tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52303448285653126132024-03-13T13:32:34.965-07:00The Cookie CounterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-11944816169906830702016-03-18T23:51:00.000-07:002016-03-19T00:05:11.240-07:00Check out the new website!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvACYgyYbgLbmhxrigqgFNIzQvpPded7kHrBljuxTILAvsikiPV-h9PZL4EAtm0TH4peDMGbJmqb6NbratPSC80sxs4OP_CMzj7oH-N5WX23Ip4sQA7tMJ9dhfovRRQc73QodedNACtqPO/s1600/SquareSMALL.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvACYgyYbgLbmhxrigqgFNIzQvpPded7kHrBljuxTILAvsikiPV-h9PZL4EAtm0TH4peDMGbJmqb6NbratPSC80sxs4OP_CMzj7oH-N5WX23Ip4sQA7tMJ9dhfovRRQc73QodedNACtqPO/s200/SquareSMALL.png" width="200" /></a></div>
I know that my poor blog has been neglected over the past two and a half years... My current lifestyle hasn't allowed for much blogging time. I have decided to retire the blog updates but I have redesigned an awesome new website to showcase more on the business. All content will remain here if you ever want to reference back.<br />
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Please go checkout the new site over at <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/">www.thecookiecounter.com</a><br />
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Thanks for all of the support!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-3371681093577911272013-10-31T20:57:00.000-07:002013-10-31T20:57:46.613-07:00Taking Home the Prize this Halloween!Some of you may recall last <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/2012/10/barely-made-it-happy-halloween.html" target="_blank">Halloween </a>and my close call to winning the dessert contest at work, but getting robbed! I was hesitate to sign-up for the contest again this year, in fear that I would be disappointed again... Luckily, the competitive person that I am, I wanted to win first place and the only way to do that is to compete! I decided to stick with a "Fall" theme and whip out the pumpkin recipes. I decided to go with a basic pumpkin cupcake recipe and to spruce it up with some spooky eyeballs and cute pumpkins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvDqwpOnn77FrA3BBOkWzX-ZNYAzQdkHb-v5Qprv22jCIatkFNC103vGbUnlrk91_E8eX0urMPEK0F3RCgLXXXLCbuOzSwDUJuzUH0Mcwp_OQ8b8apmPdnTdiYdXSLCN8m4lmbkfbJPYg/s1600/Halloween+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvDqwpOnn77FrA3BBOkWzX-ZNYAzQdkHb-v5Qprv22jCIatkFNC103vGbUnlrk91_E8eX0urMPEK0F3RCgLXXXLCbuOzSwDUJuzUH0Mcwp_OQ8b8apmPdnTdiYdXSLCN8m4lmbkfbJPYg/s640/Halloween+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a>Unfortunately, I did not capture a good picture of the final product. I cut the cupcakes in half horizontally and filled with a cinnamon whipped cream cheese frosting, topped with more frosting and a bed of crushed oreos to represent dirt. The idea I was going for was a "pumpkin patch" with some eyeballs mixed in. I gave my dish the clever name of "iPatch" to represent a pumpkin patch full of eyes<a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing004.gif" /></a>hehe I'm so cheesy and proud of it! I am very happy to announce that not only did I win the <b>Best Dessert</b>, but I also won the <b><span style="color: purple;">Best Overall Food Dish</span></b> at the potluck!!<a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy003.gif" /></a> Talk about a great comeback; stole the show! Now I can retire from the Halloween potluck contest.<br />
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Hope you all have a great Halloween and Happy Trick-or-Treating!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0px;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-57368623337697793292013-09-30T21:14:00.001-07:002013-09-30T21:23:33.828-07:00Strawberry Banana Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG_UHmbwyOuVUjlsH1YGMQ-ZfJY79zU4PzTkwjfmGHci2-lhdxWvdiYDSQK8xg9U3R1-SwpgCKR9jlCukGsuerLNJk0c1en1GkeszzM-mr_BWNnpyZtabY0fAuI4hk3CAz4GvVRlbLvv4/s1600/P8261693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG_UHmbwyOuVUjlsH1YGMQ-ZfJY79zU4PzTkwjfmGHci2-lhdxWvdiYDSQK8xg9U3R1-SwpgCKR9jlCukGsuerLNJk0c1en1GkeszzM-mr_BWNnpyZtabY0fAuI4hk3CAz4GvVRlbLvv4/s320/P8261693.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's continue the last of the summer berries recipe month with a great quick bread. My boyfriend can tell you that I have a tendency to buy bananas and forget to eat them all before they start speckling and then I just use the excuse that I wanted to make banana bread even though I really just forgot we had bananas. I really should start putting them in a more noticeable location in the kitchen. I didn't want to make my normal banana bread since I have been forgetting about my bananas a lot lately... so I looked around in the fridge and we had some fresh strawberries and I thought strawberries, bananas, of course those flavors go together!<br />
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I normally put plain Greek yogurt in my banana bread as well but this week, we didn't have anymore of the plain yogurt, but guess what?! We had strawberry Greek yogurt!<br />
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Strawberry Banana Bread, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Edition/dp/1933615486/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1353865333&sr=8-5&keywords=americas+test+kitchen" target="_blank">America's Test Kitchen</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgargXTdzQ2tLuZjBVhvtC3JgQFCbfxO2zXWyerKZzxRAtNEbPKYAViWtWUIEDJc1LU2tPHSjQpLr_G3Nhr14Xdxdt7QPoPNtxHfZOqhPe4UySEP_2KaGFwY2HBv2YW83ALlseA3UVzwn5o/s1600/P8261730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgargXTdzQ2tLuZjBVhvtC3JgQFCbfxO2zXWyerKZzxRAtNEbPKYAViWtWUIEDJc1LU2tPHSjQpLr_G3Nhr14Xdxdt7QPoPNtxHfZOqhPe4UySEP_2KaGFwY2HBv2YW83ALlseA3UVzwn5o/s400/P8261730.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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2 cups flour<br />
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¾ cup sugar<br />
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¾ tsp baking soda<br />
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½ tsp salt<br />
1½ cups very ripe mashed bananas (approx. 3 bananas)<br />
6 tbsp butter, melted<br />
2 large eggs<br />
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¼ cup strawberry Greek yogurt<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse<br />
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¾ cup diced strawberries<br />
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Directions:<br />
(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch loaf pan.<br />
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(2) Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, yogurt and vanilla.<br />
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(3) Gently, fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until almost combined. Add the diced strawberries and toasted walnuts and fold in very gently being sure not to over mix! The batter will appear thick and chunky. Resist the urge to continue mixing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73R7LMi4hmsJb1WctguSkk_gw2cDppXZqHAhGYfGDV0A05escEmOs6Liu_Q9bPnekXf1zUversn1m6eU7OqPEp57QBkC0YJUtZX8x-rexdOq0FC0DtR2vj63L75wSWO-5_QeoJ7PSJB1/s1600/Strawberry+Banana+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73R7LMi4hmsJb1WctguSkk_gw2cDppXZqHAhGYfGDV0A05escEmOs6Liu_Q9bPnekXf1zUversn1m6eU7OqPEp57QBkC0YJUtZX8x-rexdOq0FC0DtR2vj63L75wSWO-5_QeoJ7PSJB1/s640/Strawberry+Banana+Bread.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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(4) Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for approximately one hour or until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.<br />
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(5) Let the bread cool for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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I think the addition of the strawberries actually made the bread MORE moist!!! Can you believe it?! I mean really really moist! If you like banana bread then I think this would be a great addition if you want to mix it up a little, and just think of the possibilities with different flavored yogurts and other fruits that you can use.<br />
