Showing posts with label lollipop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lollipop. Show all posts

Valentine's Day Cookies

Friday, January 28, 2011

Sweetheart Sugar Cookies
What You'll Need:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. meringue powder
  • Pink sanding sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add egg, beating until blended.
2. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended.
3. Divide dough into 2-equal portions; flatten each portion into a disc and chill 10 minutes.
4. Place one dough disk on a heavily floured surface, and roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Repeat procedure with remaining dough disk.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks, and let cool completely (approx. 30 minutes).
6. Whisk together meringue powder and 2 tbsp. water. Brush cookies with mixture, or dip cookies in mixture, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

For a fun touch, make both big and little sized cookies!

Valentine Puzzle Cookie

What You'll Need:
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 lb. confectioners sugar, sifted
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. meringue powder
  • 1/4 cup water
  • red or pink food coloring
1. Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to butter mixture. Mix well.
3. Place a handful of freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper, then roll to desired thickness. Repeat with rest of dough. Place rolled dough and parchment on cookie sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer.
4. Once chilled, cut dough with puzzle cookie cutter and place on lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then cool.
6. Mix confectioners sugar, meringue and water until smooth a creamy; if icing is too thick, add more water. Once desired thickness is achieved add a drop or two of food coloring.
7. Once cookies are cool, begin piping icing around edges and then fill in. Once the layer has set (approx. 30 min.) add names and/or decorate further.

Sweetheart Sugar Cookie Lollipop's

These are so simple to make that it is unbelievable! Here you go:

1. Use one of the basic sugar cookie recipe's above and follow the instructions through the chilling.
2. Once chilled, roll out dough to 1/8 in. thickness. Cut with heart shaped cookie cutter.
3. When your cookies are cut, place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet far enough apart for the sticks to fit.
4. Gently place a chop stick down the center of the cookie. Place another cut cookie on top of the stick like a sandwich. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
5. Let cookies cool completely before decorating with you favorite icing concoction!

Wedding Trends: Desserts

Monday, January 24, 2011


















Our next subject is one of my favorites in weddings. A new trend in weddings is to have desserts along with cake. The possibilities of desserts are wide open, as it is not a classic custom. It can range from donuts to rock candy and from s'mores to cotton candy. If you want incorporate things that you love for all your guests to enjoy (and more importantly, you can afford it), you will want to consider adding desserts to your wedding festivities.

















One of the things about this element of the wedding that makes it even more easy and fun is that the choices for desserts don't depend on the motif. Elegant weddings can have M&M's, cookies and suckers (and still be elegant). Also, rustic weddings may serve petit fours, macaroons and chocolate-covered fruit, and still be simple.

















Your theme can shape your desserts if you choose as well. One of my favorite weddings was a carnival-themed wedding complete pixie sticks, laffy taffy, caramel popcorn, licorice rope, ice cream and of course, cotton candy. Another baseball-themed one had boxes of Cracker Jacks outlining the cake for guests to nab.

















Every bride wants to have original elements in their wedding, but it's most important to include what you love. If you love cupcakes and pies, include these desserts rather than trying to find something original. Instead, just try to display your desserts in clever and original manners. Your desserts don't have to fit your motif at all, but make your display apart of it. For an elegant wedding with gummy bears, jellybeans, and other candies, put each in a jar or glass or porcelain bowl with an elegant spoon. For whimsical weddings, use colorful decorations, such as a different colored platter or bowl for each dessert and different ribbons as well. For a rustic theme, consider holding candies in drawers or incorporate natural elements such as grass, leaves and branches. If you have a very specific theme, such as a zoo or holiday, have fun with it! Those themes give you the most room for creativity, especially it terms of desserts. Be creative, because no matter what, they will taste good :-)

















Desserts are the one thing that everyone at your wedding is guaranteed to love. Many guests look forward to seeing what arrays of the couple's favorite goodies will be laid out. Don't be mistaken, each wedding needs a focal sweet, such as the wedding cake, so don't try to replace the cake with a selection of desserts. Having desserts is a fun extra feature, but only include it if you can afford it. If you are able to, have fun choosing your selection to make your day as sweet as possible.