Tips | Grin and Bake It!

Written on August 25, 2010 by Kate

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?

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Written on August 15, 2010 by Kate

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My sister and I have birthdays two years and one day apart. Having birthdays close together meant we shared many birthday parties over the years. It worked out well for a long time because we had many of the same friends.

It seems my mom timed things perfectly. Imagine only having to rent the bounce house once a year, or go to one of those jumping places, where kids run loose with their socks on, getting lost in all of the plastic tubes. Back when I was little, or let’s see how my son’s best buddy, Colby, put it last week, “In the olden days, when my mom was little…”. (Since when did old become early thirties?) Anyway, back in the olden days, when I was little, parents didn’t rent bounce houses and take kids to over-priced, lawsuit waiting to happen, jumping places. We had good old-fashioned parties, complete with games, birthday hats, and a sheet cake with the fancy roses on it. Every kid would beg for those roses, and if you were the birthday girl, you knew one was reserved especially for you.

Had we just known the easy secret back then, every kid could have had her own rose cupcake. Sure it wouldn’t be the same as the sugar-induced coma roses from the grocery store sheet cakes, but everyone would have the thrill of being awarded a rose.

I made the rose cupcakes for the Bachelorette finale party. The cupcake rose design is simple to make. You need the Wilton 1M tip that makes the pretty swirl that you see on top of a lot of cupcakes. The cupcake’s frosting on the left was piped using the 1M tip. To achieve this look, you start piping from the outside and work your way in (tutorial here).

That same 1M tip makes a pretty rose when you do the opposite, holding the piping bag at a 90 degree angle and starting in the center. You turn the cupcake counter clockwise as you pipe the frosting, applying gentle pressure on the bag. Volia, you’ve made a rose.

The cupcakes were piped with a two-toned, white and pink frosting. For a tutorial on how to make the two-toned frosting, check out one of my previous posts here. It gives a nice effect to the roses.

Here’s a Youtube tutorial I found if you’d like to watch the piping in action.

I also just made a big discovery for all of the left-handed baking lovin’ people out there. I’m a lefty too, living in a right-handed world. There are pastry tips specifically designed for left-handers. Scroll through the page on Global Sugar Art to see the possibilities! I can’t wait to try them.

This led me to my next discovery. Piping letters is my biggest challenge, and I finally figured out why… I’m left-handed. It is more challenging for lefties to pipe words from left to right than it is for right-handed people. Here are a few tips for left-handers. Lefties have to stick together!

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Written on July 18, 2010 by Kate

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Hope everyone had a great weekend! I’m still in crazy sugar cookie mode, working on a large order. My mom came to my rescue yesterday and helped me roll out 600 sugar cookies. And yes, I know what a great mom I have. I kept saying every twenty minutes, “Aren’t you over this?” (I was) and I cursed at the poor starfish cookies too many times to count. My mom said she wasn’t over it. Even five hours into it, she claimed she was “having fun”. Oh, how I love that woman! Now all 900 cookies have been baked and I’m onto the decorating phase. See that cute little monkey smiling, that’s going to be me on Friday, except I’ll also have a cocktail in hand to toast to the end of the sugar cookie madness, and an end to all starfish!

These monkey cookies were made for Jen at Swank Web Design. She redesigned my site a few months back. If you’re looking for a website designer, she is amazing and super easy to work with. Jen was throwing her son his first birthday party with a jungle theme. Don’t you love first birthday parties? When my son turned one, my mom and I scooted the boy in his highchair outside to hose them both down after he dug into his cake.

Jen decided on monkey and personalized banana cookies for party favors. She’s with me on my “say no to junk” party favor policy. Oh, how I hate all of the crap that my son brings home from parties. In his defense, he absolutely loves it. Jen said that her little boy, Van, enjoyed the cookies, and since he’s too young to know about all of the plasic party loot he missed out on, I think these were a success.