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Happy Baking! and I guess time for the fall baking to begin.....<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-13359101486276531922013-09-15T20:41:00.000-07:002013-09-15T20:45:33.642-07:00Not ready for fall yet - Lemon Berry MuffinsWith most bloggers getting ready for fall and posting pumpkin this and that, I am not ready to go into the fall season yet. Summer berries have slowly started going off sale at the grocery store, and this makes me sad. Not only because it affects my green smoothies in the morning but because I love baking with summer berries as well. I am making this month the last of the summer berries recipe month! Let's start if off with a simple breakfast muffin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7tLb-PEhyA6MLpjDVrpEXauaIhEWjoKJ3vmOaeaMNHMiQ6Mc4Rf78YLtM_IFBiCWDUn8_6vYJMwknwg02o4OxXu4pJP-l3kUnn0o7jrGvIpHDO4QFnOq5X_GyMfsuJWM4DFkdC3NRj9p/s1600/Lemon+Berry+Muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7tLb-PEhyA6MLpjDVrpEXauaIhEWjoKJ3vmOaeaMNHMiQ6Mc4Rf78YLtM_IFBiCWDUn8_6vYJMwknwg02o4OxXu4pJP-l3kUnn0o7jrGvIpHDO4QFnOq5X_GyMfsuJWM4DFkdC3NRj9p/s400/Lemon+Berry+Muffins.jpg" width="400" /></a>Lemon Berry Muffins, <span style="font-size: xx-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Baking/dp/1933615222/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1379301617&sr=8-12&keywords=america%27s+test+kitchen" target="_blank">America's Test Kitchen</a></span><br />
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3 cups flour<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 tbsp. baking powder<br />
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½ tsp. baking soda<br />
½ tsp. salt<br />
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt<br />
1 tsp. lemon zest<br />
2 large eggs<br />
½ cup butter, melted and cooled<br />
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1½ cups fresh mixed berries<br />
1 tbsp. flour<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Instructions:<br />
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease standard or mini size muffin tin.<br />
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(2) Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon zest and eggs until smooth.<br />
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(3) Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined, then fold in the melted butter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotDOrXIrsNRrGLx8_tVcQJOcjv9JJiYfEmT-DVuMeevWdXyP9LpbB6XmWxd7X2R30zNxkt2DbtGzgoQrIiCVghNIRNIDQ52OzpII31Xr0IipLGIIKuSq-4e7-uybGrnLFFY02N_n1jWX5/s1600/P5101015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhotDOrXIrsNRrGLx8_tVcQJOcjv9JJiYfEmT-DVuMeevWdXyP9LpbB6XmWxd7X2R30zNxkt2DbtGzgoQrIiCVghNIRNIDQ52OzpII31Xr0IipLGIIKuSq-4e7-uybGrnLFFY02N_n1jWX5/s200/P5101015.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
(4) Toss the fresh berries with the tablespoon of flour. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the pan. I used blueberries and strawberries. Fold in berries to the muffin batter.<br />
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(5) Scoop batter into greased muffin tin, approximately 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown. 15-18 minutes for mini muffins, or 25-30 minutes for standard muffins. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then flip out onto a wire rack.<br />
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These muffins are fluffy with a hit of lemon and a burst of berries! I like to make them in mini form because it makes them easily popable! I like to grab a handful of them on my way out the door for an on-the-go breakfast! I hope that you enjoy the last of the summer berries in your local grocery store!<br />
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Happy Baking!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-31131807780165019862013-08-18T14:06:00.000-07:002013-08-18T14:23:45.931-07:00Pandan Coconut Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nvmhmXcFNBso_gr6kqvX4uLuMuahz8XTSnDT5p_MjkG_GgZVNy1cpo6PUfUQ80vQX8IFrMyB0WtHLRVAfZz7QYp4NFo1o70q35DHK0YPiUsgrsdrFZL4RHqdVud12qEreKXkzcB3EhbA/s1600/P1013931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nvmhmXcFNBso_gr6kqvX4uLuMuahz8XTSnDT5p_MjkG_GgZVNy1cpo6PUfUQ80vQX8IFrMyB0WtHLRVAfZz7QYp4NFo1o70q35DHK0YPiUsgrsdrFZL4RHqdVud12qEreKXkzcB3EhbA/s400/P1013931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/11/pandan-the-asian-vanilla.html" target="_blank">Pandan</a>, have you ever heard of it? Growing up, I ate many sweets flavored with Pandan, although I didn't really learn what it was until my early 20s. It is a common flavor used in Southeast Asian desserts, similarly to how Vanilla is used in most American baked goods. If you have ever been into an Asian bakery and seen bright green cakes and such, that gorgeous green hue is attributable to Pandan. I ate many green desserts as a child but honestly never knew what that distinct flavor was and always just thought the green color was from food coloring to make things more exciting.<br />
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However, in my adult years I started to see trendy Asian restaurants serving Pandan flavored desserts, and not until then did I realize I had been eating Pandan my whole life. My sister and I started to become obsessed with ordering beignets with pandan ice cream at one of our local sushi restaurants in Houston. Now that I live in Austin, I don't get to enjoy those delicious pillowy beignets and ice cream. When my sister decided to pay me a visit last weekend, we decided to make our own pandan ice cream! Great decision!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJnE7lXCy3S0-VL4yqY-woOyRWQ9BqR3-IK31v16XqTNwKh9SLrxLFHKEUnI1FCKZZw_bhyphenhyphenQ28UyDXgjUGzwaDWyeE4JG0J2QVcJku1MdEooGcNgSFOeiSjO8D-zelG7JCCVgC5eaJH39/s1600/P1013949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJnE7lXCy3S0-VL4yqY-woOyRWQ9BqR3-IK31v16XqTNwKh9SLrxLFHKEUnI1FCKZZw_bhyphenhyphenQ28UyDXgjUGzwaDWyeE4JG0J2QVcJku1MdEooGcNgSFOeiSjO8D-zelG7JCCVgC5eaJH39/s320/P1013949.jpg" width="320" /></a>Pandan Coconut Ice Cream, <span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615486/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376857490&sr=1-4&keywords=america%27s+test+kitchen" target="_blank">America's Test Kitchen</a></span><br />
(makes approximately 1 quart)<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
3/4 cup coconut milk (full fat)<br />
3/4 cup whole milk<br />
1<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17px;">½</span> cups heavy cream<br />
3/4 cup sugar, split<br />
4 large egg yolks<br />
3 tbsp. Pandan paste<br />
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Directions:<br />
(1) Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set the bowl in a larger container of ice water. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar together until smooth. Set both bowls aside.<br />
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(2) Heat coconut milk, whole milk, heavy cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steam appears and the milk is 175 degrees F, about 5 minutes.<br />
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(3) Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. This tempering process will ensure that you do not curdle the egg mixture. Then slowly, whisk the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the remaining hot milk. Continue to cook the custart over medium heat until it very hot, but not yet simmering, about 180-185 degrees F.<br />
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(4) Strain the custard into the bowl that was setup in an ice bath. Immediately, add 3 tablespoons of Pandan paste into the custard and whisk until incorporated and mixture has cooled, about 10 minutes. Remove the custard bowl from the ice bath and cover with plastic wrap, touching directly onto the custard to prevent a "skin" forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled or overnight.<br />
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(5) If needed, make sure to freeze your ice cream maker bowl overnight. Once your mixture has cooled and your ice cream maker is ready, stir the custard mixture and pour into your ice cream machine canister. Churn, following the manufacturer's instructions, until the mixture resembles soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until the ice cream is firm.<br />
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Happy Churning!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-6054957313354760652013-08-03T22:34:00.000-07:002013-08-18T14:25:13.618-07:00The Art of Perfecting Macarons<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbKETzit5gtyjI-EQXIlYHGxT_bLpO7h6lXuStWoYbok3FdRy1fbc0wfxU73U5pqpdJx14iDaGxuzx306-mnDkr6cMeFu0IFGFiaXIz2WHENFbpEuFxBp1M4RDxEFpZ41LFWVv63IbBCE/s1600/P101383400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbKETzit5gtyjI-EQXIlYHGxT_bLpO7h6lXuStWoYbok3FdRy1fbc0wfxU73U5pqpdJx14iDaGxuzx306-mnDkr6cMeFu0IFGFiaXIz2WHENFbpEuFxBp1M4RDxEFpZ41LFWVv63IbBCE/s320/P101383400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright Pink Beauties!</td></tr>
