Ready for a true labor of love? Full disclosure, it was a case of self-love, because I made it to celebrate my own Birthday! I spread the preparation over three days, you can definitely make it in two, but sometimes it is best not to rush. Since it’s been many years since I made this type of cake, I decided to take my time and enjoy the ride.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE ENTREMET CAKE(from Sugar Geek…
A little trivia for you… did you know that M&M stand for Mars and Murrie, the launchers of the colorful candy back in 1941? They worked for Mars and Hershey companies, respectively. Eighty-five years have passed, and we use M&Ms all the time in brownies, cupcakes, chocolate barks, and…. to decorate cookies!
You can find many examples around Pinterest and Instagram, I attempted three designs but…
A little labor of love, these cookies are adorable and will brighten up any special occasion. You’ll need a special silicone mold, but other than that, it is all pretty straightforward.
GEOMETRIC HEART BUTTER COOKIES(from The Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)
240g unsalted butter, at room temperature 140g powdered sugar2 egg yolks2 tsp vanilla extract260g flour20g cornstarch1/2…
The date is quickly approaching, so here are some ideas to inspire your cookie decorating…
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Starting with hearts and shamrocks…
Very easy wet-on-wet, with a border that is also pretty straightforward, just thick icing with a small petal icing tip (101 or 102 will work, depending on the size of your cookie). When you pull the shape with a needle, make the two sides first, going in, the pull…
Decadent. First adjective that came to my mind after the first bite. It is not a sourdough, relies on commercial yeast, but I would not consider it a bread fit for beginner bakers. The high hydration level makes it very tricky to handle. However, if you don’t mind a little challenge, go for it. Absolutely wonderful!
CHOCOLATE PAN DE CRISTAL(slightly modified from King Arthur website)
500g bread…
Tunde Dugantsi, one more time delivers her poetry in cookie decorating, using just white icing and intricate piping technique. To join her cookie club, click here.
Five cookies complete this beautiful set. Tunde used an 8-petal flower cutter, which I did not have, mine had ten petals so I had to adjust the design a bit. Several techniques were joined to bring this set to life: transparent…
Long post, not food related.
If you’ve been following my blog over the years, you probably know a few things about my husband, Phil. He cooks dinner every other day. He is an avid (and pretty darn good) golfer. He is a biochemist and a Professor at Kansas State University. But maybe there a few things you don’t know. And I am here to share them with you, as we approach the day we’ll both retire…
This set of cookies joins a Springtime vibe with a touch of Oriental flair. I envisioned them going well together but confess that they turned out better than I expected. I love them.
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CHERRY BLOSSOMS
For this design I opted to flood with a pink icing, then used dry powder to add dimension to the petals. Process shown below. The palette I love is available here, and it works amazingly well on…
One more example of a recipe in which looks do not do it justice… This was so delicious, it goes into our regular rotation, although the weather for this type of meal is coming to an end. Comfort food without being overly heavy. Please give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.
CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW(slightly modified from The New York Times)
1 tablespoons unsalted butter2 tablespoons olive…
Two beautiful ways, both courtesy of Amber, tutorials available in her cookie club (visit clicking here).
I honestly cannot pick a favorite between the two styles… I think Amber truly outdid herself with the techniques and colors. I do not share full details of cookies that are part of a paid online class, so let me just go briefly over what is involved.
FROSTY SNOWFLAKES
I used a recent…
This wonderful bread was inspired by The Perfect Loaf, but I modified it quite a bit. Check his site for the original, which makes two loaves and includes a few extra instructions I omit.
SCALDED BUCKWHEAT FLOUR AND HONEY SOURDOUGH(adapted from The Fresh Loaf)
for the levain:27 g whole wheat flour27g water27g sourdough starterflour scald:23g buckwheat flour37g boiling waterautolyse step:320g…
I ran out of time to share all the cookies I made for the Valentine’s season, but to be honest, I pretty much decided to celebrate love in cookie shape throughout the whole year. Why not? We all need it. Today I share some designs that took the cute factor way up, or so I think.
POLKA DOT HEARTS
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These are squares with a little tiny heart cookie glued after the center is flooded. Steps for…
Today I share a couple of recipes that have my name written all over. They are low in carbs, full of flavor and… loaded with eggs! I am after all, a very enthusiastic egg-cheerleader. I probably enjoy them for lunch in some version (scrambled, omelette, over-easy) several times per week. Without further ado, here they are…
Let’s start with the Low-Fat Quiche, courtesy of Helen Fletcher
SIMPLE…
THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE!
As you know, the Chinese zodiac repeats every 12 years, but something cool takes place on the Horse years: every 5 cycles it is a special kind, the FIRE HORSE, bringing incredible power and change. Sixty years ago we had it, but I was not making cookies then, so my apologies. Here I am to share a small contribution to this powerful event…
The idea for this design…
This year, I am going all the way into the pink theme… Two sets of cookie designs, courtesy of Tunde Dugantsi (join her club here) in tutorials that once again pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone, particularly the Lambeth ones. So here they are, to wish you a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Similar to my previous Lambeth adventure, these cookies rely on very few colors, just a lot of precise…
Valentine’s Day is just about here! Today I share a few ideas to sweeten up this special weekend… Make sure to visit my cookie blog tomorrow for a series of cookies that celebrate love. And now, let’s get started, shall we?