Here’s a quick step-by-step on how I made these, plus a few tips on decorating sugar cookies:

The monkey face and banana cookie cutters came from coppergifts.com. Copper cookie cutters are more expensive… a lot more expensive, but are so much easier to work with. They make clean cuts when cutting the cookie dough and are easier to handle. Most of my cookie cutters are the cheapie kind, but I will say there is a world of difference in quality.

As for the monkeys, I started by outlining the face with Americolor gel in dark brown. When outlining sugar cookies, I usually use Wilton’s tip #2 and squeeze bottles. The royal icing should be the consistency of maple syrup for outlining. It should flow easily out of the squeeze bottle, but not spread when piping.

After outlining the monkey faces, I flooded the ears and top of the head with the dark brown icing. The royal icing for flooding the cookie needs to a much thinner consistency than outlining. It should move a bit when you squeeze it onto the cookie. A toothpick works great to spread the flood icing evenly. The rest of the cookie was flooded with Americolor soft brown. After each area of the cookie is flooded, it is important to look for air bubbles that have formed. Use a toothpick to gently pop the air bubbles before the icing sets. Don’t be obsessive compulsive, just get the ones that you can and move on.

After the flooded cookie dries (at least a few hours or overnight), add any details on top. For the monkeys, I went back and added the eyes, nose, and mouth using Americolor Super Red and Super Black.

I was thrilled with how the bananas turned out. My biggest challenge is always piping letters. I’m a lefty and have never had great handwriting (that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it). Practice may not make perfect, but it definitely helps. The Wilton tip#1 is what I use for piping letters and numbers. The hole is very tiny and can easily get clogged with royal icing, but toothpicks work wonders for that.

I added sanding sugar on the outside of the bananas for two reasons. First it added a little sparkly touch (it needed something), and second because one of my girlfriends, who recently helped me reorganize my kitchen, called me a “sprinkle hoarder”. That’s why I love my girlfriends. They aren’t afraid to say it like it is. Anyway, I’ve been banned from buying any type of sprinkles until I use up some of my stash.

To add sanding sugar to cookies, mix a small amount of meringue powder with water. Use a small paintbrush to brush the mixture where you want to add the sugar. Sprinkle sugar onto the cookie and shake off the excess. After it dries, a dry paintbrush works great to brush off any remaining loose sugar on the cookie.

These little guys were bagged up and sent on their way. I’m on my way to decorate another hundred sugar cookies. I promise to refrain from cursing at the starfish!

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Written on June 23, 2010 by Kate

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These cupcakes were inspired by one of the best children’s books of all time… Charlotte’s Web. Remember the first time you read this book? The themes of friendship and loyalty are timeless, and have made this the best selling children’s paperback ever. This was the first chapter book my son and I read together when he was five. Boy was I caught off guard. I became so invested in Wilbur and Charlotte’s relationship, I cried my eyes out. It is a totally different read as a grown-up. All those years of life experience make the book even more meaningful.

One of my girlfriend’s daughters, Amanda, asked me to make cupcakes for the Charlotte’s Web party her class was having. It was part of their end of the year celebration. What a perfect novel to end the year with. I always get emotional this time of year. Everyone around me, including the boy and his pup, appears giddy for summer. Trust me, I can’t wait to turn off the alarm clock for the next ten weeks, but the end of another school year is definitely bitter sweet. I don’t do well with change. I thrive on structure and on having a plan. But more than that, the last day of school brings with it the acceptance that another year has passed. My one and only kiddo is going to be in 4^th grade in the fall, and whether I like it or not, he’s growing up.

I vividly remember one occasion, when I was around my son’s age, crying in my bedroom wishing I didn’t have to grow up. I’m not even sure what prompted my meltdown. Ironically, here I am at thirty-six crying over the realization that my son is growing up before my eyes. It’s been amazing watching him transform this year. Never the risk-taker, the cautious one, he is becoming a different kid. I see in him courage that was never there before. My current prayer is that God will prepare me for that day when it’s time to let go.

