorate a beautiful holiday cookie. In addition to Maryann representing our group in studio, 4 ladies from our group were on Google+ video. The ladies on video included Callye (Sweet Sugar Belle), Laura (A Dozen Eggs), Marlyn (Montreal Confections) and me... Glory!

Here's the show to enjoy...

Cookie Queens (and Glory Albin) on the Martha Stewart Show!

*Note the show videos are broken into segments. Watch or fast forward through the first segment, then click on the segment labeled "Meet the Cookie Queens"

It was a total dream to be included in the segment... and I almost died when Martha herself said my cookies were "fit for the pages of Martha Stewart Living Magazine!"

A few more details...

I'm sure there will be several of your interested in the background of "how" we got on the show. Several months ago Maryann Rollins contacted the show on behalf of our group. She received an e-mail reply that they (the producers) were in fact at least interested in showcasing our "talented group." Fast forward to November... Maryann gets word from the show on a Thursday... would she be able to fly to the show and represent our group the following Monday (in 4 days!)? By then, the producers had been given a full list of our 60+ Cookie Queens members. The producers looked through our work on Flickr and our blogs/websites, and chose the four of us that would appear on Google+ video. Maryann gave me a call on Thursday... "would you like to video chat with Martha?" Um, yeah!!!!

If you are visiting my site for the first time, please enjoy a few of my favorite posts....

My Hydrangea Cupcakes may forever be one of my favorites!

This recent Pink and Purple Penguin Party is full of cute and fun treats and ideas.

These Snowflake Cupcakes are perfect this time of year.

These Candy Cane Hearts are easy and delicious treats!

And be sure to follow Glorious Treats on Facbook to keep up to date with posts, and pretty things I find along the way!

Cookie Decorating Kits for Kids {and Easy Butter Frosting Recipe}

2011-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

Most children I know really love to decorate cookies! In fact, last year I realized that my nieces and nephews would probably rather decorate their own cookies, then receive a cookie I decorated for them. But of course the Christmas season can be a very busy one, and often baking cookies, making icing, and gathering all the supplies needed is just one extra chore. Last year I thought I could give a special gift to the kids in our family by creating ready to go cookie decorating kits. I spent a day making cookies and icing, and then packaged all of the supplies together, so that the cookies could be decorated as a special (and easy for the moms) Christmas activity. I think this could be a great gift to the families in your life with young children. When I made these kits up, I made one for our household too, and it was great to pull it out on Christmas Day (a day my husband usually works), and do a fun activity with my girls.

~ How to make a Cookie Decorating Kit ~

1. Prepare a batch of Sugar Cookie dough, cut out assorted Christmas shapes, and bake.

2. Once the cookies are baked and fully cool, layer then in a tupperware type container, with waxed paper between layers. Plan 3-5 cookies per child in the home.

3. Prepare butter frosting (Recipe below), and color as desired. I would suggest 3-5 colors total. Put icing into small plastic containers.

4. Add some sprinkles to the gift as well. I put sprinkles into little plastic dip containers (I picked up a few extra from a restaurant), or use small plastic baggies. You could certainly buy a few containers of sprinkles to include instead (I just happen to have more than enough sprinkles to share!). Include several different colors and types of sprinkles.

5. Package everything together. Include several plastic knifes for spreading the icing. I used a little tape to keep the smaller containers from moving around. You could wrap the whole kit in cellophane, or put everything in a pretty basket.

6. Give to a family you love!

*Note, the baked cookies will remain fresh 7-10 days. I would recommend storing the icing in the refrigerator, then bringing to room temperature before use.

Easy Butter Frosting Recipe

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter (salted or unsalted), melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 Tablespoons milk

Directions ~

Pour powdered sugar into a large bowl. Melt butter, then add to powdered sugar, and whisk to combine. Add vanilla. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, then stir, until desired consistency is reached. If you add too much milk, and your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Add coloring as desired.

(Recipe source- My mom. Original source unknown, similar recipes widely available since the early 1900's)

Enjoy some cookie decorating with the little people in your life! If you're lucky, you may end up with some creations as beautiful as these (created by my 3 and 6 year old)...

An extra fun note...

Tomorrow (Monday, December 12th) I will be included in a segment on the Martha Stewart Show with several of my "cookie friends". The show airs on the Hallmark channel at 10 a.m. (in most areas). The show should also be available on-line (Marthastewart.com) on Wednesday, December 14th. I'll be sure to share the link to the video as soon as it's available.

Celebrating 10,000 Facebook Fans {Giveaway!}

2011-12-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month you all helped me do something that I think deserves a little celebrating...

The Glorious Treats Facebook fan page reached 10,000 fans!!

I love using Facebook as a place to let you know when I have a new post up, and share lots of other fun (and delicious) ideas I find around the web! The Glorious Treats Facebook page is also a pretty good place to get a question answered quickly... if I can't help you, often another reader/fan can!

