Grin and Bake It! | Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

Written on August 30, 2010 by Kate

Last week I made these to bring to a girls night that my friend Jen hosted. They tasted as good as they looked. I used mini cupcake liners for these. Have you noticed that people are often more likely to indulge in three or four bite-sized cupcakes, than one regular sized one? It can’t be all that fattening if it’s just a bite or two… or three, right?

I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on t. v. (remember that annoying commercial?), but life experience has taught me that the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is a great remedy for the following ailments:

over-load
over-tired
over-worked
PMS
naughty children
bad date
looming deadline
messy house
messy kids
messy husband (no longer my ailment)
too many days on a diet (a.k.a. starvation)
back to school blues (which I’m currently suffering from)

Have I missed anything? Another remedy for all of the above is my boyfriend Kendall Jackson. Your favorite wine will probably do the trick too! And if it’s a really bad day, indulge in both!

And if you don’t suffer from any of the above, these are pretty darn good just for the heck of it! Cupcakes don’t require a reason.

I used Ina Garten’s chocolate cake recipe, the best-ever chocolate cake. I discovered this recipe when I created the caramel frappuccino cupcakes awhile back. This peanut butter frosting is light and fluffy, and not overly sweet (I have yet to find anything too sweet for my liking, but some of the girls commented that this frosting appealed to them because it wasn’t over the top sweet.).

These would be a fun candy bar cupcake for Halloween, just sprinkle with chopped up Reese’s!

Fluffy, But Not Too Sweet Peanut Butter Frosting

printable recipe

1 cup peanut butter (not organic)

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream *

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter and peanut butter using an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in powdered sugar gradually. As the frosting thickens, add heavy cream 1 tbsp. at a time. Beat for three minutes until light and fluffy. To achieve the frosting consistency that you like, you may need to add a little more cream or more powdered sugar.

* You can substitute milk.

Tweet This Post

Cupcakes, Desserts Galore, Recipes, frosting

5 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 29, 2010 by Kate

167 Comments - Leave a comment!

Last week, during the Orange County heat wave, I was in my kitchen making these peppermint Christmas cookies. No, I wasn’t delirious from the heat, just excited about this holiday baker’s give-away that Wilton is sponsoring. After these cookies dried, they were packed up and brought to my dad. I could tell he thought it was odd to receive Christmas cookies in August, but the man is smart and he knows better than to question homemade cookies.

There are 116 shopping days or baking days until Christmas, depending on how you want to look at it. I have gone without a paycheck since June, and am officially poor. (It’s not easy being a teacher!) The word “shopping” has been banned from my vocabulary, so I prefer to think in terms of baking days. I know it seems like there’s plenty of time before the holiday madness starts, but it always seems to sneak up on us.

These peppermint candy cookies are festive for the holiday, but you can use any colors to coordinate with your party theme, and they’d make cute cookie favors. I tried two different decorating techniques for two different effects.

The fabulous people at Wilton are letting me give away one of my most used baking items… this 50 Piece Tool Caddy Decorating Set. This kit will keep your baking tools totally organized, so you’re not always searching for what you need. I keep my caddy in a kitchen cabinet right above my Kitchen Aid, and pull it out whenever I’m decorating.

Here’s what’s inside this 50 piece set:

• A bunch of decorating tips organized in a removable tray

• Flower nail

• Disposable bags and a reusable soft touch bag

• Tip brush for cleaning decorating tips

• Couplers

• Spatula

• 4 of the most popular Wilton gel icing colors

• Beginner’s guide to decorating

This kit is perfect for both beginning and advanced bakers. If you already have a baking tool caddy, this would make a fabulous Christmas present, and you’d be able to check someone off your gift-giving list.

But this is a holiday give-away, right? To get you inspired for all of your holiday cookie baking, Wilton is also including a copy of the Wilton book, Cookie Exchange. It is full of original cookie ideas, and step by step photo instructions.

Here’s how to enter*:

You have a total of 4 chances to win:

(Be sure to leave a separate comment for each.)

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Wilton product is. Here’s the link if you want to shop!