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I open this post with a Vanilla Pound Cake with Hibiscus Glaze
VANILLA POUND CAKE WITH HIBISCUS GLAZE(from The Bewitching Kitchen)for the cake:3 sticks (339g) unsalted…
The big day is almost here! Today I share a series of heart-shaped cookies to inspire you, so let’s get started..
These are super easy to decorate, the toughest part is the bead border, which could be omitted. First get red, two or more shades of pink, and white icing, all in the same piping consistency. Now, let the fun begin!
Keep in mind that the speed is accelerated 4 times, I am not a…
I have used this simple recipe in countless ways and it simply never disappoints me. Because it has no leavening agent, it holds its shape either as a cutout or as a stamped cookie. You can also use it for thumbprint cookies. You can paint it, you can stencil it. And of course, you can treat it as a regular sugar cookie and decorate it with Royal icing. I will give you the basic formula and a few…
If you follow cookie decorators, you probably realize this is one of those viral trends, everybody is doing it. I normally do not like to join these trends, but I find the design so impossibly cute, I had to try it myself. So, without further ado, my little snow angels…
It all starts by making the little Royal icing transfers. You can download the template for free from yourbakingbestie (click…
You can use any recipe you are fond of, the scoring is not intricate so you can even increase a bit the hydration level if you prefer. You will need parchment paper cut with a heart shape (save the heart and the outside area), and a stencil with little hearts. I used Red Yeast Powder to add color, but air-brushing would also work. I love how the little white heart popped into the design, totally…
It is the season to celebrate love, so here I am with a small series of cookies to inspire you. All pretty simple and straightforward to decorate. Let’s start with cupcakes and hearts.
The hearts are probably the easiest kind of Valentine cookie. Pick three colors (I used red, pink and white) and use one to flood, two to pipe large dots in alternating tones all around the edge. Use a needle to…
Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you are cooking at home, this would be a perfect side dish… A little bit tricky to get the timing of everything right the first time, but we absolutely loved this recipe.
HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES(from The Bewitching Kitchen)
Medium-large Yukon Gold Potatoes1 quart warm water4 tsp salt2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste2 tablespoons butter1…
Penguins are so cool! I love the way they walk, and how they survive under incredibly hard circumstances. Today I share two designs that center on this beautiful bird.
Let’s start with Penguins on Ice…
Inspiration for this cookie came from Kathy’s Art Projects for Kids (click here). I have been following her for a long time, and when I saw this recent drawing, I knew I had to “cookie” it.
It…
She raved about it (click here), and I jumped on making it pretty quickly. I was never quite sold on the idea of potato on pizza, but it is absolutely delicious! I made a few modifications to suit our way of cooking, which maybe by now you know, does not involve onions. But please go to her site for the original version. Preparation is super straightforward, commercial yeast, a couple of hours…
Another big marathon in the cookie universe, once again courtesy of Tunde Dugantsi, who pushes my limits all the time. No, I am not complaining, I actually love that! Seven hexagon cookies, all decorated by the Lambeth method, which is intricate, elegant and absolutely fascinating to work with. Read about it here.
It is amazing to think that preparation for the work is not that complicated. You…
I am totally in love with this concept, which I saw in one of those reels online that entice you but not always work. This one had a happy ending, and for that I am grateful…
BAKED EGG TORTILLA BITES(slightly modified from food bites)
makes about 8
3 tortillas1 tablespoon olive oil2 eggs3 tablespoons heavy cream25 grams cheddar cheese, grated1 teaspoon sea saltpepper, to taste5 grape tomatoes,…
I believe the time has come to open the Season of Love… Let’s start with a small series of cookies to get us going… First, a beautiful composition designed by Amber from @sweetambs.
A lot of details, but her tutorial is flawless as always. Start by making all the buttons as Royal icing transfers (she provides the templates in her cookie club). Then it is just a matter of flooding, piping details…
I don’t know how to put this more clearly to you: MAKE THESE COOKIES. Do not hesitate, do not postpone to next week, next month. My friend Dorothy from shockinglydelicious raved about them, and I am so glad I took action. They are incredibly easy to make and OMG-delicious! Addictive. Seriously so. The recipe is not yet in her blog, but I got it through her Facebook (check it out here if you are…
I fell in love with this concept back in November, when I was starting to plan all the Christmas cookies. I’ve had the cutter for quite some time, but it was patiently waiting for me, hidden in a drawer in the basement. Once I brought it out to play, I was hooked. You can use the shape in all cookie seasons, just change the center image and let your imagination go wild.
For these designs, I…
New Year’s Eve, we cooked our meal together, and decided not to have dessert, since a mighty Mont Blanc had been at our table just a few days earlier (read about it here). But I developed this intense desire to surprise my beloved husband, so one day in which he had to work in a very long experiment I went to work and made all I needed to assemble a mini-cake. Small in size, great in impact.…