I thought a perfect way to celebrate such a fun number would be to giveaway many of my very favorite things! As I've been buying things I "need" recently, I've pick up extra just for you! And I asked a couple businesses I love to join in the fun too!

What kinds of goodies do I have for one lucky reader? I'm so glad you asked!

Let's start with some things to dress up your baking, and your home (pictured above)...

8 jars of assorted sprinkles (you can never have too many sprinkles!)
3 adorable decorative cupcakes from Amy Miller Designs (2 ornament and one photo holder style)

Some of my favorite quality ingredients...

Unsweetened cocoa
Peppermint extract
Maple extract
Cinnamon
Americolor brand gel food colors (super red, soft pink, lemon yellow, mint green, sky blue)

*Note the cute cupcakes (from Amy Miller Designs) are pictured in two photos in this post, but the giveaway is for a total of three only. They are just so photogenic, they snuck in to two photos! =)

Ideas and supplies for cupcake and cookie decorating...

Martha Stewart's special edition Holiday Handbook.
16" reusable piping bag, two cupcake decorating tips and a large coupler.
6 packages of designer quality cupcake liners
3 Christmas themed cookie cutters

Perfect to dress holiday packages...

Three large spools of quality bakers twine from The Twinery (in green, brown and red)

And if you have any other goodies on your wish list...

A $25.00 Gift Certificate to Sweet Baking Supply

Did you see some pretty things in this post you'd like under your tree?

Here's how to enter...

For one entry, comment below letting me know which item(s) from this giveaway you need/want most.

For an additional entry, "Like" Glorious Treats on Facebook. Already a Facebook fan? Please share Glorious Treats with your friends on Facebook! Then come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know you're a Facebook fan.

Please include an e-mail address in your comments, so I can contact you if you win.

Boring details...

Maximum two entries per person. Comments with no contact information are not valid.

Comments must be left on this blog post (not on Facebook, or via e-mail)

Giveaway ends Tuesday, December 13th at 9:00pm Pacific. Open to U.S. residents only.

Winner will be chosen using random.org.

Some prizes provided by the businesses noted, remaining prizes are just from little ol' me!

~ Giveaway Closed ~

Winning comment as chosen by Random.org

#135 Annette M.

Pink and Purple Penguin Cookies

2011-12-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

In preparation for my recent Pink and Purple Penguin Party, I spent a day making some cute penguin cookies. I wanted them to be simple, playful and girly, and I love how they came together! Once I had the base design I had lots of fun adding hats, scarfs and ear muffs to give each penguin a little personality. This general design could be done in any number of color schemes to create cookies for boys or girls. Swapping the purple or pink background for light blue, then adding details in red and green would make adorable traditional Christmas cookies!

Let's decorate cookies!

First, bake a batch of cookies using my Sugar Cookie recipe (this can be done 1-3 days before you decorate them).

Then, the day you plan to decorate, prepare one (or more) batches of Royal Icing.

For the cookies below I made icing in...

black (1 bag of medium consistency)

white (1 bag of medium consistency, one thick/detail consistency)

purple (1 bag of medium/flood, one thick/detail)

pink (1 bag of medium/flood, one thick/detail)

orange (1 small bag- thick/detail)

~How to decorate simple penguin cookies ~

1. Outline and fill in your cookie with the background color (in this case purple), allow to set a minimum of 2 hours, longer in humid climates.

2. When the base layer is set, use black icing to create the outline of the penguin, as shown. Allow to set 1-2 hours.

3. Fill in the body of the penguin with white icing (as shown). Allow to fully dry (6-8 hours). When the body is dry, add eyes, and a beak. If desired add a little "blush" to the cheeks (shown below), by lightly applying pink luster dust with a small, dry paint brush.

Now it's time to dress your penguins!

You can have fun with any combination of bows, scarfs, hats or ear muffs, and I'm sure you can think of even more ideas! Add white "snow" to the background by either adding simple dots, piping simple snowflakes, or adding snowflake shaped sprinkles.

Here are a few of my little penguin friends...

For beautiful winter assortment, add snowflake cookies, and some simple snowball cookies.

Happy penguin decorating!

For more penguin fun, be sure to check out the full Pink and Purple Penguin Party!

(Top photo by Gene Chutka, for Glorious Treats)

Pink and Purple Penguin Party

2011-12-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Once a month I have a few of my daughters' little friends over for a craft day. My girls love doing crafts, and having a day set aside on the calendar helps keep me accountable to prepare some fun things! This month we used craft day as a good excuse to have a special winter party!

Last year I saw some cute penguin wrapping paper that inspired this whole party. I've been gathering pink and purple penguin items for several months and had a great time seeing it all come to life!

Please enjoy our Pink and Purple Penguin Party!

