*A*M*A*Z*I*N*G*: Cookie Exchange!

It's cookie exchange time...
Amazing is the first word that came to my mind when I discovered Nancy's Fancy Cookies & Cakes this week. Please go take a look at the cookies in her Flickr photostream. Nancy is a true artist...her cookies are so incredibly beautiful! I'm in awe. I mean, just look at Henry the 8th up there! The cookie itself is so clever and then the detail work is, well, amazing!
And, Hagrid! My son and I are reading the last Harry Potter book right now, so I couldn't wait to show him this cookie. It is so cool!

Thank you, Nancy for being a part of "cookie exchange!" I can't wait to see what you come up with next!
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Something different...Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

No cookies today...I thought I would supplement the cookies with a few other baked goodies here and there. What do you think?
So, here is my project from yesterday....Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. These are originally inspired by Bakerella. If you haven't been to her blog, go now! (I'll wait!) :) Months ago, I bookmarked her Red Velvet Cake Balls and added them to my "must make" list.

A few weeks later, I got an email from my girlfriend, Terri, about making cake balls. Then, last week, my sister emailed me with two other sites, here and here, on making cake balls. I thought this must be a sign, I needed to make cake balls!

This time of year, I really have a thing for pumpkin....I cannot get enough, so I made Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Mine are nowhere near as pretty as Bakerella's; I'm going to call them rustic. :) I added some chocolate jimmies because I had them on hand. They were such a hit. My son & I took them to a group we meet every week. I had 4 requests for the recipe within 1 minute!

See the "rustic" crack and cake showing through? :)

The possibilities are endless! I can't wait to try these again with other flavors. Let me know if you try these...I'd love to see your combinations!

....my son really had a good time helping to make these as well; this is a fun and messy project for kids!......

Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (or yellow or plain vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
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1 can cream cheese frosting
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chocolate candy melts or almond bark

Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) according to the package instructions and bake in a 13 X 9" pan. Make sure the cake is completely baked (no gooey middle) before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add most of the can of cream cheese. Using your fingers, mix together until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting of necessary. Roll into balls of about a 2 bite size. This should make about 50. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to dip, melt the candy melts (I used two bags of melts total) a 1/2 bag at a time following the directions on the package. Roll with a spoon and place on another waxed paper lined sheet. Scatter on sprinkles if using while the chocolate is still wet. Store at room temperature.
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Superheroes

These little superhero cookies are perfect for your Halloween superhero or for a birthday party!
To make cookies:
  1. Using a #2 tip and yellow icing (or another hair color), pipe in the outline for hair and fill with piped icing. (AmeriColor Egg Yellow)
  2. With red icing and using a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the shirt. (AmeriColor Super Red)
  3. Along the bottom of the shirt, pipe an orange line using a #3 tip. (AmeriColor Orange)
  4. With a #2 tip, pipe the bottoms/shorts outline with black icing. (Spectrum Super Black)
  5. Using the red icing with the #2 tip, add the outline for the tights.
  6. With a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the face and hands using a flesh tone icing. (AmeriColor Copper/Fleshtone)
  7. Using the black icing with the #2 tip, pipe the outline of the cape and boots.
  8. Thin black, red and flesh tone icing to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes.
  9. One color at a time, stir gently to pop bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle and fill in outlines. Use a toothpick to coax the icing into all corners and to edges.
  10. Allow the cookies to dry at least one hour.
  11. With the black icing and a #2 tip, pipe details on cape and go over outline of the boots.
  12. Switch black icing to a #1 tip and make eyes on the face. (If making a mask, pipe the eyes in a different color, then pipe the mask in black.)
  13. With red icing and a #1 tip, pipe a smile on the face.
  14. Using yellow icing a #2 or #3 tip, add a letter to the superhero shirt.
  15. Let dry overnight, package and eat! :)


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A bit of sunshine....

I know it's getting to be fall, but after Hurricane Ike, I'm feeling the need for a little sunshine. These daisies always look cheerful and sunny to me.
We have our power back on, luckily, but the stores are out of butter. Darn it! No baking for a while.
Daisy cookies are really easy....just pipe the outline and middle with royal icing, thin another color and fill.
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Lucky

My sister recently started a photography business, Lucky Horseshoe Photography. Molly has always had an "eye" for things...decorating, fabric, fashion (I still ask her for fashion advice!), and now taking beautiful pictures of babies, kiddos and families. I think she needs some cookies to celebrate!
Here are just a few of her pictures, featuring my sweet little nephew!
She is in Hawaii (poor thing), so if you live there or are planning a trip, give her a call for some gorgeous pictures of your family!

Molly...cookies are on the way! :) Congrats on your new business!
I used a gold luster/lustre dust for the horseshoe on the cookies. It is just mixed with a little vodka and painted on top of the dry icing.
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Cookie decorators, meet your new best friend...

...the toothpick!
Yes, besides my Kitchen Aid mixer and rubber spatulas, the toothpick is the tool I use the most when cookie decorating.

Toothpick, how do I use thee...let me count the ways...

  1. to spread/guide flood icing into the corners of cookies,
  2. to pop pesky air bubbles in flood icing,
  3. to nudge piped icing into the right spot when my hand is a little shaky,
  4. to add just a bit of food coloring to royal icing without adding too much,
  5. to drag through wet flood icing to make squiggles, feathers, hearts, etc., (see below)
  6. to move my pre-made monogram into the right place when I've dropped it off-center,
  7. to clear out an icing tip that has gotten a little too dry,
  8. and, to scrape all of the icing off of a cookie when I have messed up big time,

I know I will think of more...I've gone through thousands of these things! Anyone else use them?

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