2. Follow Grin and Bake it ~ Join the Grin and Bake it Facebook group, follow me on Twitter, or sign up for the RSS feed. Scroll down on the sidebar and click under “Follow Me”. (If you’re already a follower, let me know in a comment how you follow the blog.)

3. Subscribe to Grin and Bake It and receive emails when new posts are published. To subscribe, scroll down on the sidebar to “subscribe” and enter your email address. I promise this is totally safe! Post a comment letting me know you subscribed.

4. Tweet this give-away “Christmas comes early… Enter to win Wilton’s holiday giveaway @grinandbakeit http://wp.me/pnls6-2O1

Contest ends on Friday, September 3rd at 9 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. The winner will be selected randomly at random.org, and will be posted on this post. I will send the winner an email letting him/her know that he/she has won. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email, otherwise, a second winner will be selected.

*This contest is only open to people living in the U.S. (I do apologize to my Canadian blogging friends.)

Tweet This Post

Gift Ideas, Give-Aways, Holidays, Products, Recipes, cookies

167 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 25, 2010 by Kate

13 Comments - Leave a comment!

There are few things I’d ever claim to be an expert on, but when it comes to making teachers happy, I do know a thing or two. I am an elementary teacher, currently out of the classroom overseeing the gifted program in my district. My time is spent supporting teachers and parents, and organizing testing for several thousand kids each year. Teachers like food. I realize this is a generalization, but spend any time in the staff lounge and you’ll see teachers will eat just about anything. You might even get grossed out. Teachers don’t have the luxury of having a lunch hour. By the time they walk their kids to the lunch tables, get stopped by a parent or two, and pee, there’s usually about twenty minutes to cram something into their mouths before it’s back to the kids.

You know what teachers hate? Memos. I think every classroom teacher deserves his or her own secretary. Each morning, the teacher is greeted by a stack of papers ~ memos from the pricipal, messages from parents, assembly schedules, and all of those copies he or she needs ro run for their morning lesson. If you live in California, good luck on the copies, the schools that actually have money aren’t spending it on copy paper.

So here is my advice… when your kids start school, send them with a little treat for the teacher. And at Back to School Night, bring a little treat for the teacher. Don’t feel like it’s bribery. It’s about making someone feel appreciated. My boy is required to find out what his teacher’s drink of choice at Starbucks is by the time he comes home from his first day of school. Surprising the teacher with their favorite coffee, is the ultimate treat.

The cookie memo was inspired by what I know about teachers. It’s the best memo they’ll get of the entire year, guaranteed, and possibly the best memo of their careers.

And since you’re making cookie memos for the teacher, make an extra to give to your kiddo on his or her first day. Stick it in the lunch bag. The other kids will think you’re the coolest mom ever.

Here was my memo to myself yesterday…

I was freaking out a bit, getting totally overwhelmed with what’s ahead. I’m in summer mode ~ no alarm clock, no carpool, no work, pure relaxation. How in the world am I going to do it all in two weeks, and escape a nervous breakdown? I also made one for my girlfriend Laura. She and I work together, and she needed one too.

Oh, and if you’re married, I think the cookie memo could possibly save your marriage. “Pick up your shoes.”, “Put the seat down.”, “Do you think the dishes are going to wash themselves?”. In cookie form, how can he argue? It’s not nagging if it’s written on a cookie.

The markers are made to go onto icing, and are completely safe. Let’s not use Sharpies on these. Here’s a link for the markers. You can also find them in the baking section at Michael’s, or your local craft store.

Here’s a quick how-to…

What would you write on a cookie memo? Any great ideas?

Tweet This Post

Recipes, Tips, cookies

13 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 24, 2010 by Kate

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

One of my girlfriends, Tina, hosted a party to celebrate her 40th birthday this past weekend. When I asked her what I could bring, she said,” How about those eyeballs you made. Everyone loves those.” Someone eavesdropping would think this was a really bizarre conversation, but I knew exactly what she meant. I host an annual pumpkin carving party each year, and last year I made chocolate covered brownie bites, disguised as eyeballs. Since eyeballs didn’t really go with the birthday bash theme, I dressed up these brownies in party attire.