I shared my color and theme ideas with Fresh Chick Design Studio, and they created an adorable set of invitations and party printables to pull together the theme! A few days before the party I got to work on some fun penguin cookies. I loved how they turned out!

The treats table included...

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Coconut Snowballs

Polka-dot cups with fresh fruit

Jars of pretty candy

I decorated two styles of cupcakes, some were topped with paper toppers from Fresh Chick Design Studio, others were topped with delicate royal icing snowflakes (how-to here).

I made cute cookies to pull the theme together. I used my favorite Sugar Cookie recipe, and I'll share all the decorating how-to's later this week.

(Left) One of my favorite holiday treats, Coconut Snowballs.

(Right) Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes.

Fresh fruit in adorable little treat cups (from Pretty Little Party Shop)

Cute little penguin figurines (my husband found for me at Hobby Lobby) look quite happy surrounded by sweets!

In addition to the sweets table, I set up a table for guest to enjoy their snacks, and work on crafts I'd prepared. Crafts included an ornament (shown by Joy below), and a penguin note card.

Each place setting included a cute penguin cup (from Wal-mart), and a favor bag labeled with their name. The favor bag included a little notebook, mini pen, and candy stick. I included tiny vases of pink gerbera daisies along the table.

The girls enjoyed an afternoon of sweets, crafts, and friendship!

Party credits

Set up and styling ~ (Glory Albin) Glorious Treats

All desserts ~ (Glory Albin) Glorious Treats

Photography- Gene Chutka

All the details...

Invitations, printable cupcake toppers and labels- Fresh Chick Design Studio

Pink striped treat bags- Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply

Pink polka-dot fruit cups- Pretty Little Party Shop

Penguin drink cups- Walmart

Hanging paper snowflakes- Luna Bazaar

*Feel free to pin images from this site, but please do not re-post (blog) any images without permission.

Christmas Family Tree Cookies {with printable toppers}

2011-11-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

This week my family and I are enjoying a little vacation at the "Happiest place on earth," Disneyland! My amazingly talented friend Callye (Sweet Sugar Belle) graciously agreed to fill in a bit while I'm away. Callye is the queen of cookies and as with any cookie Callye creates, the special project she created just for Glorious Treats readers is fun, original and simply beautiful! Now, I'll pass it over to Callye...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, I'm Callye, AKA SweetSugarBelle, and I'm hanging out here while Glory is on vacation with her family.

Glory and I have been long time friends so I was excited when she asked me to do a special Christmas cookie post in her absence. When she told me what she had in mind, I instantly thought of some of my favorite childhood Christmas ornaments.

You'll have to excuse their condition. My mom made these over 24 years ago and they are definitely showing their age. I love the story they tell. 1988 was the year my brother was born, which meant a new ornament. Each year at Christmas, these were one of three or four ornaments I waited for as we unwrapped. I love it that I was able to translate them into cookies.

In this case, I made them a little larger, so they could be wrapped and used as a "cookie card"...

Now let's decorate!

Begin a few days in advance by using thicker flood icing that I refer to as 20-second icing to make round royal icing transfers. To do this, tape wax or parchment paper onto a cookie sheet, pipe out several flesh colored rounds, and let dry overnight or longer. For more information on this technique click HERE.

If you need a little help with fleshtone, I also have a helpful article that can be viewed HERE.

To decorate these cookies you will need:

green piping and flood icing
brown piping and flood icing
red 20-second icing
stiff white piping icing
flesh colored transfers
black food color marker
large red candy beads
icing in the hair color of each family member

To make these cookies, follow the steps below...

Outline the cookie with green and brown icing (as shown).
Fill the green portion or the tree.
Carefully drop face transfers onto wet green icing.
Use tweezers to drop red candy beads {ornaments} onto the wet green icing.

Let the cookies dry overight. The next day follow these steps...

Fill the trunk with brown flood icing.
Use a black food color marker to add faces to the transfers.
Add hair to each family member, leaving them bald on top to make room for Santa hats. This ALWAYS gives me the giggles.
Use red 20-second icing to add hats to each family member.

Finally, let the hats dry then add fur to the hats and add a personal message. For the cap I used a #13 tip and for the writing a PME #1.5.

Let the cookies dry completely then package them for family and friends. Glory designed these pretty printables to make this quick and easy.

(click here) Printable Christmas Treat Bag Toppers

Just print the toppers and follow Glory's instructions HERE.

Thank you for allowing me to share one of my favorite memories with you today, Glory! I hope everyone enjoys this cookie project. If you would like to visit me, hop on over to my blog, The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle. I'm always up to my ears in cookies, and I'd be glad to see you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much to Callye for filling my shoes while I'm enjoying some family time! I love these personalized cookies so much and can't wait to give them a try myself!

Happy Baking!

Let it snow... Cookies!