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Sometimes you fail, and it happens to everybody, don't let it get the best of you. Macarons are one of those things that I thought I would never get right... Two years and three attempts later, I finally have hope that maybe I can get it right. Yes, two years. Every time that I failed, it was a blow to my ego. I know that I said don't let it get the best of you, but it did steal a little from my motivation each time I failed. But then like everything, the feeling passed and I was ready to give it another go. I have to admit, I documented each journey of macaron failure with the thought that I would never get to share my progress.<br />
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I am extremely happy to say that I made such progress today with this batch of macarons that I just had to share the bad and ugly along with the good.<br />
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<b>Attempt #1</b>: Cracked shells, No feet, and Hollow<br />
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<b>Attempt #2</b>: No feet and Hollow (<b><span style="color: magenta;">Yay, no cracks!</span></b>)<br />
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<b>Attempt #3</b>: No cracks, with feet but Hollow (<b><span style="color: magenta;">Yay, no cracks and WITH feet!!!</span></b>)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEJG0-aG-qBo1unx0Ch0YWH043aoW5hKb0nf4A_eJU1NlgmXTTKdnSkm-jvBt27juKQYVTI5f-JYSqt_WxbaIzQHVfa_85v4Qgb04RyXaHq6FpMORE7M6c0KEYAZ1rJzkGcs9grHobISC/s1600/Macaron+Attempts2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEJG0-aG-qBo1unx0Ch0YWH043aoW5hKb0nf4A_eJU1NlgmXTTKdnSkm-jvBt27juKQYVTI5f-JYSqt_WxbaIzQHVfa_85v4Qgb04RyXaHq6FpMORE7M6c0KEYAZ1rJzkGcs9grHobISC/s640/Macaron+Attempts2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. Cracked, No feet and Hollow, 2. No feet and Hollow, 3. Hollow</td></tr>
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<b>Now, I must learn to battle the <a href="http://bravetart.com/blog/HollowPursuits" target="_blank">Hollows</a>.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0fmQXxn61hTKLZA4-Ygce0QktwjaDP4_77DK16WwLagE1Xi_jJ1rNwMqfr3ZlCWz9m-6IBMBB3_8qHa5kWCEVYOEPPRNaObnbC_ftp-412qroXEiHVlYOGw7F3GqYpJOuXwPnoNB0WzZ/s1600/P1070296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0fmQXxn61hTKLZA4-Ygce0QktwjaDP4_77DK16WwLagE1Xi_jJ1rNwMqfr3ZlCWz9m-6IBMBB3_8qHa5kWCEVYOEPPRNaObnbC_ftp-412qroXEiHVlYOGw7F3GqYpJOuXwPnoNB0WzZ/s320/P1070296.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overmixed during Macaronage</td></tr>
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Based on my research and blog reading, it would appear that <b><u>Attempt #1</u></b> was over mixed during the Macaronage stage. You can tell this by how flat they lie on the sheet pan. I found it confusing to know what recipes meant when they said "molten lava" consistency or until "ribbons" fall in the batter. Apparently I think molten lava is pretty runny, but it flowed in "ribbons"... so what is it suppose to be molten lava or ribbons?! I definitely learned that <u style="font-weight: bold;">under</u> mixing during macaronage is best. I found <a href="http://kitchenmusings.com/macaron-faqs/" target="_blank">Kitchen Musing's</a> description of Macaronage to be helpful and the pictures even more valuable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjExPLmFN5Vql8mYxYKmw-mzXwfDENbsM6A_lC7mvCeoNuhMQYjCAZGAMXwDgcwI6t-jmLRgNA02GJl1R7m7JmC6BGfER56Dc8d2d0WO3ckgrMJJdxMxDwiFJrOgkh2j3PJ3rkZWFr_H3/s1600/Macaronage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjExPLmFN5Vql8mYxYKmw-mzXwfDENbsM6A_lC7mvCeoNuhMQYjCAZGAMXwDgcwI6t-jmLRgNA02GJl1R7m7JmC6BGfER56Dc8d2d0WO3ckgrMJJdxMxDwiFJrOgkh2j3PJ3rkZWFr_H3/s640/Macaronage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. Almost there, just a few more folds, 2. Too late, over mixed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7iTuTsGt9Pcy0fWyL4gDZLnpSvyUyBDwmJ1qAYS19ebevec1nm_Fo6NUoKLHlQ6oW6ceWvTonqQQ5b5oiGh3L0AudV1DKyct9khDjv00ISWGYh5S-uN4-IdrcVOKoXY9Agzu4R5wk2Nd/s1600/P4290914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7iTuTsGt9Pcy0fWyL4gDZLnpSvyUyBDwmJ1qAYS19ebevec1nm_Fo6NUoKLHlQ6oW6ceWvTonqQQ5b5oiGh3L0AudV1DKyct9khDjv00ISWGYh5S-uN4-IdrcVOKoXY9Agzu4R5wk2Nd/s320/P4290914.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No feet and Hollow</td></tr>
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<b><u>Attempt #2</u></b> was not as clear to me what went wrong. However, based on <a href="http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2010/08/macaron-troubleshooting-new-recipe.html" target="_blank">Not so Humble Pie</a>, it would seem that maybe I over beat the meringue and perhaps did not let them "form a skin" long enough before baking them. With my latest attempt, I was sure to let the shells rest for a full hour before preheating the oven. That seems to have solved the no feet problem. I also watched my meringue very carefully to avoid over beating them. You want to go for a firm peak, but not quite stiff peaks. This <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-soft-peaks-firm-115557" target="_blank">Visual</a> guide over at <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-soft-peaks-firm-115557" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a> can help you determine what's considered firm peaks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm5eOs70yIrzRi4V568O6cerPw2QYBmr6bgrmBo1hg_wUQG2X947B6Vzj1DjXr3znuxbfaClTq_3PTEqlIzYqbPXnrrvDZ237ueHnBF4HpXL_nzTFE19IZ9XN-m8KkkU0x8lCI3ClxLyX/s1600/Whip+Egg+Whites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqm5eOs70yIrzRi4V568O6cerPw2QYBmr6bgrmBo1hg_wUQG2X947B6Vzj1DjXr3znuxbfaClTq_3PTEqlIzYqbPXnrrvDZ237ueHnBF4HpXL_nzTFE19IZ9XN-m8KkkU0x8lCI3ClxLyX/s640/Whip+Egg+Whites.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look for firm, glossy peaks, but <b><u>not</u></b> stiff peaks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RqtU-bB2AEC4iqmg5H9TTNlTPDK7ZHsgLF_-JBhicmhGJ6-i9ANvwfnMwVbSKH451F-w5pnTUrVUSpNPN6-QvcvborxYCVUnRAuycrIQMvsdaYrdZBLxGW8Ga_RyK_wnt_gMCgRdBva3/s1600/P1013828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RqtU-bB2AEC4iqmg5H9TTNlTPDK7ZHsgLF_-JBhicmhGJ6-i9ANvwfnMwVbSKH451F-w5pnTUrVUSpNPN6-QvcvborxYCVUnRAuycrIQMvsdaYrdZBLxGW8Ga_RyK_wnt_gMCgRdBva3/s320/P1013828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited to finally have FEET on my macarons!</td></tr>
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I believe that my latest <u><b>Attempt #3</b></u> and the hollows is due to under baking. According to <a href="http://bravetart.com/blog/TheTenCommandments" target="_blank">BraveTart</a>, when shells are under baked, the inside has not fully setup and therefore it collapses as it cools and leaves behind a sad hollow shell. My shells were just barely hollow and should have baked a few more minutes. I should have know better when I tried to test the corner macaron and pull it from the parchment it was still sticking to the paper. But stubborn me thought it had to be done since it had baked a full 20 minutes at 295 degrees F. The cookies know best, not the timer. Always trust the cookie and what you see, not the clock. I should know better, shame on me.<br />
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<b><u>Lessons Learned</u></b>:<br />
(1) Don't overmix during Macaronage,<br />
(2) Don't over beat the meringue,<br />
(3) Allow at least one full hour for the shells to rest before baking, and<br />
(4) Allow shells to bake completely, don't rely on the timer.<br />
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The recipe that I used was from <a href="http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2010/08/macaron-troubleshooting-new-recipe.html" target="_blank">Not So Humble Pie</a> and next time I am aiming for a perfect macaron and hopefully from each lesson that I have learned, I can finally achieve the greatness that is the French Macaron!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-84184558873160523812013-07-27T14:01:00.000-07:002013-07-27T14:01:25.679-07:00Fun & Simple Birthday CakeSometimes the best decorations are the simple kind. Like good ole polka dots! And why stop at polka dots on the outside of the cake? Let's put polka dots on the INSIDE of the cake!! It really is quite simple, the first time I saw this technique it was from <a href="http://snowybliss.