I have a friend that has done some amazing generous things for me and I really wanted to say thank you. And how do I say thank you? With cookies of course! She has the most adorable little boys that she loves to the moon and back. I thought it would be fun to cookiefy them in their Halloween costumes. What were they going to be? Batman? Vampire? TMNT?
A vampire squid and head on a plate.
Wait, what?
For a minute I contemplated taking the easy way out and making some generic cookies. Just for a minute and then I dove into this challenge!
Where to start? Well I used a gingerbread boy as a base idea and then Frankensteined it. I use a very sharp knife and added in the extra parts. If your pieces are not smoothed together, don't fret - in the baking process it becomes a solid cookie.
The vampire squid was the easiest for me to envision and I usually work my way up. Is that smart or lazy? I'm not sure.. But I do know that I love this little squid shape!
Now when it was time to do the Head On A Plate, I started kicking myself. It dawned on me that he probably wouldn't just be walking around with his on a plate, right? He's probably going to have a table on his shoulders and I didn't cut that out.
So what to do, what to do?
And then my cookie mistake was perfect! I used wafer paper gently accordion folded to be the tablecloth. This is so much better in person and was a fantastic challenge.
Here's the whole set! Happy Halloween to you and your wee goblins!
XOXO,
Jenny
My husband is behind in his birthday gifts to his parents and this has been causing him crazy stress. He remembers every night and searches for gifts online and finds nothing. I'm still not sure if he has bought something. But you know what everyone loves? They love cookies, they love being thought of and knowing that someone cares.
So odds are that this year, if we exchange gifts, you will receive cookies. They maybe belated (sorry Dan!) but they will be created with love and they will be delicious.
These are Dan's cookies.
Some facts about Dan: he lives in the desert and loves it. He is a retired police officer and is now a cattle rancher. Dan loves beer, Coors Light to be specific. And for as long as I have known him, Dan has a mustache.
I think these cookies are on target.
"I only work with black, and sometimes very dark grey" - Batman (Lego movie)
Odd reference, but this in-process frosting picture makes me think of it, lol..
I mustache you if you prefer chocolate sprinkles!
How fun are these? I like the "hairy" mustaches as much as the smooth ones.
They both look delicious.. Mmm.
OK, I know these are controversial and I'm not a gun toting cookie maker. My husband comes from a police and hunting family. I can completely understand that some of you may have feathers ruffled, but please keep it in context. I made them to honor his long service protecting the public as a police officer.
And Dan's favorite - Coor's Light. Sigh. One day we may convert him to micro beers.. yeah, no, probably not.
I adore these little cacti and skull - pretty much the AZ desert in cookie form.
I hope my father-in-law loves diving into these. I hope some of these inspire you!
And if you would like a custom order, just send me an email <3
What would make a child happier than a cookie? A cookie that they can paint! Paint Your Own Cookies are all the rage right now in the cookie world and I couldn't wait to put my spin on it.
Cookies are all completely edible and delicious. Kids can paint the cookies by using a fresh paintbrush and just a bit of water. After I created these testers, I let my sweet babies try them out.
Aw, his sweet little chubby toddler hand just kills me with the sweetness.
So easy that my 2 year old can do it, though he looks like he thinks he's being naughty - doesn't he?
My Wild Child had so much fun, but was mostly eager to eat it!
And my beautiful eldest baby took her time and was so excited!
Are these the most fun cookies, or what? I'm taking a limited amount of orders for Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. I have these 4 designs and I'm more than happy to accommodate other requests as time allows. They are $3 - individually wrapped and packaged with a new paintbrush. I did these in my favorite harvest spice, but you can choose any of my cookie flavors. If this is your first order, check out my instructions here.
A few years ago, one of my New Year's resolutions was to learn how to make amazing pie crusts from scratch. It's not that the Pillsbury dough is bad - it's not and I still use it in an absolute pinch. It's that it shouldn't be a mystery, there should be a fabulous recipe and I should be able to make it and love it. Or at least that's how my brain works. Cooking is science in its most delicious form.
I didn't achieve my goal that year, but at the time I would only consider butter based crusts. And if you ask me, I think those taste the best. However, I understand the science of why butter based pie crusts are difficult to achieve perfectly all the time.
When I opened the bakery, I knew I was going to have to conquer this issue and quick. I found this bulk pie crust recipe on Pinterest at Six Figures Under. Yes, it is a shortening based pie crust. I was afraid to try it because it makes 20 crusts at once and what it they all stunk? What if it was awful?
It's awesome!
I've lost track how many times that I've made this now - I make a lot of pies for shows. It is absolutely perfect for sweet or savory pie.
So if perfect pie crusts is on your list - try this one and tell me how you like it!
Everything is just cuter when they are mini, don't you think? Mini cookies are the perfect size to top cupcakes and add a little more fun. You can simply place them on top of the cupcakes or you could insert a toothpick into the cut dough before you bake.
I had planned on just making little skeleton head cookie cupcake toppers, but once I started playing with the cutter - I saw so many more options. I love getting more mileage out of my cutters!
These super spooky mummies are a miniature and simplified version of Arty McGoo's October cookie in McGoo University. I love learning new ideas and using them on my cookies! So many creative cookiers out there.
Ah, I love this picture! So creepy and delicious - perfect for the older goblin in your home.
And the mini ghost was hands down the favorite in our home. Maybe it was his cute little smile?
Break out those mini cutters, look at them in a new way and top those delicious cupcakes!
A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine placed an order for cookies.
Dairy free cookies.
Dairy free cookies with a Dalek on them.
A what?
The dairy free dough was the first hurdle, but I was excited to add a new dough to my bakery. After some research, I tried the recipe at My Wise Mom (10.14.15 - This site was up and running yesterday, but today it is down. I'm going to leave the link up in the hopes that it will be up soon!)
The dough comes together pretty much like a traditional sugar cookie dough, but with a vegan butter substitute. I would recommend prepping the dough the day before you want to make cookies to give it lots of time to rest in the refrigerator.
The dough is quite soft and warms quickly. I don't recommend using a delicate cutter for this one - I had about 1/4" spread out even with lots of chill time. Choose a basic cutter and you will have happier results.
After baking the cookies (and eating one to make sure they were delicious - I have to check right?) It was time to figure out what a Dalek was. It comes from the show "Dr. Who" and I guess says "Exterminate, exterminate" quite a bit, based upon my feedback on Instagram and Facebook. I sketched out a rough idea and added a cupcake. It is for a birthday..
Here is the beginning phase. If you have lots of flooded dimension, it's important to give the icing time to set before you add an adjoining piece.
All done! Though my Dalek, does not proclaim "Exterminate!", rather he cheers you with a delicious treat and "Happy Birthday!"
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