Edible ink

Beautiful job Bakerella!  I have always wanted to try this icing method... edible ink printed onto frosting sheets and applied to sugar cookies.

Especially with the darling vintage images you can find:

Like these at Intimate Weddings and Rolling Pin Productions.

Aren't they sweet?

February already?

Well, the month of January absolutely flew by... After the craziness of graduation and Christmas, I moved to a new city for a new job and have a new routine...

So I've just been busy adjusting and have enjoyed every minute of it.  It was time for a change of scenery :)

Anyway, here's proof that we actually did get around to making those Christmas cookies I mentioned before... It may have been after the fact, but my niece and nephew couldn't have had more fun.

And since then, the only other thing I've managed to bake was for our Super Bowl party...

more football cake bites... requested by Chris and Allen.

35 footballs gone in 2.5 days. I'd say they were a hit.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Or as Paula Deen calls them, "Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies."

These are really simple to make and I just love how they look once they crack in the oven!

  I was disappointed because my niece, nephew and I had made plans to bake and ice sugar cookies for Christmas, but we were greeted with a blizzard instead.  In north Texas, we aren't accustomed to weather like that so it through a lot of people's Christmas plans off... Including my family's.  We had to have Christmas on the 26th instead- It was strange postponing our usual Christmas brunch and opening of gifts, but like my mom said..

"I guess it was God's way of slowing everyone down to appreciate what it's really all about."

Our cookie date will be rescheduled, but in the mean time they can just enjoy these yummy cookies.

Just be careful not to overbake these. (In my oven they took only 8-10 minutes instead of the suggested 12) They might look underdone when you take them out, but they finish baking on the pan and harden up as they cool.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

(aka Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies: recipe courtesy Paula Deen)

2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. (*The batter will be very THICK, it's supposed to be that way!)

Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours to firm up the dough so that you can roll the batter into balls.

Roll into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes (Or less if your oven cooks fast like mine.) The cookies will remain soft. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Can't wait!

Well, the holidays are here this coming week, ready or not :)

It has definitely snuck up on me, but I am excited- I love to bake Thanksgiving and Christmas treats...

Especially iced sugar cookies!!! You can make so many different variations - How about those Thanksgiving dinner cookies above??? Too cute! 

And my neice and nephew love to help their "Aunt Ashy" in the kitchen... they are so funny and sweet!

So, I looked around online (like I always do) for fun, new ideas and look what I found!

The most precious sugar cookies ever.. for both Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Where did I come across these you ask??  Well a blog post directed me to them on the blog, A Wedding Story.  She too (Elizabeth) loves Eleni's "playfully unique cookies" and she is quite talented in the cookie decorating department herself! Go see for yourself!

Anyway, I can't wait to get busy on some cookies soon- I will share the outcome of course!

Until then though, have a good weekend!!

<3  Ash

Cake Mix Cookies

I wanted to bake cookies yesterday but I had no flour or sugar on hand, (I know I know... who runs out of flour or sugar?) so anyway, I tried a recipe I had come across a while back: Betty Crocker's Cake Mix Cookies.
They are definitely different from your standard chocolate chip cookie, but they are really good! They have a soft, cakey texture and a buttery flavor. The idea on BettyCrocker.com was to use these cookies for ice-cream sandwiches because they are soft and won't freeze rock solid. I'll have to try that next time!

Cake Mix Cookies:

1 yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's Super Moist)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). In large bowl, beat cake mix, butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, or mix with spoon. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
2. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by slightly less than tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
3. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set (centers will be soft). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

*You can substitute 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in place of the butter (if you happen to be running low on the basics like me :)

Cookie Update

I want to share with you the wedding photos taken by DeEdra at Something New that include the cookies I made! She made them look so good and the happy bride and groom look so cute holding them :)
It definitely made it worth all the hard work when the bride's mom left me the nicest comment on the original post! You can view it here: UT and A&M Cookies.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

I found a picture of cookie monster cupcakes online a few months back and saved it immediately! I knew the idea would be perfect for my sweet nephew Jake at his 2nd birthday party. He loves his "Cookie"...(that's what he calls his little cookie monster stuffed animal that he sleeps with :)


These are chocolate chip cupcakes with buttercream frosting. I used the piping tip # 233 (usually used to create "grass") and piped cookie monster's fur onto the cupcake. Then I used vanilla candy melts for the eyes, piping a little milk chocolate onto them for the center. And finally, I just crammed in a little cookie where his mouth goes!


And here's a candid shot of the birthday boy at his party! He was so excited to finally see his "blue cake" that he kept asking for. When I held him up to see them on the table he yelled, "COOKIE!" haha :)
I love you so much Jake, Happy 2nd Birthday!
love Aunt Ashy

Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

Here are some of the Mickey themed cupcakes and cookies I made for a little boy on his 2nd birthday. Half were butter recipe and the other half chocolate fudge; all were topped with fresh vanilla buttercream. The polka dots and Mickey ears are fondant.

Bachelorette Party!

My very best friend since 4th grade got married yesterday! She was so beautiful :)
I have been busy with that, finals, other baking orders, etc. so needless to say, I have neglected my blog a little...
I made 150 cupcakes for Midwestern's Mass Communication banquet but was so rushed that I didn't get any good photos... and I've been making cake bites for people like crazy. I'm telling you, everyone loves those things!

Anyway, here are a few pics from Jenna's bachelorette party the other weekend.

The photos aren't the best quality, but you get the idea! I made a chocolate ganache cake piped in hot pink and bra and panty sugar cookies. Oh, and of course I made cake bites too!




I love you Jenna LaRue Hobbs! (Jenna and myself)

UT and A&M Cookies

It is definitely wedding season! I am personally in two weddings soon and have been contacted to do cookies, cake bites, cakes and cupcakes for other weddings as well. So needless to say, I have been pretty busy!

The latest order was from The Two Clever Chicks (twocleverchicks.com) for 200 UT Longhorn and A&M Aggie cookies for a client of their's.

It took some time and steady work but here they are! Hope the bride and groom were pleased :)



This is the "Gig'em" hand for the Aggies. (I didn't know when I first saw the cookie cutter, so I thought I'd let you know... maybe you have to be more familiar with A&M :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made 65 iced sugar cookies & 48 red velvet cake bites for 1st graders and their teachers. A cookie for each student and . . .





. . . a half dozen box of red velvet cake bites for each teacher!

Iced Sugar Cookies

Here are some more cookies I have been playing around with! By the way, I found a website that I absolutely LOVE! It's called Eleni's New York... just go to elenis.com and see for yourself :)





And just look how cute they are in cellophane bags tied up with ribbon!

Here Comes Baby Cohen!

My sister's best friend, Kim, is about to have a baby boy! I was honored to help cater her shower. I made a two-tier cake, iced sugar cookies and 75 cake bites!



The sugar cookies were really fun to make... the possibilities of shapes & colors are just endless! I will be doing more of those in the future for sure.