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Snowy Bliss</a>, check out her great <a href="http://snowybliss.blogspot.com/2011/09/polka-dot-cake.html" target="_blank">tutorial</a>. Bake cake balls in one of the many pans available these days, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/BabyCakes-Flip-Over-Complete-Cake-Maker/dp/B007P62W5I/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&srs=3262306011&ie=UTF8&qid=1374957751&sr=1-7&keywords=babycakes" target="_blank">electric</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Cake-Pops-Baking/dp/B0070WUPFQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1374957813&sr=1-1&keywords=nordic+ware+cake+ball" target="_blank">oven</a> will work. Then you just drop them randomly into your cake pan before you bake up the cake. Yes, add the cooked cake balls into the raw cake batter and then bake.... It might seem weird, but I promise everything works out just fine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hnJV4fh_aG_l1L1LzP1bNl_-XRTLJFJVD_zzQb-H5EUguO4wE9ZAwkc6xvWPXpl_15vjafx1mHChg2FB8vO5vw9ssSeBb8PKfTt8dLo3J-BpiEM3p9w2O5yQaxR6ohnauneZyuNvcowl/s1600/Polka+Dot+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hnJV4fh_aG_l1L1LzP1bNl_-XRTLJFJVD_zzQb-H5EUguO4wE9ZAwkc6xvWPXpl_15vjafx1mHChg2FB8vO5vw9ssSeBb8PKfTt8dLo3J-BpiEM3p9w2O5yQaxR6ohnauneZyuNvcowl/s640/Polka+Dot+Cake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-84097238051752641202013-07-14T16:26:00.001-07:002013-07-14T16:26:20.021-07:00A Beautiful July 4th Wedding<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXlU2PX288SBpu3IN8daoFpDMVruqdvz5N1cAD4eqRAfo99ACZFIB4p0zi2yEx-b489bHldi5TLS_yH6SJkF1i6eTVf_dMbVq5Tf6PWgFszU2oSRbiCBcHursYXnonsx5rNJWlokQ091I/s1600/P1013756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXlU2PX288SBpu3IN8daoFpDMVruqdvz5N1cAD4eqRAfo99ACZFIB4p0zi2yEx-b489bHldi5TLS_yH6SJkF1i6eTVf_dMbVq5Tf6PWgFszU2oSRbiCBcHursYXnonsx5rNJWlokQ091I/s400/P1013756.jpg" width="400" /></a>Destination weddings are so exciting. Not only do you get to celebrate the joyous day of a couple's love joined together, but you also get a small vacation!<br />
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I was recently asked to attend a beautiful summer wedding in Washington, D.C. Not just any summer wedding but a July 4th weekend wedding in the Nation's Capital city! And it doesn't end there... I was also asked to make all of the wedding favors. You can't say no to the bride, right? But of course, I was happy to make the cake ball favors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKicXe2shifihc7f7yYvkXR46Nhji8wbjEHzFEkWMq2QHd8vE_mK_vvk14P_giQ0K3JpviNf94zE4iD5JM1sy3etz_4E08IiXlCdy4L_zKH8m_WW-iMdlXqd5Vgj3s_ZMbBDBeZGclmBHI/s1600/1045047_10152958389745231_1388134584_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKicXe2shifihc7f7yYvkXR46Nhji8wbjEHzFEkWMq2QHd8vE_mK_vvk14P_giQ0K3JpviNf94zE4iD5JM1sy3etz_4E08IiXlCdy4L_zKH8m_WW-iMdlXqd5Vgj3s_ZMbBDBeZGclmBHI/s320/1045047_10152958389745231_1388134584_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
The week leading up to the trip was obviously more stressful than attending just any old wedding since I had to plan for the cake balls and how to travel with them. My biggest fear for the trip was Texas summer heat.... and then traveling to D.C. summer heat, which really isn't much cooler than Texas. Because cake balls are coated in chocolate, the recent 110 + degree temperatures in Austin were a HUGE threat to my precious little cake balls. We made sure to cool down the car before jumping in with the precious cargo, and thankfully with the heavy reliance on air conditioning, everybody made it safely to D.C.<br />
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Once we arrived in D.C., we had an amazing 5 day weekend with lots of friends and getting to celebrate such a joyous occasion! We enjoyed great food, beautiful fireworks, amazing museums and truly spending quality time with friends.<br />
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Congrats to the beautiful Bride and Groom! The wedding was phenomenal and I wish you two the best of luck and a lifetime of happiness together!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-45584257481398401052013-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:002013-06-30T19:37:40.357-07:00Princess Glass Slipper Cookies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIrKstWXnFXqfosYnvpEu8RdUcG2B0fxPDgBHKYYrDakNnWuBJ45abVi72kX2F-ezt9rIBtnEelX-47_RB4uZInBX__Y1xvEmWANZW1VxPpzhfQruuanO5tT-ooz03gDo3ODIPYTsAX2i/s1600/P1013681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIrKstWXnFXqfosYnvpEu8RdUcG2B0fxPDgBHKYYrDakNnWuBJ45abVi72kX2F-ezt9rIBtnEelX-47_RB4uZInBX__Y1xvEmWANZW1VxPpzhfQruuanO5tT-ooz03gDo3ODIPYTsAX2i/s320/P1013681.jpg" width="320" /></a>Every princess needs her own pair of glass slippers. One that fits perfect just for her. One that sparkles and shines. One that tells the world "I'm a Princess!"<br />
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I was asked to make little Princess Shayne some glass slipper cookies for her birthday party. Little glass slippers for all of her friends to take home, because every good princess knows how to share. All the girls loved how shiny and sparkly the cookies were. That is all thanks to my silver sanding sugar and then for that final touch of glam, I topped them off with a dash of edible glitter.<br />
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Apparently Princess Shayne only agreed to have a birthday party because Mom promised her there would be presents... Oh such a princess! Hope you had a lovely birthday Shayne!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-43069313878411583512013-06-11T19:25:00.000-07:002013-06-11T20:39:46.975-07:00Graduation & Hello Summer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVeoGRstZDDvtKtXBmbCHwSckjm_kB1xlNEQh0fLXYWvfBNu7Z2x9D8hMXfipq85hHbcEf5J-iom_O5Hc3bNLrH2NFt4C-rU9eBO1h-sscBwIlo9msUXHk3FpRtQgJ4sL9lDnQHiTIfMD/s1600/P1013632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVeoGRstZDDvtKtXBmbCHwSckjm_kB1xlNEQh0fLXYWvfBNu7Z2x9D8hMXfipq85hHbcEf5J-iom_O5Hc3bNLrH2NFt4C-rU9eBO1h-sscBwIlo9msUXHk3FpRtQgJ4sL9lDnQHiTIfMD/s320/P1013632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Oh Graduation time. A time to rejoice in the accomplishments and hard work of the past years. A closing of a chapter. I still feel like it was yesterday that I closed my chapter of graduate school, but then sadly I realize that was 3 years ago.... not yesterday. Does that make me old? <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused002.gif" /></a><br />
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Anyway, I had the opportunity to make one <b>awesome</b>, super fun cookie for a college grad. They wanted a 12 inch portrait cookie for the grad's big day.... err you want a 12 inch human portrait? I was nervous, but as always willing to accept the challenge.<br />
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I knew this one would really require the creative juices to flow. I have never "cartooned" anybody before. Thankfully with the help of the best boyfriend and assistant ever, we came up with this beauty. We had several sketching competitions to see which cartoon version of Chris would win. I hate to admit it, but the bf won in the end, and I transformed his sketch into a cookie masterpiece, and I do mean MASTERPIECE! Check out this handsome fella!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobzOHzhupiFGawGLBsmGiiUtWi1EWGkaL1Tqmj7IDXBVbGGWEuY13flT2wAsYYDI5DAtwEXBgUg-HNOUAb3EKPcMyZrEl47xy7Wz1BI4AH135Ij9Q3dpwNHD4xGgxh2n5oFxFJqYCbbb9/s1600/Graduation+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobzOHzhupiFGawGLBsmGiiUtWi1EWGkaL1Tqmj7IDXBVbGGWEuY13flT2wAsYYDI5DAtwEXBgUg-HNOUAb3EKPcMyZrEl47xy7Wz1BI4AH135Ij9Q3dpwNHD4xGgxh2n5oFxFJqYCbbb9/s640/Graduation+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happy Graduation Chris! I hope that Baker shared at least some of the cookie with you.<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-6871226327755880582013-05-19T20:43:00.000-07:002013-05-19T22:26:28.915-07:00A Baby Shower & My Favorite Frosting Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hBnvbeVv2jGbrvK9q5A19BGatDGAkVpgYfX6kmjPhCiW8IHzA6x68kK8joooJfnfvd2YqePiAbVbYu_li1jTCg-nks2KKzbCDuYP8B72g68SM07fyYrITnl9I0tPF5kDuoX71AVjsrYv/s1600/P1013577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hBnvbeVv2jGbrvK9q5A19BGatDGAkVpgYfX6kmjPhCiW8IHzA6x68kK8joooJfnfvd2YqePiAbVbYu_li1jTCg-nks2KKzbCDuYP8B72g68SM07fyYrITnl9I0tPF5kDuoX71AVjsrYv/s320/P1013577.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5132735/?claim=f3sxxpfv2ma">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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It must be that time of year, adorable baby shower time! This time It's a Girl <a href="http://yoursmiles.org/b-girls.php"><img src="http://yoursmiles.org/bsmile/girls/b0820.gif" /></a> The theme colors were purple and white. I love doing treats in my favorite color, purple. For this particular order, my wonderful boyfriend helped to put together an adorable set of cupcake toppers. I even got him to whip out the glue and sticks and actually assemble, hehe. I'm spoiled and he's THE best! <a href="http://yoursmiles.org/k-redheart.php"><img src="http://yoursmiles.org/ksmile/redheart/k1808.gif" /></a><br />
