apple cupcakes

apple cupcakes w/marshmallow buttercream frosting for klein's birthday

the most difficult part of martha's recipe was shredding 4c. of apples

before they started to brown

I added some lime juice to the apples, but it didn't help that much

they looked good going into the oven

when they came out, the liners were greasy and because there is

so much moisture in the cakes, it was hard to be sure they were completely done

almost seemed like the middle wasn't done but top and edges were too done

but when I returned to frost them 2 days later, I tested one and it was just fine

can't remember where I got the frosting recipe

but it was just butter, marshmallow fluff, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and cream

it turned out pretty tasty, maybe a bit more butter flavor than I like

it pipped on easy and I used a cinnamon grinder to add the finishing touch

works better than trying to fit 30 candles on one cupcake

happy birthday mr. klein!

triple chocolate chip cookies

chocolate drop cookies w/semi-sweet, milk and white chocolate chips

this recipe was another from Dede Wilson's book

I thought it would be a fun project for Christmas gifts this year

but I wanted to test them out first

and I needed a reason to open my new purchase

thank you costco

all the dry ingredients in a bowl, as if then were just poured from a jar

melt the butter and let cool

add the egg and vanilla

add the dry ingredients to combine

it had been years since I made jar cookies

and forgot it can be a little difficult to stir the ingredients like that by hand

but eventually it comes together

I used a cookie scoop for some of them

and for some I followed the instructions and flattened them before baking

personally I like the look of the non-flattened cookies

but either way they taste delicious

these passed the test

watch out friends, these could show up on your doorstep soon

six scoop cone

on our drive down to Medford on I-5, we passed K&R drive inn in Rice Hill

for info on their unique pricing, read about it on their website

stopped by just before lunch to get a 2-scoop cone of espresso madness

and noticed this sign...

...and I knew what had to be done on the drive back up

6-scoop cone with pistachio almond on the bottom

espresso madness in the middle

and cookies n cream on the top

I requested a different order of flavors 

(bottom to top: cookies n cream, pistachio almond, espresso madness)

but found out for stability purposes, they had to put the harder

flavors on the bottom and softest ones on the top

 the lady underestimated me, providing me with a spoon and bowl just in case

I never needed it

it was hard to clearly photograph, but the cone came with a message

EAT-IT-ALL

and that's what I did

pistachio-cardamom whoopie pies

whoopies for lauren's birthday brunch

the recipe came from the book whoopie pies

for ease and uniformity, I typically use my tbsp scoop for each cake

that will give you approx. 2-inch cakes

this time I tried some 2 tbsp cakes as well

these result in approx. 3.5-inch cakes

both sizes for comparison

I usually stick to the smaller ones - easier to eat and share

filled the cakes with honey buttercream

the combo wasn't bad, but I think the honey might have overshadowed

the pistachio and cardamom flavor a bit

the cakes had a great flavor though

the book suggested using rosewater buttercream with these whoopies

I had some difficulty finding rosewater or rosewater extract

but I have since obtained a bottle of rosewater, so I will try that next time

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

this recipe comes from the field baker's guide to chocolate chip cookies by dede wilson

I checked this book out from the library and have been pleased 

with everything I have tried in it

yum...that's all I've got to say

birthday cakepops

cakepops for little cadie's 2nd birthday party

used rainbow chip cake and strawberry melts with pink & purple sprinkles

the strawberry melts taste fantastic, it's just too bad my projects don't often call for pink

assembled them in a bouquet along with disney princess rings

bake sale

made some treats for the church bake sale

cakepops

rainbow chip cake

dark cocoa melts

rainbow sprinkles

tried bundling them together to sell that way

but found that it was easiest to wrap them individually

used 2-inch plastic bags and multi-colored ribbon

chocolate snowballs

 recipe from the betty crocker holiday baking magazine

chocolaty & nutty sugar cookie wrapped around a special dark hershey kiss

put 3 cookies in a cupcake liner, then wrapped up in a bag

whoopie pies

chocolate cake with classic marshmallow filling

it was a bit messy bagging these, the filling got everywhere

star wars cakepops

star wars cakepops for Peter's birthday

(from left) darth vader, yoda, chewbacca, death star, stormtrooper

pops before

pops after

stormtrooper

two-layer gingerbread cake

white melts

tube of black frosting

death star

chocolate cakeball

black and white melts mixed

before dipping, carve out the indent on the side of the ball

dip the ball, then use a toothpick to remove excess from the indent

I thought sprinkles might work well, but they turned out to be too big

and didn't create the look I was hoping for

so for the rest I just created texture w/a toothpick before the coating dried

chewbacca

yellow cakeball and chocolate cakeball

dark cocoa melts

tube of black frosting

vanilla frosting in squeeze bottle

use melts to stick the two cakeballs together

after dipping the pop, use a toothpick to create the hair and face before the coating dries

once dry, pipe on the face

darth vader
two-layer chocolate cake
black melts
tube of black frosting

probably not one I'll do again because it's hard to get it to look black

yoda
yellow cakeball
green & white melts mixed

tube of black frosting

vanilla frosting in squeeze bottle

mix a small amount of the melts first to make the ears
once they are dry, dip the pops and stick the ears in immediately
use toothpick to create the mouth and wrinkles before coating dries
once dry, pipe on the eyes

      I didn't mix the same ratio of melts for the ears and the face

next time I will mix it all in the beginning, then just re-heat if necessary

so it's a uniform color for the whole thing

may the force be with you

 he likes them!

used the remainder of the cakeballs and melts for classic cakeballs