2011-11-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

I love making beautiful, detailed sugar cookies. In fact I consider it a great day when I get to listen to the radio and decorate cookies for 6 hours straight. But those days are a luxury, and often I'm pressed for time, but still want to make something special. I was recently making some labor intensive Christmas cookies, and I needed some little cookies to add to the mix... how about snowballs! Every once in a while I come up with an idea I think is pretty clever... don't burst my bubble if you don't agree! =) These are about the simplest cookies you could ever make, but I still think they are quite cute, and with some special packaging make a pretty sweet gift.

~ How to make simple snowball cookies ~

1. You'll need to make a batch of Sugar Cookies. I cut mine with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter, I think any size from 1-2 inches would work great.

2. Prepare some white (uncolored) royal icing. Fill a piping bag (fitted with a #2 or #3 tip) with medium consistency icing (about the consistency of a thick syrup).

3. Flood a few cookies at a time, then while they are still wet (hold each one over a paper plate) sprinkle with white sanding sugar. Set aside and allow to fully dry (4-8 hours).

4. For an additional touch of shimmer, feel free to sprinkle a tiny bit of disco dust over the cookies (I didn't use any this time).

To package these snowball cookies I filled small glass jars (these are from Wal-Mart), and embellished the jars with several pretty ribbons and a cute tag. I considered several different tag sayings including "Snowball fight ammo." I think these would be super cute gifts to send to people you love that never see snow at Christmas (including many in the military). For shipping, I would add white mini marshmallows in the jars to keep the cookies from shaking (and to add to the snowy look).

Happy snowball making!

Time for Christmas Baking {Giveaway!}

2011-11-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

As we officially kick off the Christmas season I want to share one of my favorite sources for pretty baking and packaging supplies, Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply. Of course one of my favorite Christmas-time activities is baking. And I love dressing up my baking projects with pretty sprinkles, festive cupcake liners, and pretty packaging! Sweet Estelle's has generously put together a box of gorgeous Christmas goodies for a lucky Glorious Treats reader.

This great Christmas baking package includes...

(10) Mini red chevron bags, (10) white glassine treat bags, (10) red stripe treat bags, snowflake sprinkles, mini gingerbread men sprinkles, 3 bundles of bakers twine (green, brown and red), 3 holiday cookie cutters, (3) novelty cupcake toppers, (apx. 200) assorted cupcake liners, and a cute gingerbread man spatula.

Ready to win?

Here's how to enter...

Simply head to Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply and browse their gorgeous selection of baking and packaging supplies, then come back here and leave a comment telling me which product(s) you love most!

For an additional entry, "Like" Glorious Treats on Facebook, and Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply on Facebook.

Please include an e-mail address in your comments, so I can contact you if you win.

Maximum two entries per person. Comments with no contact information are not valid. Comments must be left on this blog post (not on Facebook, or via e-mail) Giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29th at 9:00pm Pacific. Open to U.S. residents only.

~ Giveaway Closed ~

Winning comment (as chosen by Random.org) #86 Katrina

Coconut Snowballs {Recipe}

2011-11-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

There are certain recipes that just taste like Christmas to me... this is one of them. My mom has been making these Coconut Snowballs at Christmas for as long as I can remember. Often, she would tint the coconut red or green for an extra festive touch. In our house we have always called them Coconut Date Balls... I've adjusted the title for two reasons, one, for some reason many people are turned off by the thought of dates, and yet once they try these they change their mind! Secondly, I'm not a super big fan of desserts called "balls", and somehow sneaking it in next to "snow" works a bit better =)

So, call them what you will, these little treats are sweet, crispy, flavorful and delicious!

Coconut Snowballs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/8 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon milk

1 cup finely chopped dates

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rice krispies cereal

Coconut (about 1 package)

Directions ~

1. Combine butter, salt, sugar, milk and dates in a large saucepan. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and using a whisk to mash the dates a bit.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then add a spoonful of the warm date mixture to temper the egg a bit. Add egg mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly, cook about 2 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat, add vanilla and stir, then add rice krispies and stir. Allow mixture to cool about 1 minute.

4. Pour about a cup of coconut into a bowl, then use a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop (or a spoon) to scoop a ball of date mixture into the bowl of coconut. Use your hands to press coconut onto the date mixture, until fully covered with coconut, shaping into a ball as you work. Refill small bowl with coconut as needed.

5. Set finished Coconut Snowballs on a baking sheet or casserole dish. When all the snowballs have been made, serve immediately, or cover until ready to serve. These can be stored (at room temperature) 3-5 days. Recipe yields 30-34 balls.

Recipe Source- My Grandma (She has been making these over 40 years, previous source unknown)

For serving ideas, you can see how I've included these Coconut Snowballs in my

Vintage Pastel Christmas, Tropical Luau Party, and Classic Holiday Dessert Table.