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For these cupcakes, we went with a classic vanilla bean cupcake with my favorite cream cheese frosting. And speaking of my favorite cream cheese frosting, I realized that I have never shared it with you guys. So guess what that means?! Sharing is caring, recipe below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwzplZE5A0S7x62cYq1eMI8R2paWAcFpYdRwsYeVqyAEeTgu3JXkmUkCU6FYEjgbAO8OwpmmWQRdYRkmAHk-v_ySHLd4D4-IvxxJz1dSUptmpaaCHn1tXKQDBkx6PXKTroR8Pd6rg9RvD/s1600/Baby+Shower+Cupcakes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwzplZE5A0S7x62cYq1eMI8R2paWAcFpYdRwsYeVqyAEeTgu3JXkmUkCU6FYEjgbAO8OwpmmWQRdYRkmAHk-v_ySHLd4D4-IvxxJz1dSUptmpaaCHn1tXKQDBkx6PXKTroR8Pd6rg9RvD/s640/Baby+Shower+Cupcakes2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfYJBrNBTX0vXMagz3-_m-WxXwIAErw9NJ8ctfeufigCzBkORMpGYY4uXa9HQ2vwuDwfhB2hMx-H1PPoavlV5K7SfdZ0kn9Lo8wIaqt0Q6233XdTqkc3dcYO6-R5SJq2cjufSkdMtQbuo/s1600/P1013550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfYJBrNBTX0vXMagz3-_m-WxXwIAErw9NJ8ctfeufigCzBkORMpGYY4uXa9HQ2vwuDwfhB2hMx-H1PPoavlV5K7SfdZ0kn9Lo8wIaqt0Q6233XdTqkc3dcYO6-R5SJq2cjufSkdMtQbuo/s320/P1013550.jpg" width="320" /></a><u>Cream Cheese Frosting</u>, <span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from<a href="http://www.glorioustreats.com/2010/02/recipe-cream-cheese-frosting.html" target="_blank"> Glorious Treats</a></span><br />
<a data-pin-config="none" data-pin-do="buttonPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecookiecounter.com%2F2013%2F05%2Fa-baby-shower-my-favorite-frosting.html&media=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-GM-hyl34zJk%2FUZmV6v2kB5I%2FAAAAAAAABD8%2Fr8x3smALaTs%2Fs320%2FP1013550.jpg&description=Delicious%20Cream%20Cheese%20Frosting!!"><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a><br />
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened<br />
1/2 cup Butter, cold but slightly softened<br />
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract<br />
1/2 tsp. Butter Vanilla Emulsion<br />
4-5 cups Powdered Sugar, <b>sifted</b><br />
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(1) Place softened butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Whip together until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute.<br />
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(2) Add vanilla extract and 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar. Mix on low until combined. Slowly add additional powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.<br />
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I prefer a thicker frosting for best piping results, but everybody sings to their own tune in this category. I have found that the butter vanilla emulsion really adds that extra richness and really makes the whole kitchen smell amazing as the mixer whips up the frosting. It really hits your nose and just makes you want to dive in the mixing bowl, yummy! Give this recipe a try and I swear, you will never use another frosting recipe again.<br />
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Happy Baking!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-91149342788925168082013-05-12T16:40:00.000-07:002013-05-19T20:08:11.567-07:00Austin Bakes for West<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4otj6VqDGyNDHEkZvIF6htPqTX_mzdAG8u58Owu-tmDQnCP3qYiouVC0Gkjnfa2O-nbNcE-Mi_5KTBO2NttTemU5kYgXtPwZgVtQNK3tyseEDle9N9KUB0UNDQG1kKvua-X3gdift1tD/s1600/IMG_2034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4otj6VqDGyNDHEkZvIF6htPqTX_mzdAG8u58Owu-tmDQnCP3qYiouVC0Gkjnfa2O-nbNcE-Mi_5KTBO2NttTemU5kYgXtPwZgVtQNK3tyseEDle9N9KUB0UNDQG1kKvua-X3gdift1tD/s320/IMG_2034.jpg" width="320" /></a>Whenever tragedy hits close to home, it always makes you think twice. When people you know are closely affected by the accident and you see their tears of sorrow fall from their eyes, you see things in a different light. And then you wonder how you can help. Recently, in the small town of <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNN/video/texas-fertilizer-explosion-fatalities-confirmed-18985996" target="_blank">West, TX</a> a fertilizer plant exploded and hundreds were injured and many killed. Knowing friends of mine had lost close friends due to the explosion, made we want to help. </div>
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When I saw that there were going to be 8 <a href="http://austinbakes.com/" target="_blank">bake sales</a> going on around the Austin area to raise proceeds for West, I knew I had to contribute. The big day was Saturday, May 04, 2013, and it sure did sneak up on me fast.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVU6c96q5WH_KRBulPUnE_DRVNjx81-gYljSpGfDzrKdEzKxBnmWHLgrxo-eJFifDqpCUhVQC6Or6YbGfNAlkFJT-eLmilAHJsDTbZQnaH_eULqRkm096LfKugDzzOt9oVXTwoUxR-LFj/s1600/IMG_1971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVU6c96q5WH_KRBulPUnE_DRVNjx81-gYljSpGfDzrKdEzKxBnmWHLgrxo-eJFifDqpCUhVQC6Or6YbGfNAlkFJT-eLmilAHJsDTbZQnaH_eULqRkm096LfKugDzzOt9oVXTwoUxR-LFj/s320/IMG_1971.jpg" width="320" /></a>I volunteered to bake for 3 of the locations around town and to table the bake sale in Round Rock. When I originally signed up to volunteer, I think I was overly ambitious... I ended up not sleeping the night leading up to the sale because I was still buried in un-decorated cookies. I was stuffing cookies into bags just as the sun was beginning to rise. I even woke up the bf at 7AM so that he could help. I never knew that stuffing 80 favor bags with cookies would take so long! I was definitely running on adrenaline that morning as I tabled the Round Rock bake sale.<br />
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But in the end, I am glad that I was able to contribute to a great cause. We raised over $18,000 and that is a great feeling! I totally went home and crashed after the bake sale was over and slept like a baby through the whole night.<br />
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I ended up meeting some great local bloggers and bakers, and even got a membership to the <a href="http://austinfoodbloggers.org/" target="_blank">Austin Food Blogger Alliance</a>. Losing one night of sleep is nothing compared to knowing that you were able to contribute to a great cause and getting to meet some awesome fellow bakers. You rock Austin!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaf8OUDGOfa33yaYqWeawyu1hDvyIQxNn_2G0Tt4D9Ot8lpkdgvL0uPB3THR-DTFBhDx_Z0NwIieqEiGhHK_pIcorFvNsCuh-3SWundJNhMW4eO7VRWXMEb-pGbWnjXg_jYBJuWkCWqUQ/s1600/BakeSaleCollage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaf8OUDGOfa33yaYqWeawyu1hDvyIQxNn_2G0Tt4D9Ot8lpkdgvL0uPB3THR-DTFBhDx_Z0NwIieqEiGhHK_pIcorFvNsCuh-3SWundJNhMW4eO7VRWXMEb-pGbWnjXg_jYBJuWkCWqUQ/s640/BakeSaleCollage2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donation: 20 mini loafs of Banana Bread, 8 dozen mini Cupcakes, 80 bags of Sugar Cookies</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-81410766676877288532013-04-18T18:20:00.000-07:002013-06-11T19:40:42.540-07:00Kickin' Into Spring!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9qirnAsdk7t8Hm4hoFLGKNCmTiDNDxmBteGxqc_AtoBhIV_f9jOqHhAHkY4EqcVipnfSndEyo6Hwcw2amYGK3f8l1L9Er31K_WGrAo_krVM64mEZjRfy7LiQSoEhfe2bF_Iec9UuM2ZP/s1600/P4103534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9qirnAsdk7t8Hm4hoFLGKNCmTiDNDxmBteGxqc_AtoBhIV_f9jOqHhAHkY4EqcVipnfSndEyo6Hwcw2amYGK3f8l1L9Er31K_WGrAo_krVM64mEZjRfy7LiQSoEhfe2bF_Iec9UuM2ZP/s320/P4103534.jpg" width="320" /></a>With a pair of Jordans! I am just full of cheesy puns this month <a href="http://emoticoner.com/"><img alt="" src="http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smiley_faces/dancing-smiley-face.gif" /></a><br />
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This has definitely got to be one of the more detailed cookies that I have ever done. But hey I love a challenge and it feels that much better to successfully overcome a challenge, esp a <b>cookie </b>challenge! Seeing how happy my customers are definitely make my day. This was also my first time to hand-cut a cookie shape. Finding a cookie cutter in the exact shape of a Jordan shoe is not exactly easy to come by.<br />
