The Decorated Cookie

gumdrop crab and fish cupcake toppers

2012-05-29T18:16:04Z

So summer is definitely here, according to the outdoor thermometer that is currently reading 96.6 degrees. I’m a mess in the heat. Crabby (oh, hey, that’s a good word considering this post), irritable, complainer of heat I am. Griper of A/C turned up too high. Groaner at the hair frizzing humidity, the sweat causing blazes, the… I could go on ’til Fall.

Luckily, I’ll most definitely be escaping to the beach this summer. Also luckily, my family is from the New Jersey shore. No, not the Snooki, group house, beer pong, night clubbing shore (though the area is not without such things), but the lovely town of Sea Girt. While it has changed dramatically since I was a kid, what with the sky rocketing property values, cottages razed for lot-sized mansions, and the like, it’s still an oh so lovely town. Our roots run deep in this place, as my great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper. If you scroll down this page, my great grandfather is the man holding his cap, William Lake, and the boy with Edith is my grandfather, “Toots,” who would later rescue survivers of a fire that brought down a luxury liner, the Morro Castle, off the shore. (And you’ll recognize my name, or rather, my last name, as my brother is recognized, too.)

But I digress from gumdrops and cupcakes. I made these crab and fish cupcake toppers for my demo and book signing last weekend, and they seemed to be such a hit, I thought I’d share the how-tos with you.

To frost the cupcakes, I just filled a decorating bag fitted with a size “1M” tip with blue frosting and piped swirls. For the sandy cupcakes, I frosted the cupcakes with brown frosting and dipped the tops in light brown sugar. Then I topped with candy and instant beach scene.

how to make gumdrop crab and fish cupcake toppers

you will need*:

large gumdrops (2 red for each crab and 1 of any color for each fish)

rolling pin

wax paper

granulated sugar

1 1/2-inch oval or circle cookie cutter

scissors

Twizzlers Pull n’ Peel licorice

candy eyes

light corn syrup

*Find the cookie cutter in the craft store or cake decorating store, likely as part of a set. Find candy eyes in the craft store, or, find them online.

to make the crab

Roll out two red gumdrops on a piece of wax paper dusted with granulated sugar. Use more sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Cut out two red ovals.

Snip 6 pieces, about 1 1/2-inches long, of red licorice from the Twizzlers. Smush them into the top of one gumdrop oval, using dabs of light corn syrup if needed to stick.

Top the gumdrop and licorice with the other gumdrop oval and smush a bit. Add two candy eyes on top, using dabs of light corn syrup as glue if needed.

to make the fish

Roll out a gumdrop on wax paper dusted with sugar just as you did for the crab. Use scissors to cut out a fish shape (or, if you have a mini fish cutter, even better, I just don’t have one. I don’t think. I probably do somewhere.). Add a candy eye, using a dab of light corn syrup as glue if needed.

To put the fishy on a pole, I threaded an embroidery needle (or any needle with a large eye) with a piece of baker’s twine, pushed through the fish and tied a knot, then tied another knot around the end of a lollipop stick.

Pin it

summer is here…

2012-05-27T14:18:55Z

… at least in my part of the world, though we’ve had our uncomfortably hot days already. Any big summer plans? We’ll be digging into the lead-filled walls of our 1930s fixer-upper home this summer, so my daughter and I will be heading North to visit family to avoid the dust.

A little trip down memories-of-summer lane for you, aka my archives. Just in case you missed them the first go around. And also because I’m too exhausted to come up with something new today. A true sign of summer. Maybe tomorrow. All the summer ideas are collected in one handy place if you just click that “Seasonal” button up there.

I’ve got some s’mores.

(s’mores on a stick, s’mores marshmallows, self-reflective s’mores)

Some refreshing beverages.

(lemonade cookies, gin and tonic, cookies for your cosmo)

Some refreshing fruit.

(strawberry patch cupcakes, watermelon cookies, strawberry spread)

How about some cool treats?

(popsicle cookies, ice cream sandwich pops, ice cream cone cookies)

And you must head to the beach.

(turtle cookies, starfish cookies, candy shells)

And be sure to celebrate.

(stars and stripes cookie bites, BBQ marshmallows, 4th of July cupcakes)

Pin it

don’t forget to visit me tomorrow… a sneak peek

2012-05-27T13:53:35Z

Just a reminder for all of you in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia area… I’ll be at the SugarCube sweets shop in Alexandria tomorrow, Saturday the 26th, from 11 am to 1 pm. Here’s a little sneak peek at what some of the beach-themed treats I’ll be showing you how to make. And then stick around for a book signing and chit chat!! Hope to see some of you there!