As far as the cute little cupcakes go, Amanda reported that the kiddos loved them. A few said they were the best cupcakes ever. I made white cupcakes with the recipe that starts with a cake box, but ends up tasting like a wedding cake ~ love it! I didn’t make my home made buttercream, but used a can of frosting. Gasp! The reason has to do with the texture of the frosting. Kids love the taste of it, and the consistency is perfect for heating up a bit (see directions below).

Here ’s a few tips on how to make these BFF’s:

Pig Cupcakes

Bake up a batch of white cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners slightly more than halfway. You don’t want these to puff up too much.
Tint frosting with pink food coloring (I used Americolor’s soft pink gel.), and spread on the cooled cupcakes.
Heat ¼ cup of the pink frosting for 10-15 seconds, and stir. This will thin down the consistency of the icing to frost the snout and the pig ears.
Cut marshmallows in half cross-wise. Dip each half in the melted pink frosting, let dry, and place on waxed paper. As the icing cools, it will start to thicken up and may separate. At this point, stir it up and reheat for a few seconds.
Cut triangle shapes out of the marshmallows for ears. First cut marshmallow in half crosswise, and then trim each piece to form a small triangle. Dip each triangle in the melted frosting, and place on waxed paper.
I did not allow the pieces to dry completely. It’s helps to have them a little wet (but not runny) to better adhere to the cupcake.
If you’re having trouble with ears falling off, you can use toothpicks behind them for support. I discovered this tip when I woke up in a panic to earless dog cupcakes.
Place two mini chips, pointed side down into the marshmallow snout.
Place two regular size chocolate chips pointed side down for eyes.

Spider Cupcakes

These are really easy and fun for Halloween. Click here for the template and directions.
If you do not have piping bags and tips, a Ziploc will work. Fill it with melted chocolate, roll into a cone shape, and cut a small bit off the tip of the bag.
The only thing I did differently this time was add silver sanding sugar on these before the chocolate had dried for a little sparkle.

Happy Summer Everyone!

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Written on June 4, 2010 by Kate

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My ice cream maker is running over-time this week, and after indulging in all of this ice cream, I’m the one who should be running over-time at 24 Hour Fitness Center (I won’t lie, I never made it to the gym this week!).This recipe rivals the apple pie ice cream from earlier this week. After reading all of the ice cream favorites you’ve posted on the ice cream essentials give-away, I can now guarantee my ice cream maker will be running all summer long.

Here are just a few of the not your ordinary favorite flavors you shared…

Another favorite… “Muddy Sneakers”. The only kind of muddy sneakers allowed in my house… Muddy Sneakers ice cream is a mix of snickers, caramel, and vanilla. You can get it from a small dairy farm in Pennsylvania or whip up your own version. That’s what I plan on doing!

I also can’t wait to create homemade versions of the Cinnabon, Oatmeal Raisin, and Kahlua Malt Crunch. I think the Kahlua with the Malt Crunch could be a great pairing! I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Have a great weekend everyone! Take time to enjoy all of the beautiful things in your life. Don’t forget to leave your comment on Monday’s post to win the Cusinart Ice Cream Give-away. Deadline to comment is Sunday night 8PM standard pacific Time.

Blueberry Cream Pie Ice Cream (Inspired by, Spice Dreams & Baker’s Banter)

Ice Cream:

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup plus ¼ cup sugar

½ tsp.lemon zest

Pinch of salt

2 large egg yolks

1 cup whipping cream

¾ tsp. vanilla.

Dash of cinnamon

Graham crackers, chopped into small pieces (about ¾ cup)

Blueberry Filling:

2 – 2 ½ cups blueberries, cleaned

¼ cup powdered sugar

¼ water

To make the ice cream combine the milk, ¼ cup sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Scald the milk mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes*.

While milk is scalding, whisk egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and whisk until light and fluffy. Whisking constantly, add a small amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk.