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So you may wonder what occasion would spark Jordans cookies? Well this order actually came to me via an old High School friend who saw my cookies floating around <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thecookiecounter" target="_blank">facebook</a>. We haven't spoken in years and I was so excited to hear from her! Her goddaughter was celebrating her 7th birthday and she happens to be a HUGE fan of Jordans sneakers. My friend sent me a picture of Jordans that the birthday girl actually owned and asked if I could replicate it. I was extremely nervous to accept such a task but as I mentioned, gotta love a challenge. In the end, I am so extremely happy with how they turned out! Hand-cutting the cookies was a pain, adding all the detail was a pain, but wow the final outcome was totally worth it! I hope you guys had a great party and little Jewels enjoyed her special Jordan cookies!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-30508949264686429982013-04-10T18:01:00.000-07:002013-04-10T18:01:07.276-07:00April ShowersIn a very literal sense, we'll start the month off with a Baby Shower! Elephants must be a popular shower theme these days... I feel it was yesterday that I made <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/2012/10/yellow-and-gray-baby-shower.html" target="_blank">these </a>elephant baby shower cookies. When my client said the theme was elephants and I asked her to send me an image of the invitations. I was happily surprised when the elephants on the invitation looked almost exactly like the elephants I had made previously, minus the hearts for ears. So here they are again, round two of the baby shower elephant cookies! I have to say that I think the hearts for ears is the perfect little adorableness needed for any baby shower theme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xCLjSdxpwxxJU0nLIuQyJGhwPH5fpYR6Ty546MBwrIZS3BryNx2PptjhMlmVFBLdxLq_bv86BbYdOAPaJi7rEqWMmC96n7AWIYR8fUYL_5jvHE35eo3wbywqYWSH0JJ_fKvNB4YYv538/s1600/baby+shower+elephants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xCLjSdxpwxxJU0nLIuQyJGhwPH5fpYR6Ty546MBwrIZS3BryNx2PptjhMlmVFBLdxLq_bv86BbYdOAPaJi7rEqWMmC96n7AWIYR8fUYL_5jvHE35eo3wbywqYWSH0JJ_fKvNB4YYv538/s640/baby+shower+elephants.jpg" width="640" /></a>P.S. Be on the look out for an amazing post regarding the BEST birthday present a cookie girl could ask for! Yes, that's right, my birthday was this past Friday but I have been so busy celebrating and making cookies that I haven't had the chance to stop-in and tell you all about it, but soon, very soon! But of course, after April 15th..... I, the CPA, have yet to file my own taxes... one more cookie order to go and then I can sit down and file that bad boy.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-86968373259844089362013-03-27T17:32:00.000-07:002013-03-27T17:32:36.201-07:00Angry Birds Birthday<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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We continue with the March Birthdays around here. These cookies required a little more creativity and planning than usual, but I absolutely love how they turned out! I posted this picture on Instagram while I was making all their eyes, and I was asked if they were suppose to be mean angry eyes or cute googly eyes. I laughed because it was going to be both! Just goes to show how important facial expressions are. Bushy angry eyebrows are enough to make a cute face into a mean one. But I have to say that the green googly eyes piggies are definitely my favorite! I love how quirky they look, it's hard to believe that they are the exact same eyes used on the Angry Birds but yet their expressions look so different.<br />
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Thanks Karen for such a fun order! Hope you guys have a blast at the birthday party!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-65837999660259960782013-03-20T17:13:00.000-07:002013-03-20T17:33:41.288-07:00Toy Story Birthday - Jessie ThemeThis month has been so hectic, but I guess it's not a bad problem to have. I have had at least one order a week all month long and am behind on posting pictures for them. One of my favorite orders this month was a Toy Story birthday party. I don't know about you guys, but Toy Story was by far, one of my favorite Disney movies. Even when the sequels came out and I was well into my teenage and early adult years. I loved how the sequels showed how Andy grew-up and it seemed to be mostly in line with my growth as well. Truly a GREAT movie, all three of them!<br />
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But back to cookies, my all mighty faithful customers in Houston are still reaching out to me for orders and I am so thankful to have their support but it has forced me to learn some of the hassles of shipping cookies. These Jessie cookies were the first order that I have ever shipped. Normally, I only accept Houston orders where I know that I will be back in town for the delivery. But when my customer insisted that I deliver the cookies, I was forced to do some research. As I write this, they are in-transit to Houston, and I hope all goes well. Another Cookie Counter first! It is very exciting that I get to experience all of these "firsts" as a hobby baker.<br />
I am truly thankful to have such AMAZING customers! <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-hug007.gif" /></a> Couldn't do it without you guys!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-17091164387470163532013-02-21T19:37:00.000-08:002013-03-14T13:16:19.095-07:00A Pirate's Life for Me - Arrghh!<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5132735/?claim=f3sxxpfv2ma">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleG5OC4Fc65gc2xl0ke6J-oKYes-F00JakxoNQjV5AJ2WjpG4LwqrRulQgMCnlWsRMLVSgEButvmuWTNrZC4GPsFVHMZebLy2ehkwLtT-JVhv4dvsiGvhe80ttHO0Njlty6bmKo9INqm4/s1600/bw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleG5OC4Fc65gc2xl0ke6J-oKYes-F00JakxoNQjV5AJ2WjpG4LwqrRulQgMCnlWsRMLVSgEButvmuWTNrZC4GPsFVHMZebLy2ehkwLtT-JVhv4dvsiGvhe80ttHO0Njlty6bmKo9INqm4/s320/bw1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I had the pleasure of making the treats for a fun Pirate Birthday Party! And it was not a child's party either <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/rolleyes.gif" /></a> This was a particularly fun order for me because I finally had a reason to use my amazing <a href="http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/?page=shop&cat=1" target="_blank">Silhouette Cameo</a> that I got for Christmas!!! The Cameo is a cutting machine that works very much like a printer but that cuts paper instead. See those fierce little pirate ships to the left? Well my fantastic Cameo allowed me to cut out these shapes on cardstock and make some lovely little cupcake toppers!! Awesome, right? <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/tongue.gif" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp3oL_3OdBZCWCv-63vB9f0uvvOUf4k-DOohyphenhyphenMtsMqFOAoK9buaxtqZCyzLEbaMifnQrxuonoLmR_LEeMJIritONokVnGmSeUqMw4lcIXSLalt0Rz_gI33SbtzGNV8LPOR06ymkw8hUsA/s1600/IMG_20130218_233332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp3oL_3OdBZCWCv-63vB9f0uvvOUf4k-DOohyphenhyphenMtsMqFOAoK9buaxtqZCyzLEbaMifnQrxuonoLmR_LEeMJIritONokVnGmSeUqMw4lcIXSLalt0Rz_gI33SbtzGNV8LPOR06ymkw8hUsA/s200/IMG_20130218_233332.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I can't wait to have many more projects with my new Cameo!<a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-excited001.gif" /></a> The possibilities are endless!! Is it weird that I am so excited over paper cutouts? I think not. It's pretty darn cool that my amazing bf can create an image in Photoshop and then my amazing Cameo can bring it to life!! I can see lots more cupcake toppers in my future. Did you have an event coming up that could use some delicious cupcakes with a custom topper?! I am ready for it, give me a challenge!<br />
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I really LOVED this order! It was so much fun to create the toppers and the X's marks the spot island cupcakes?! Perfect! I could not have been more happy with how everything turned out. I hope the party was a blast!<br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-53633828208662486482013-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:002013-02-15T16:08:50.875-08:00How was your Valentine's Day?A day to celebrate love. A love for your family and friends, not just your significant other. How did you spend your Valentine's? Out with the girls, dinner with your family, or snuggled up with your puppy? There is no right way to celebrate this day of love as long as you are celebrating and not feeling remorse or sadness. There is no reason to feel sad on the day of love. On this one day, at least find a reason to celebrate even if you spend the remaining 364 days of the year feeling sad, on this day, you find what you love and celebrate it! <a href="http://www.tiptopglobe.com/free-smiles-smileys-emoticons-blog-forum-email" title="More smileys to free download"><img border="0" height="16" src="http://www.tiptopglobe.com/skin/smile/s12280.gif" width="25" /></a><br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-10277719209348683672013-02-04T22:00:00.000-08:002013-02-04T22:03:20.672-08:00Super Bowl XLVII<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wasn't that an exciting Super Bowl? I can say that I am not a huge football fan and didn't really watch any of the first half but that was because we were busy being good hosts and making sure people were getting fed and people were comfortable. By half time, I snagged myself a seat on the couch and was finally able to enjoy some food and a great performance from Beyonce :) Then the lights out?! and then an action packed last few minutes of the game?! Like I said, not much of a football fan, but that was pretty exciting, even for me. Oh, and the Clydesdale commercial, omg adorable!<br />
