Stardust Sugar Cookies

The internet holds many treasures. Almost anything you can't seem to find on your own can be found with a few simple searches on the web. Such as, the absolutey perfect sugar cookie recipe!

I have been hunting down a really good recipe for about 3 years now, trying a few, with more misses than hits. I found one recipe that was okay, but those cookies didn't hold their own against the cookie cutter. For me, the perfect sugar cookie recipe yields cookies that are firm to the touch, but the texture is a bit more of a crumble than a snap. The last batch (which may have been re-rolled two or 3 times) should have the same taste and texture as the first. These cookies rise a little in the oven, but don't sink down into themselves when you take them out.

 

Today, I present these beauties to you....

Stardust Sugar Cookies!

I take no credit for the recipe - this is all Ms. Martha herself. After all that searching, I found The One lol. A pretty simple recipe that even the queen of substitution couldn't wreck, these cookies had everyone impressed. I do take full credit for the design, a little bit of royal icing and some Wilton Silver Sparkling sugar go a long way :-)

Shout out to Jacinda & Jaime at Prudent Baby - I found the cookie recipe link on their site! Y'all never steer me wrong :-)

xoxo, Von

Cake Pops

Thanks to Bakerella, I have a new obsession.


Have you heard of them? Apparently, this craze is sweeping the nation. I made cake balls last Christmas based on a recipe on AllRecipes.com. People loved them. When I heard about the cake pops, where you take the already-delicious cake balls and put them on a lollipop stick, I was sold. Within a few weeks of making my first batch of actual cake pops, I started seeing cake pop ads everywhere. My whole office went from not having a clue what I volunteered to bring for the Thanksgiving luncheon to being inundated with ads for cake pop makers lol. The pops are soooo cute! How could anyone resist?

Lots of people stand their cake pops up in decorated styrofoam. In the past week, I've seen way overpriced custom built cake pop stands but just the other day A.C. Moore had a cardboard cake pop stand for around $5.99. You can also set them up on your grandma's finest serving platter or on a silver (colored) tray from the Dollar Store and they look just as classy ;-)

 Too pretty to eat? No such thing lol.

xoxo Von

Catching Up... Lemon Cake!

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I missed y'all! How was your Thanksgiving? We have so much catching up to do. Trust me, even though I wasn't blogging, I was baking. Let's start with my Lemon Whipped Cream Cake. The cake (originally dubbed 'Science Cake') was a request from my brother. He wanted a cake that combined lemon, whipped cream AND cream cheese. 

How could I combine freshly made whipped cream, cream cheese and real lemons? What would the flavor be like? Wouldn't the fresh lemon juice just obliterate all the hard work my hand mixer did to fluff up that heavy whipping cream? Science cake, indeed.

Also, I'll note that my brother couldn't care less about the decorative elements on this cake, be they excessive or none at all. Maybe I went for excessive lol.

The end result: a deliciously light, fluffy cake with subtle hints of lemon and cream cheese. The cream cheese helped stabilize the whipped cream and brought the flavors together.

Donald, cutting into the cake. Nonverbal for "you have taken enough pictures".

Sorry I couldn't get fancier shots of the sliced cake, but these pics are making me drool... the icing was light, tart, and surprisingly luscious.

Have you ever made a science cake?

xoxo Von

Halloween Cupcakes

I made these babies for the cast of a play I'm in. Somebody decided to bring home made lasagna last night, somebody else brought salad and garlic bread, so you know I had to bring something scrumptious!

Orange icing is probably not a typical request at my local Walmart, so.. I used some Halloween magic to turn my store-bought buttercream a nice shade of Jack-o-lantern orange. Check out my magic ingredients.

I also added a few drops of orange extract to the batter and to the icing. Not enough to scream orange, but enough to add a yummy hint reminiscent of the color.

Add a dash of sugar crystals and a sweet treat on top!

Happy Halloween!

Blooming Onion

The fair is coming, the fair is coming! I'm so excited, I'm like a kid when it comes to stuff like that. We didn't really go to amusement parks growing up, but we went to the fair every year. Even though I'm all grown up, it still holds the same allure. Aside from the rides, the lights, and all the happy people, I look forward to the fair food! With that in mind, I felt compelled to tackle the Blooming Onion.

In an effort to keep my house from smelling like fried onions, I decided to "oven-fry" my little blooms.

I loosely followed a few recipes I found online. Step one is to cut the onion.

Wrap in foil, crimped at the top.

Note: If you try this, I suggest either poking a hole in the foil or maybe leaving it open at the top.

While the onions bake at 425 for 20 minutes, combine melted butter and maybe some seasoning for additional flavor.

Onion's ready!

Baste your onion petals with the herb butter.

Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs...

Bake for 20 minutes or until the petals look crispy.

 Oh - while your onions crisp up in the oven, don't forget to make your sauce. You could always just use ketchup, but why? I made a sauce consisting of mayo, brown mustard, salt/pepper, heap of basil, heavy dose of Italian seasoning, cayenne, and garlic powder. Have fun with it and play around! Then let your sauce chill in the fridge so the flavors develop.

Done!

Although the breading didn't stick like it would fried, this little blossom was sooo tasty. Are you going to make one?

xoxo Von

Blondies!

Happy October, yall! The season of warm and yummy is officially here - and I have blondies! Warm, golden deliciousness.

Take a bite!

Yum.

xoxo Von

Blondies?

I have been wanting a Blondie for some time. In an effort to save some cash, I have decided NOT to go to Applebees and get one already perfectly made, sizzling on a hot dish, with a scoop of ice cream.. *drool*

So I made it myself!

Sorta. :-\

I'm almost too ashamed to show you.

Should I be brave? Woman-up, you say?

Ok...

I think eyeballing my measurements did not work. It appears I was just a wee bit short on flour. And yes, I did taste it. Meh. The flavor was okay.. but maybe a second cup full of flour would have absorbed some of this butter! Lol I tried, yall. I certainly did try.

I'm off to the dollar store to get me a measuring set. Whose up for a trip to Applebees?!

xoxo Von