Return the custard mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often. The custard needs to get thick enough to cover the back of a spoon (approx. 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and place into a glass bowl of ice. Let the custard cool, stirring often for five minutes

While the custard is cooling, combine the cream and vanilla in a separate bowl. Stir into the custard mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until completely chilled (minimum 4 hours, overnight works too). The custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make the blueberry sauce, combine blueberries, powdered sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stirring occasionally. mixture should begin to thicken between 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Ues right away or refrigerate.

Freeze the chilled custard in your ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the graham cracker pieces during the last minute of churning, until just mixed. Transfer to an airtight container by layering, the vanilla ice cream and the blueberry sauce. Scoop a layer of ice cream into the bottom of the container. Use a spatula to spread out evenly. Add a scoop of blueberry sauce on top and spread evenly. Add spoonfuls of vanilla on top and spread. It’s a little tricky to spread the vanilla on top of the sauce mixture. Clean fingers worked best for me. Freeze for a few hours to firm it up before you serve it. (if you have the willpower!)

Food for Thought…

Use a small cookie cutter to make graham cracker stars for garnish. There will be a little breakage, but use those as part of your graham cracker mix-in.
Need a shortcut? Use blueberry pie filling instead.
Not a blueberry fan? Try raspberries, strawberries.
Can’t decide? Try mixed berries.
Want a little more cinnamon flavor? Add Cinnamon graham crackers
Instead of achieving the vanilla-blueberry swirl look, you can mix the blueberry sauce into the ice cream mixture doing the last minute of churning. This will make the ice cream a beautiful purple hue.
*IMPORTANT: I checked in with the authors of Spice Dreams to clarify. When you’re scalding the milk, if the milk is too hot, when it combines with the egg yolk mixture, you may see it separate a little. If it looks a tiny bit curdled, don’t panic. (Stick to the five minute recommendation when you heat the milk.) If you do see this slight change in texture, you should be okay. The churning process does a good job of smoothing it out. Thanks Sarah & Katie!
Mary Jane at Baker’s Banter version of blueberry pie ice cream (which is what really got me obsessed with making this!) finishes the dessert off by putting scoops of the ice cream into profiteroles. They look and sounds amazing!
You’ll probably end up with extra blueberry sauce, don’t throw it away, make oat bars or cheesecake bites.

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Written on May 24, 2010 by Kate

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If you’re planning a barbeque this Memorial Day weekend, these cupcakes are an easy to make dessert, and are sure to be a hit with the kids.

Warning: If you are one of those individuals with food coloring issues, stop reading and please, please, I’m begging you… don’t let me know how you feel in the comments. I’ve read other bloggers’ posts when they have made colorful creations with food coloring and know that there is a group of food coloring haters who feel it is their mission in life is to educate us regarding the evils of food dye. Colors make me happy, and if indulging in a little food dye means risking my life, then so be it. What can I say, I like to live life on the edge.

I made these red, white, and blue cupcakes in two different ways. I like the layered look above the best. I love how the color seeps through the white cupcake liner, enticing you to peel off the cupcake wrapper. I also made a few by adding spoonfuls in three different sections of the cupcake liner. These are a novelty and fun for kids to join in the baking process. See, food coloring is your friend!

Steps:

1. Bake up your favorite white cupcake recipe. Divide batter into three bowls. Use blue and red gel food coloring in two of the bowls (see notes about gel-paste below.)

2. For the layered cupcake, spread a tablespoon of one color of batter into the bottom of a cupcake liner. Add a second tablespoon in another color on top. Be careful when you spread it around so that the two colors don’t mix. Do the same with the final color. The other option is to place spoonfuls of batter into three different sections. Again, doing your best not to mix the colors.

3. Bake, cool, and decorate!

Food for Thought for My Food Color Loving Friends

There are several types of food coloring on the market. My preference is always the gel-paste food coloring. The color is concentrated, so it does not require a lot to achieve the hue you’re going for. It also will not water down the icing or batter. Beware of the liquid food coloring from the grocery store. It is readily available, but because of its liquid form, it will alter the consistency of your batter. Powdered food coloring is also vailable from specialty stores. This is the most concentrated in form of food dye.