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P.S. Don't you love my backdrop? hehe that is precious bf's beer pong table that happened to work out PERFECTLY for my photo shoot!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-45576332174605487002013-01-28T20:21:00.000-08:002013-01-28T20:27:42.446-08:00Ready, Set, Go! Trains and Planes PartyMy first order of the year was definitely not a boring one. Tiffany contacted me on a Monday wondering if I could accommodate a Saturday order.... I was hesitant to take a same week order but after looking at my schedule for the week, I gave the green light and it was Go time! This order come with some challenges some due to short notice, but others due to personal circumstances that left me in the hospital on cookie delivery day. However, I am extremely happy with the results and am thankful that Tiffany was so understanding of my last minute personal constraints. Cookies arrived in time for the party and I am recovering well. Thanks for the fun order Tiffany! <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-hug006.gif" /></a><br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0px;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-65674530996086035352013-01-06T13:32:00.004-08:002013-01-13T18:54:40.065-08:00Happy New Year!Happy New Year! 2013 is going to be a great year, I just know it! To bring in the new year, the bf and I decided to throw a house party for NYE and it was also a great way to "break-in" the house since we moved in 3 months ago and haven't really had guests yet. Lots of friends, food, and fun! By far, one of the best ways to ring in the new year. Here's to a great year to come!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-22848297908086633822012-12-10T18:25:00.001-08:002012-12-10T18:25:55.081-08:00Order your Christmas Cake Balls today!The Holidays are fast approaching and in case you are still looking for something fabulous to give your loved ones, how about some yummy cake ball gift boxes?! <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-eatdrink020.gif" /></a><br />
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<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-5310825273389868012012-12-03T02:10:00.000-08:002013-01-25T18:18:12.697-08:00Failed Toffee Making = Toffee CookiesHave you ever made <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/2012/12/homemade-toffee-live-and-learn.html" target="_blank">homemade toffee</a>? Well I recently attempted to make <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/2012/12/homemade-toffee-live-and-learn.html" target="_blank">homemade toffee</a> and it was semi unsuccessful the first round with my toffee separating from the butter creating an extra greasy layer around my toffee. However, the toffee itself was very good. So I managed to clean up most of the excess butter and chopped the toffee to be used in my favorite chocolate chip recipe, and so we have toffee chip cookies!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_4JeuMBJ6laY1i7P5XhNiDdSG8M0nU_JseM930trGYGs7Iq9srHIuN6ln_wyxfvOj1g-wBXXTaajU-WUsssd9X_EUuOljrimGK0IMrk9OUHu2d9abLxe6MtiIbuJ_SHwEVK7zcFUHy3f/s1600/PC022331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_4JeuMBJ6laY1i7P5XhNiDdSG8M0nU_JseM930trGYGs7Iq9srHIuN6ln_wyxfvOj1g-wBXXTaajU-WUsssd9X_EUuOljrimGK0IMrk9OUHu2d9abLxe6MtiIbuJ_SHwEVK7zcFUHy3f/s400/PC022331.jpg" width="400" /></a>Toffee Chip Cookies, <span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/0936184744/ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354475209&sr=1-19&keywords=americas+test+kitchen" target="_blank">America's Test Kitchen</a></span><br />
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2 cups flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted<br />
1 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 large egg yolk<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 1/2 cup toffee<br />
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark)<br />
Sea salt for garnish<br />
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(1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<br />
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(2)Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.<br />
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(3) Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until combined.<br />
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(4) Slowly add the dry mixture just until combined. Fold in the toffee and chips until incorporated.<br />
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(5) Scoop your dough onto a prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt, as desired. Bake cookies approximately 12-15 minutes, depending on size, mine were about 1.5 tbsp of dough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJTR8LcXyTAvCEhyTffRRiA7RyL-BdlVgj5CwtBgrUHp2stqJ-T6osqRmOMerToBs5jc5ZGbhfVqspy8fq6eftSprxt8_974pP0VImglEMNIREsIDRrDnObu21RtQigzONQTJ3CCc-R2u/s1600/Favorite+cookie+recipe+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJTR8LcXyTAvCEhyTffRRiA7RyL-BdlVgj5CwtBgrUHp2stqJ-T6osqRmOMerToBs5jc5ZGbhfVqspy8fq6eftSprxt8_974pP0VImglEMNIREsIDRrDnObu21RtQigzONQTJ3CCc-R2u/s640/Favorite+cookie+recipe+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a>Great way to re-purpose a boo boo batch of homemade toffee or when you just have a craving for some buttery chocolatety toffee!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" /><script src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-60777214256772363132012-12-02T11:35:00.000-08:002013-01-25T18:19:08.148-08:00Homemade Toffee - Live and LearnThis is for you Kym!<br />
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Recently, a coworker of mine asked if I had a tried and true homemade toffee recipe. I hated to tell her that I have never made toffee before... And of course, with me all you have to do is plant a baking seed in my brain and sure enough it will blossom.<br />
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This is a fairly long blog post with very few pictures, sorry about that but the toffee making process happens so quick that I just didn't have time to capture individual steps. I set out my toffee making adventure with <a href="http://www.thecoterieblog.com/2010/01/english-toffee.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> from <a href="http://www.thecoterieblog.com/" target="_blank">The Coterie Blog</a>. All toffee recipes start out with butter and sugar but then there are several various, some with corn syrup, some without, some with almonds and some with pecans. The possibilities really are endless. <a href="http://www.thecoterieblog.com/" target="_blank">Heather's </a>recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of butter. Since this was for experimental purposes only, I cut the recipe in thirds and only used 1/2 cup butter. All was going well as the kitchen began to smell like delicious browned butter and sugar! But then it came to the "remove from heat and add vanilla" *dun dun*<br />
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Before I knew it, the toffee had separated and there was a gross nasty butter layer just floating on top of the beautiful golden toffee at the bottom of the saucepan. Not knowing what else to do, I poured the mixture onto my prepared <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silpat-Non-Stick-Baking-2-inches-Sheet/dp/B00008T960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354424692&sr=8-1&keywords=silpat" target="_blank">Silpat </a>and hoped for the best.<br />
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Four hours passed and my poor toffee pan was looking pretty nasty with the layer of butter surrounding what would have been my beautiful toffee. I did some research as to the causes of separation during candy making and I found my answers in this <a href="http://candy.about.com/od/carameltoffee/f/separate_faq.htm" target="_blank">article</a>. The sentence that caught my eye was "One of the most common triggers is when the candy has undergone an <b>abrupt temperature shift</b>..." I immediately thought of the vanilla and how the mixture separated right as the vanilla hit the toffee.<br />
