Cookie Gift Bags

I've been MIA lately, as I just haven't done much crafting worth posting. But that changes now. Today I am giving away leftover cookies to our neighbors (they think I'm just super thoughtful, but really, I'm getting rid of them so I don't eat them all myself... because I will eat them ALL). Not only does this give me an excuse to craft, but it also gives me a chance to talk to other humans for a bit. YAY!

To Make: stamp bottom of brown paper bag with desired stamp, fill with cookies (leaving bottom fold that keeps the bag flat folded, so it's still mostly flat), fold over flap, cut to desired length with fun scissors, hole punch in center of flap, insert and tie ribbon.

Happy Crafting!

It's a Mario Party!

I helped the fiancé of a friend of my fiancé's (whoa. did you follow that?!) throw a Mario themed birthday party... And it was so much fun! I made all the paper products (banner, labels), as well as the marshmallow pops. Of course, I bombarded my co-planner with ideas found on Pinterest. I clearly need children... But not yet. :)

The fiancé and I were Mario and Peach, and the birthday boy and his fiancé we Bowser and Peach. And that's the whole crew above... We're acting out our characters, if you didn't figure that out. ;)

Wahoo! Happy Crafting!

New Neighbors

New neighbors just moved in next door to Daniel... My reaction? "Yes! An excuse to bake cookies!" Below is a little tag and bag of peanut butter cookies I made to welcome them to the neighborhood. (cookie recipe to follow)

Happy Crafting!

Thin Mint Hamburgers

Apparently in 3rd grade, I did a presentation on how to make thin mint hamburgers. The idea of course came from my very creative mother (that's where my creative genes come from). Below are the thin mint hamburgers that she created recently... nilla wafer buns (with sesame seeds stuck with sugar icing), green colored coconut lettuce, red frosting ketchup, and a thin mint patty... she even got hamburger wrappers from McDonald's (cut in fourths). So cute, right?!

Happy crafting!

Oreo Cupcakes

So as a middle school teacher, I often struggle to convince my students to turn in their homework (as if the idea of learning or failing isn't enough motivation?!). One of my fellow teachers had the same problem and she came up with a Homework Competition. Genius! So of course I totally copied her idea (she said it was okay). Each of my 5 classes competes against each other each week to see which class has the highest percentage of homework completed and turned in on time (I also struggle to convince my students to turn in on time). The winning class gets to pick their prize. So far, some of the choices have been Late Homework Passes, Bring a Snack to Class, One Extra Day for a Project, and of course, Cupcakes! I made the cupcakes below for period 5. They have won the Homework Completion Competition more than any other period and even got 100% one week! They deserved cupcakes...

Oreo Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Start with your favorite Chocolate Cupcake. Any chocolate cupcake will do, I normally use HERSHEY'S "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. (It goes well with my cream cheese frosting.)

Oreo Frosting

Make your favorite Buttercream Frosting. Again, any buttercream frosting will do. Once your frosting is made, ground up a bunch of oreo cookies (I used a few handfuls of oreos and threw them in the food processor), and add them to your frosting. Taste your frosting as you add the oreos in order to find the flavor you're looking for. It won't be a very strong oreo flavor, more subtle.

Garnish

Top off your Oreo Cupcakes with a whole oreo. Yum!

My students loved them, and were very impressed... They saw there was an extra (mine!) and began to persuade me to give it to them... A bunch of lawyers, they'll be!

Happy baking! And happy crafting!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

So I've never actually liked white chocolate macadamia nut cookies because I don't like white chocolate... Or at least I thought I didn't like white chocolate... You see, all my life I had been trying Nestle's white chocolate chips. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Nestle. However, I HATE their white chocolate chips! They taste fake to me. But this weekend, I had my heart set on making white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a hawaiian themed memorial service. I therefore decided to try Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips... If they cost more, they should test better, right? RIGHT!! I like Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips! And since their chips were so good, I figured their cookies would be good, too... I followed the recepie right on the back of the bag! YUM!

GHIRARDELLI MACADAMIA WHITE CHIP COOKIES

(actually does yield about 5 dozen cookies)

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 c. (one 11 oz bag) Ghirardelli Classic White Chips

1 1/2 c. Macadamia nuts, chopped (I definitely used 2 c.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in white chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Seriously! YUM! And for the nut-free folks... These are still amazing without the macadamia nuts!

Happy baking!

A Lot of Yummy

I'm not sure why this stamp says "a LITTLE yummy for your tummy" when we all know I'm not going to package just a little treat for anyone. I wanted to thank the wonderful teachers I work with, my student aides that do a lot of my grading, and the dedicated support staff that, well supports me by baking cookies... Below are the tags I created to adorn each bag of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

 

Happy baking! And happy crafting!

Super Bowl

Football Cookies:

Almond-Sugar Cookies, White Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Fondant, White Icing

Endzone Cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes, Green Cream Cheese Frosting, White Icing, Goal Post Toothpicks

 

Football Cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Ganache, White Icing

Endzone Trays:

Football Field Patterned Printed on White Cardstock, Cut, Folded, Glued...

line with wax paper to hold chicken wings!