Tips on gel paste colors:

A little goes a long way. Start with a small amount, you can always add more.
Know in advance that the color you mix will darken over time. When making black icing, you need only mix it until it turns dark gray. Then give it an hour or so and it will be black. If not, add a bit more.
There are several gel-paste brands on the market. I am a born-again Americolor girl. I originally started with Wilton colors, and do still use them for particular colors.
The Americolor dye comes in a squeeze bottle which completely eliminates the mess. Wilton and some of the other brands require you to add the color using toothpicks. I’ve learned with this type of gel-paste to have paper towels very accessible and more toothpicks out than I think I might need.
The other plus of Americolor is that they offer “Super” colors. I use the super black, brown, navy and red all of the time. These achieve the true color with a very small amount.
Maybe it’s because I’m an 80’s girl, but I do have a thing for the neon line of Americolors. They bring me back to my flourescent sweatshirt and socks days.
Here are a few online stores that offer Americolors, Shop Baker’s Nook, Global Sugar Art, Sugar Craft

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Written on March 31, 2010 by Kate

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Look, my little sugar cookie chicks are hatching. I happen to think they’re pretty darn cute. I liked these so much that I ended up making more than planned. You can see the entire extended family below. They posed for a family photo. I’m back on a sugar cookie roll these days, and one of the best tips I have learned is to make two batches of dough at a time and freeze one batch. It makes the next round of cookies much easier, and if you run out of dough, but not inspiration you can pull that second batch out to thaw. For these little chickadees, I used orange chocolate covered sunflower seeds for the beaks and gently pushed mini chips into the cookies (pointy side down) for the eyes.

After all the chickadees hatched, the boy and I had fun making mini marbled eggs. They look impressive, but really are a cinch to design. It just takes a couple swipes with a toothpick to achieve the look. He watched me make a couple and then jumped right in to help.

Marian of Sweetopia guest posted this week at Bakeat350 and shared a great tutorial on this marbling technique. While you’re there, check out Bridget’s beautiful eggs. As soon as I saw them I was bummed that I had used all of my cookie dough. I love how she combined the marbled design and polka dots all in one ~ cuteness times two! Why didn’t I think of that? Hmmm… thinking more cookie dough is in my near future.

Mary Jane over at Baker’s Banter (another one of my favorites) posted a tutorial on the same technique a few weeks ago. Her spring cookies are gorgeous too. Take a peek for more inspiration.

Okay, I’m off to wrap up these cookies in cellophane bags for a few of my favorite chickadees! More sugar cookies to share tomorrow.

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Written on January 4, 2010 by Kate

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Credit to the Baking Artists:

The melting snowman cookie on the left is one of the best treats I’ve seen this season. Meaghan, at The Decorated Cookie made this. She is a sugar cookie goddess and an inspiration. She shows you step by step how to make this on her blog.
The bottom right corner was just posted by Bakerella, the Queen of Cake Pops. She also offers a how-to on these and her pictures are amazing.
The snowman cupcake on the right from Cherrapeno is made of fondant icing – with another great how-to post on her blog.
Two other fabulous ideas – chocolate-covered cherry snowmen by Linette, and Marshmallows covered in white chocolate on a stick and decorated like snowmen from Make’nMold
Below is an idea from Taste of Home . It’s made with one of my favorite things, powdered sugar doughnuts.

But seriously – Someone, please, let it snow! I thought it was winter - not according to our Southern California Sunshine. She decided to bring back summer, complete with Santa Ana winds. We’re talking over 80 degrees. I’m not complaining. I love the sun. Sunshine means boys can be sent outside to play. It means no morning search for the boy’s missing jacket. And it makes taking out the blender for a few margaritas seem appropriate. Unfortunately, Southern California Sunshine won’t entertain excuses for skipping the daily walk. And it means summer clothes come out at a time when we were planning on hiding a few extra holiday pounds.

Regardless of the season, I love snowmen. They make life happier. And those little, helpless snowmen melting away… Adorable!

Hope you’re inspired! I know I am!

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