Pin it

my mom’s recipes, neatly packaged, and lots of deals for you at Paper Coterie

2012-05-23T14:56:42Z

I think I may have found a new replacement for cookies as my go-to, unique and personalized gift for everyone for every occasion. Here’s a clue… see the “Good Stuff” in my sidebar? That would be Paper Coterie.

I checked out their site, chock full of modern/vintage-y/chic (I couldn’t decide the best adjective, since all apply) styles and choices for photo books, calendars, cards, gifts, memory keepers, planners, and journals. Loved ‘em. So I became an affiliate. Which means it behooves me if you choose to make your own personalized book or card, that you click on the site via yours truly. Here’s that link again: Paper Coterie. For all the current deals you get the scoop on just because you know me (another benefit of being in my good graces), scroll to the end!

I had to try them out for myself before I went around saying how much I love Paper Coterie. And phew. I love Paper Coterie. I knocked something off my to-do list: I made a cookbook of all those recipes my mom made growing up that she kept handwritten in a blue notebook. And of course I ordered extra for my mom and my siblings.

My order arrived in the cutest packaging with the cutest personalized note. All along the way, I felt like my mom’s recipes were guarded with care by a real live person. And the end result is a high-quality, durable and adorable cookbook.

I chose the “Food for Thought” style cookbook. You can customize each and every page (and add more pages) with your choice of colors, fonts, photos, text, pretty much anything. The book was super-easy to make with the self-explanatory tools… though I spent forever arranging just so because I’m nuts like that. But now I have all my mom’s recipes in a handy dandy little booklet.Yep, my mom’s homemade bread, asparagus rolls, chicken divan, Bernaise sauce, cheesecake, key lime pie… I’m getting terribly hungry. (By the way, I’m the Little Red Riding Hood below.)

And now some deals just for you… great for Dad, grads, birthdays, yourself…

All About My DAD books 60 percent off

Enter MYDAD at the checkout.

Journals $6 all week!

Enter code BIRTHDAYJOURNAL at checkout.

Cards and books for grads 60 percent off

Enter CONGRATSGRAD at checkout.

Memory Keepers for only $20.

Enter HAPPY1STBIRTHDAY at checkout.

(And receive a free calendar with purchase while supplies last.)

Pin it

glittering rainbow cookies and a Sprinkle Bakes Cookbook GIVEAWAY

2012-05-21T15:07:48Z

Sprinkle Bakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist, by Heather Baird, published by Sterling Epicure, May 2012.

I can’t possibly rave enough about the talent bestowed upon Heather of Sprinkle Bakes. In fact, I’ve raved before, when she guest posted for me HERE, wherein I mention one of favoritest cakes, the red velvet homage to Poe. Sweets are the vehicle through which Heather creates art, in such a unique and beautiful way specific to Heather but appealing to all. Her work is wholly original and stunning, and her book, Sprinkle Bakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist, represents this fusion of art and baking precisely, or “artful baking,” as she calls it. She provides lessons in sculpture, drawing and color theory as they apply to baking, and Sprinkle Bakes inspires the reader to go beyond the basics with their own creativity and imagination.

The book covers the basic equipment you need as well as a rundown of how to craft your blank canvas: cookies, cakes, icings, candy pastries and more. You learn how to paint, pipe, sculpt and build. You’ll make Queen of Hearts cookies, candy nesting bowls, pink peppercorn macarons, a glittering cookie tree and a gorgeous book cake. But more importantly, you’ll learn basic skills and witness artistic genius that pushes you to truly find your inner artist. And then get in the kitchen to let it out.

I made these sparkly, colorful, glittering cookies which Heather made into a glittering cookie tree (p. 236). I skipped the tree and pretty much just ate them. They are yummy, delicate, crumble-in-your mouth cookies, so it’s best to just pop them whole right in there. I was afraid I’d have none left to photograph because I ate seven before I even pulled out the camera.

Glittering cookies

from Sprinkle Bakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist, by Heather Baird, published by Sterling Epicure, May 2012.

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

colored sanding sugars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Beat together the butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed, mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until a soft dough forms. Roll the dough into teaspoon-size balls and place on a baking sheet. Put each color sanding sugar in its own small bowl. Drop the balls into the sanding sugar, turning to coat. Reshape if necessary and return to the baking sheet, spacing the balls 3/4 inch apart. Chill sugar-coated dough balls in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Bake until the tops are slightly cracked but still pale (the bottoms will be pale golden), 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

THE GIVEAWAY!!