Enjoy the Super Bowl, Ya'll! Happy Crafting!

Twister Cookies

Every year I make some sort of holiday treat to share with all the wonderful people that put up with me regularly. This year, I made twister cookies! Twister cookies are a somewhat bitter Arabic cookie (I'm 1/4 Lebanese) and are probably my favorite kind of cookie. I grew up making these delicious cookies with my Great Aunt Freda in Maine. These cookies are a bit labor intensive as you have to roll the dough out for each cookie and twist... It takes a while and your back always hurts after. They are so worth it, though!

Mmmmmm....

Happy baking all!

Macaroon Recipe

Chocolate Macaroons
Courtesy of Martha Stewart

1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c almond flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 c granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa in a food processor until combined. Whisk egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar until stiff peaks form (at least 8 minutes). Sift flour mixture over egg whites and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer batter to a pastry bag with 1/2 inch round tip and pipe 3/4 inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to edge of rounds. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees. Let cool for 2-3 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache
Courtesy of Martha Stewart

1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 1/2 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof dish. Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter and whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often.

Once your macaroons are baked and ganache is prepared, spoon about 1 tsp of ganache onto bottom of a macaroon and sandwhich with a second macaroon. I like to allow my macaroons to sit for at least 24 hours before I eat them, but that's just me. Those who like chocolate, especially dark chocolate, tend to love them. Happy Baking!

Macaroons

Funny story. Daniel and I were in Vegas with some friends, eating at the all-you-can-eat buffet in the Paris hotel. One friend grabbed the last of the macaroons. She LOVES macaroons! Unfortunately, Daniel then ate all those macaroons. Raquel was needless to say upset and Daniel has owed her replacement macaroons ever since. So for Raquel's birthday, I thought it quite appropriate to make her macaroons. Happy Birthday, Raquel!

Cookie Cuteness

I got the keys to my classroom back today! YAY! And I only worked for 3 hours! Tomorrow will be a different story, though. So I told our Administrative Assistant (the one holding my keys hostage for the summer) that I would trade her cookies for my keys. Below is Sandi. "Hi Sandi!"

I had some leftover cookies and decided to share them with the Youth Leaders at my church. I spent a week at camp with them as a high school counselor. (Don't worry. I had a badge that told the kids I was an adult. No need to act like one.) Anyone who can put up with me for a week deserves cookies, for sure! Below are Steven and Jon. Steven likes cookies.

And Jon plays guitar.

Happy crafting!

Fudge Recipe

I make fudge ALL the time because it is SUPER EASY. Ready for the recipe?

Chocolate Fudge:

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in a pot over medium heat, stirring continuously. When smooth and pulling away from the sides of the pot, remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir. Move to a 13"x 9" pan layered with wax paper. Refigerate for at least 6 hours. Seriously. That's it! I found this recipe on the back of an Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk can. You can also get it from their website.

Happy baking! And happy crafting!

Cookies!

Today I took a break from crafts and baked some cookies... Below you'll find pictures (they look sort of like poop, but I swear they're good!) of my first attempt at Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oats Cookies. And by first attempt, I mean, apparently rolled oats, quick-cook oats, steel-cut oats, and quick-cook steel-cut oats are all quite different. You see, the recipe called for quick-cook oats... okay, I can do that. At the store, I found quick-cook oats. Done. At home, I continued to read the label (I really need to learn to read all instructions before I start!) and found that I had purchased quick-cook steel-cut oats. Eh, same difference. So I bake... Then I try... Hmmm.

Apparently, there actually is a difference between all these types of oats. It gets complicated from here... Rolled oats are slightly steamed and rolled flat. Quick-cook oats are rolled oats that are cut into smaller pieces in order to cook faster. Okay, makes sense. Steel-cut oats are cut into smaller pieces when the oats are still raw and therefore actually take longer to cook than regular rolled oats. And finally, quick-cook steel-cut oats (the kind I purchased) are entirely made up because steel-cut oats are not quick cook. So to make a long story short, the oats in my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Oats Cookies did not cook. I still think they're good, though!

And when I found the cookie below, I got really excited... Doesn't it look like a heart? This one is definitely be saved for the boyfriend! Happy baking all!

 

Ashley

Ducky

A friend of mine will be moving to Minnesota in less than a month, so we are throwing her a goodbye party. Growing up, I called her "Ducky," therefore, it seemed appropriate to have a duck themed party... "Good Luck, Ducky!" Below are all the fun treats I made... The cookies are almond-sugar cookies with yellow marshmallow fondant on top. The cupcakes are chocolate with blue vanilla buttercream frosting and a yellow candy duck on top. Doesn't the candy ducky look like he's taking a bubble bath? Ha! I have way too much fun with this sort of stuff... and I clearly need children. Oh, happy crafting!