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But I couldn't help but wonder why I had read several different recipes that included this exact same step, including a great looking one from <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/lias-butter-toffee/" target="_blank">Pioneer Woman</a>. Whatever floats your boat, for some reason some things may work for others that just do not work for you. I am not even positive that I can blame the vanilla but my second time around when I omitted the vanilla, no separation occurred and I had a buttery golden delicious toffee! If you are set on adding the vanilla flavor then I would opt to either add the extract in the very beginning or using vanilla bean seeds. However, I opted to leave it out completed and I think it was super tasty!<br />
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I am really wishing that I had captured the gooey buttery mess that was my first try at toffee, but I was so ashamed that I cleaned up the gross mess before anybody could see, what can I say, nobody likes failure. However, I did chop up my first batch of toffee and made some <a href="http://www.thecookiecounter.com/2012/12/failed-toffee-making-toffee-cookies.html" target="_blank">yummy toffee cookies</a>! So not a total failure. And now time for the recipe that worked for me!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjVN0wtyZdw2gkE-AEvOaTCYHPOmokyxqMC2MQs7LECnRtcJsDNPYAFyhSaDgNMsGJpFIFTMDJwcxsY1nzZlrrI19pHwnKCOVSYS0Aj7qsMJ9Q2SALTAUQaQttCRMkN8x-n0MS-i3v8co/s1600/PC022286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjVN0wtyZdw2gkE-AEvOaTCYHPOmokyxqMC2MQs7LECnRtcJsDNPYAFyhSaDgNMsGJpFIFTMDJwcxsY1nzZlrrI19pHwnKCOVSYS0Aj7qsMJ9Q2SALTAUQaQttCRMkN8x-n0MS-i3v8co/s400/PC022286.jpg" width="400" /></a>Homemade Toffee, <span style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Terrific-Toffee" target="_blank">Taste of Home</a>, can easily be multiplied for large batches</span><br />
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1/2 cup butter, sliced in half inch or 1 inch pieces<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
4 tsp. water<br />
Pinch of salt, <i>generous </i>pinch<br />
1/4 cup toasted nuts of your choice (i.e., almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.)<br />
2/3 cup good quality chocolate, chopped fine<br />
Sea salt for garnish<br />
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(1) First, make sure that you have measured out your chocolate, and toasted and chopped your nuts before you begin, as I mentioned this process happens fast!<br />
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(2) Spread half of the nuts on a prepared sheet pan lined with either parchment paper or a handy dandy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silpat-Non-Stick-Baking-2-inches-Sheet/dp/B00008T960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354424692&sr=8-1&keywords=silpat" target="_blank">Silpat</a>.<br />
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(3) In a heavy weight saucepan, add butter, sugar and water. Cook over <b><i>medium-low</i></b> heat until the butter and sugar have melted and the mixture is cohesive (with no separation!)<br />
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(4) Once the mixture has thickened and is bubbling, turn heat up to medium. Stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has reached a light golden color (about the color of an almond), or if you are smart and have a candy thermometer about 298 degrees. Remove from the heat.<br />
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(5) Pour onto your prepared sheet pan and <b><i>quickly </i></b>spread the toffee thin before the toffee begins to set.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGbynQecHIawRFuIUX-wdSJj2OxAD0JquNWGmRjKBp828GlZuQJTEou5vFVCLTUcoMfROOYeBqRMNgrWtcJq7OUNUDu3j11Ug_Zea3k-eYyGuDrD1ZdlA5tjg4FB7QFfD2k88d4LZVUr0/s1600/PC012259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGbynQecHIawRFuIUX-wdSJj2OxAD0JquNWGmRjKBp828GlZuQJTEou5vFVCLTUcoMfROOYeBqRMNgrWtcJq7OUNUDu3j11Ug_Zea3k-eYyGuDrD1ZdlA5tjg4FB7QFfD2k88d4LZVUr0/s320/PC012259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(6) Immediately pour the chopped chocolate over the hot toffee and use your spatula to spread the chocolate as it melts. Trust me, the toffee will be hot enough to melt your chocolate to a spreadable consistency (I was also skeptical, but it definitely works).<br />
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(7) Quickly sprinkle with toasted nuts and sea salt, as desired.<br />
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(8) Let the toffee set for several hours and break into pieces.<br />
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After my first separated buttery mess that I had, I was worried that I was not good enough to make toffee, but after this fairly smooth sailing second batch and trying how delicious it tasted, I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the inspiration Kym <a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/biggrin.gif" /></a><br />
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So my second batch was not perfect either but definitely a step up. The one issue that I had with my second batch was with the chocolate. The toffee hardened well but the chocolate layer I added on at the end, never set. The only way I was able to get it hard enough to work with was to put the toffee in the fridge before trying to break the toffee pieces. But as soon as the toffee came back to room temperature the chocolate layer got soft again. Not sure what the problem was here but this one set back will not be enough to stop me from making toffee again. I used ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, maybe I should have used a baking bar instead of chips? Hmm, time to go to the grocery store and buy more chocolate for another test!<br />
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Happy Baking! I hope you enjoy!<br />
<img align="left" src="http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af64/trendygirldesigns/cookiecounter-sig.png" style="border: 0;" /><script src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436329718058561419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5230344828565312613.post-54534969070003465372012-11-30T21:24:00.000-08:002012-11-30T23:34:59.226-08:00A Ladybug Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU33wd-cijRQblR5gCpN1RSEJq1kaU6cIRDYrfFwsX0MFroCUoB0A0j4RVlHFX685SwEPDNAcHda9yirJjqRSIkk___JePnE-BTGwYrL4moFP-gS0-vN6TdUkLWxDmXdpf7Dy-VzXuxhNf/s1600/P9231910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU33wd-cijRQblR5gCpN1RSEJq1kaU6cIRDYrfFwsX0MFroCUoB0A0j4RVlHFX685SwEPDNAcHda9yirJjqRSIkk___JePnE-BTGwYrL4moFP-gS0-vN6TdUkLWxDmXdpf7Dy-VzXuxhNf/s320/P9231910.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
UPDATE: Added more pictures of the cake!<a href="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php" title="Smiley"><img alt="Smiley" border="0" src="http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-bounce012.gif" /></a><br />
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A lot of my orders lately seem to revolve around babies and toddlers. Cute little rascals. This particular order was for precious little Isabella's 1st birthday party :) An old friend and colleague of mine called me a few weeks into my new job and was asking how things were going and if I was enjoying the work. Asking about the move and how me and the ole boyfriend were doing. It did not take long before he admitted that he called with ulterior motives....<br />
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His baby girl's birthday was coming up and they wanted to place an order, but the catch was he needed me to deliver the cake to Houston and let me remind you that I just moved to Austin. I sighed and asked what the date of the party was, and I guess it was his lucky day! I already had plans to go back to Houston that exact weekend for a friend's engagement party. Of course I teased him about this being his last order but that I would be happy to help.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqjlJLNcZ8cJzxsZR9yvD0hxKT95_lHasMPZ3cDeEy88-uHSWFn_ypkYS0mnaUUrO4ICMymXfhq97M5_HCLeNxTa-4lQM1bNECYK50NXHQ25TS_NYKoR9utnWUYPLALLopro79x6zMvYT/s1600/Ladybug+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqjlJLNcZ8cJzxsZR9yvD0hxKT95_lHasMPZ3cDeEy88-uHSWFn_ypkYS0mnaUUrO4ICMymXfhq97M5_HCLeNxTa-4lQM1bNECYK50NXHQ25TS_NYKoR9utnWUYPLALLopro79x6zMvYT/s640/Ladybug+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The theme of the party was ladybugs! They requested one large cake for the party and then a simple elegant mini cake for the birthday girl to dive into. After all, it was her birthday and she is a princess so of course she deserve to have her own beautiful little mini cake to eat all by herself! :) Isabella really is a cutie! But we also had to make sure that the guests got to leave the party with their own goodie bag of delicious sugar cookies.<br />
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