I have been wanting to make these brownie sundae bites that I saw on Kristan’s blog, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. If you follow my blog, you know what a fan I am of hers. So, Kristan ~ I totally copied you, but imitation is the best form of flattery, right? And you know I’m not a stalker, but truly an admirer.

These were huge on cute factor, great on taste, and best of all these brownie bites, balls, truffles ~ whatever you choose to call them are easy to make. (See this post for instructions.) For the record, I don’t like to call them brownie balls or the ones with cake, cake balls, as some bakers do. It doesn’t sound very lady-like. Am I the only person whose mind always goes straight to the gutter? Let’s all agree to call them something other than brownie balls, shall we?

Tweet This Post

Brownies & Bars, Desserts Galore, Parties, Recipes, chocolate

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 23, 2010 by Kate

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

So my boy came home last night from his first camping trip… the first sentence out of his mouth was, “Camping is really not my thing Mom.”. He showed up pretty dirty and in a foul mood. Apparently, sleeping in a tent and riding in a car for 8 hours isn’t his thing either.

On Saturday, the dads took their boys on a 7 mile hike to one of the waterfalls. My boy’s dad was so proud of him for persevering. (By the way, they both have two very different interpretations of the weekend.) While recounting the details of the hike to me, the boy said, “Oh my gosh, you hike and hike for hours to get the top of a waterfall. Then you get there and look down. What’s the point? There’s no point at all.” Sadly, he doesn’t seem to have developed an appreciation for nature and the wonder of Yosemite.

The boy did tell me that all of the chocolate chip cookies I sent him with were eaten, and he asked if I’d make another batch right away. It doesn’t look like he will be camping anytime soon (if he can help it), but he will definitely be eating more of these cookies.

Yes, there are three billion food blogging posts with chocolate chip cookie recipes. This is a good one, and worth trying. I’m not going to say it’s the holy grail of chocolate chip cookies, but I guarantee it will help you get through a tough situation. The cookie bakes up pretty flat. It’s soft and chewy on the inside, and crispy on the outside.

Have a great week everyone! We’re planning on enjoying these last two weeks before the school year starts.

Yet Another Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Tweet This Post

Other

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 19, 2010 by Kate

3 Comments - Leave a comment!

If you haven’t visited the blog Sweetopia, it’s a must bookmark. Marian is an amazing artist. Her canvas is sugar. I have learned so much from reading her blog and always leave her site inspired. She shares amazing tutorials including what to do when air bubbles pop up in your royal icing, how to make gum paste flowers, and how to create a marbleized design on sugar cookies. Look at her beautiful cookies below. She walks you through step by step how to achieve this look, and will make you feel like you can attempt it.

Marian also has this amazing projector called the Kopykake. She has developed a great tutorial showing exactly how it works. When you see what she has made with it, you’re going to hope that the baking fairy makes one appear in your kitchen. Her frog prince cookies are one of my favorite cookies that she’s shared on her blog.

And you have to remember to visit Sweetopia around the holidays. Marian’s gingerbread creations will get you in the holiday spirit. After I designed the gingerbread dog house last year for the Discovery Science gingerbread competition, my appreciation for all of the little details Marian adds to her houses went off the charts. See this amazing house below… Marian even designed the inside of the house. Go see her beautiful pictures here.

Spend some time searching Sweetopia. You can’t help but be inspired!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tweet This Post

A Few of My Favorites..., Favorite Foodies

3 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 19, 2010 by Kate

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

My son is off to Yosemite for a boys’ camping trip with his dad. The boy has never camped before, and he’s not a typical boy that enjoys getting dirty. His exact words were, “I don’t like camping. It’s not my thing.” I told him that he won’t know until he tries it (but the truth is, he and I both know it’s not likely going to be his “thing”). He asked me, “How am I going to sleep in a tent with four boys?”. (Hmmmm…Is it better to lie or tell the truth?) I opted for the truth and responded with, “You’re not… at least not well” I refrained from saying the following… It’s called camping. You get dirty. You spend your day hiking in the dirt. You eat every meal in the dirt. You go to bed dirty, and wake up way too early in the morning and start it all over again, only dirtier. I did tell him that Yosemite is worth a few nights without sleep. Before my boy was born, I camped with his dad. Guess what, it’s not my thing either, but I absolutely love it there. I’m sending him with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies because I believe you can get through just about anything life throws at you, with a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

While the boy is sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows, I’ll be home in my air-conditioned house, freshly showered, making a batch of this s’mores ice cream. I made this last weekend, and it didn’t last very long. Back in July, when I had the ice cream maker give-away, someone suggested I create a recipe for s’mores ice cream, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

This has everything you expect from s’mores, and a little bit more. The ice cream base is made with marshmallows and cream, giving it a nice texture. Ripples of fudge are layered into the container, with bits of graham crackers sprinkled in. As an added bonus, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pieces are mixed in. A while back, I created this s’mores pie with Reese’s and discovered that they’re perfect with s’mores.

The next time around, I will add more vanilla to the base. This was a thick, creamy ice cream. If you decide to make your own, I’d love to hear any changes you make. I know we all have preferences for homemade ice cream, some like it thicker, some more like soft-serve, some like the icy ones. What I’ve learned is that ice cream is pretty forgiving. You can change the ratios slightly, and still come up with a great dessert.

A few people have asked if there’s a way to enjoy homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker? Here are a few great resources that walk you through the process.

David Lebovitz’s tutorial

Serious Eats Food Lab Experiment

S’mores Ice Cream

1.5 cups whole milk

1.5 cups whipping cream

20 large marshmallows

2 tsp. vanilla*

hot fudge sauce

3/4 cup chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

*the first time around I used 1 tsp. vanilla. I will add 2 tsp. next time.

Heat the milk and marshmallows in a saucepan on medium heat until smooth. Place in an ice bath to cool it down quickly. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Remove from the refrigerator and stir well. Prepare in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Stir in graham cracker bits and Reese’s the last minute of churning (or after). Scoop ice cream into container, layering in between with fudge sauce. (It might be hard to spread and will look like this below. That’s fine, it’ll look great when you scoop it.) Freeze for several hours until ready to serve. Garnish with a graham cracker and mini marshmallows toasted on a skewer.

Tweet This Post

Desserts Galore, Frozen Treats, Recipes

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post

Written on August 16, 2010 by Kate

18 Comments - Leave a comment!

Other than the Naughty One, the only other pets we have are fish. My dad and my son are in charge of tank maintenance, fish funerals, and any replacements. The boy and the pup seem to enjoy the tank. At least a couple of times a week, the pup barks incessantly at the fish tank, until she is picked up to get a closer view. It’s not a predator-prey sort of thing. I think she really believes these are her own pets.

As far as other pets go, I won’t do hamsters or any little rodents like that. I’ve never even picked up a hamster before… ever. Frogs involve crickets, so even if I could entertain the thought of a frog (which I can’t), I could never do the live cricket feedings. I don’t like cats, unless it’s the rare cat-dog, like my neighbor’s cat, who behaves more like a dog than a cat. And please don’t suggest we bring any birds into the house. I have a serious phobia of birds. I’m not sure if it was the movie The Birds when the phobia started, or the time when I was young, eating at a friend’s house, while her bird walked around on the table the entire meal. Needless to say, that friendship wasn’t long-lasting.

These little fishbowl cookies served no other purpose, but for fun. I’ve been busy with orders the past few weeks, and finally had a little extra dough and a little time to do something out of the ordinary. I looked in my candy stash and was inspired by the rock candy and fishies, and when I saw the little Wilton pearls, I had a cookie vision. I was happy with how they turned out. I added the rock candy, fish, and pearls before the icing set. The rock candy took on sort of a mosaic look, and the fish and pearls gave it a 3D effect.

Here’s a quick how-to for these fishbowl cookie treats:

*If you don’t have fishies or pearls, you can pipe them with frosting. Nerd candies can be substituted for the rocks.

Tweet This Post

Desserts Galore, Recipes, cookies

18 Comments - Leave a comment!

Print This Post