Christmas Cottages

This week I had a request for personalized Christmas cottages. I said yes before I had a design in mind, but they just sounded fun!


{One word of advice if you plan to make these personalized...think long and hard about the names. I lucked out here with Hatton, Adair and Gray...Schwarzenegger just wouldn't have happened! :)}


So, I committed, then I had to come up with a plan. I sat down with my cookie cutter, paper and my kid's box of crayons and doodled for an hour or so. Then, it hit me...mint green cottages with white roofs and DOTS!

If dots ever go out of style, I'll be in trouble (please don't tell me)...I've made dotty acorns, dotty leaves, dotty monograms, dotty packages, dotty turkeys, dotty cakes, dotty giraffes, dotty numbers...and that's just off the top of my head. Obsession? Maybe. Dots just seem to make everything happier!


I made a few extras, too. My husband took them around to some of his buddies today.



I did TRY to take step-by-step pictures of making these...here's how that went....


...and then, brain cramp. I totally forgot to photograph all the remaining steps! I'll do better...I promise. Maybe that should be my New Year's resolution. (Sounds better than exercising!)


What are YOU working on this week?

Related posts:

• Christmas package cookies
• Christmas wreath cookies
  

Chocolate Nutella Turnovers

Nutella and chocolate wrapped in puff pastry...

...if only every morning could start like this!

As part of FoodBuzz's tastemaker program, I received a coupon for a free box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. {Who says blogging doesn't have it's benefits?}


All I could think of was chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. And let me tell you, I was a hero in my 10-year-old's eyes after serving these for breakfast. (That lasted all of 15 minutes, but it was worth it.)

Even my husband who "doesn't like Nutella" ate two of them and said these belonged on the menu at a "fancy pastry place." Sorry, honey...I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you officially like Nutella now.


Chocolate Nutella Turnovers

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (from the 17.3 oz box), thawed
1 & 1/2 c. chocolate chips, divided
1/2 c. Nutella
1 egg
1 TBSP water
2 TBSP slivered almonds
1 TBSP shortening (such as Crisco)

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Stir together 1 cup chocolate chips and the Nutella.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12 x 12 inch square. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 9 squares.

With a fork, whisk together the egg and water. Using your finger, apply the egg wash to 2 adjacent sides of each square.

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the chocolate/Nutella mixture to the middle of each square. Fold over to make triangles and press to seal edges.

{There will be some of this mixture leftover. What happens in the kitchen, stay in the kitchen.}

Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the reserved 1/2 c. chocolate chips and the shortening in the microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals. Stir after each interval until melted. Set aside.

Remove the turnover for the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Spoon the melted chocolate into a quart-sized freezer baggie (a storage baggie might burst) and snip a hole in one corner. Squeeze over the turnovers in a decorative pattern.


Having guests for Christmas? They are going to love these!

Related breakfast posts:

• sweet potato pancakes
• chocolate pumpkin mini-muffins
• banana cinnamon chip muffins
  

Birthday Butterflies

Cookie inspiration can come from anywhere...greeting cards, invitations, fabric, catalogs...and even going to mass.

Yes, going to mass. This summer, a woman sitting a few pews in front of me had on the prettiest 2-tone pink dress. Halfway through mass, I realized that her dress wasn't just a swirl of pinks, it was actually covered in pink butterflies!


I tucked the idea away for this week because one of my very favorite people, who just happens to be a butterfly lover, is having a birthday. I shouldn't even say "butterfly lover"...she's more like the butterfly whisperer. She has a talent for butterflies...butterfly gardens, butterfly photos...she is an inspiration. ONE DAY, despite my black thumb, I am determined to have a butterfly garden liker her. :)

I think she needed pretty, pink, birthday butterfly cookies! Don't you?

For the cookies themselves, I wanted them to be extra special. I used my regular cookie recipe, but instead of 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, I substituted 1 tsp vanilla bean paste.

{The color is a little off here, but I like that you can see the vanilla bean flecks. This is the same recipe I used for PW's cookies.}

To decorate:

• Make Royal Icing in two shades of pink; I used AmeriColor Deep Pink and Soft Pink.
• With a #2 tip, make the body of the butterfly (I used dots of icing) and outline the wings.
• Thin both shades of icing with water until they reach the consistency of a really thick syrup. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit several minutes.
• Stir the icings gently with a rubber spatula to pop any air bubbles that have formed on top and transfer to squeeze bottles.
• Fill in the interior of the wings with light pink, but don't bring the icing all the way to the edges...leave about a quarter of an inch. (Work a few cookies at a time.)
  


• While the light pink icing is still wet, add the dark pink icing to the edges and add the veining. The dark pink and light pink icings will dry as one smooth surface. (I was going for a Monarch butterfly here, but feel free to get creative!) :)
  


• Drop in a few non-pareils on the wings for detailing.

Related posts:

• taking flight
• for BEEing sweet
• BEE my honey
  

Drop In & Decorate reminder

Are you participating in the Bake at 350 virtual Drop In & Decorate? If so, please email me with the details of your event (where the cookies were donated, how many, who participated, pictures). If you've already posted about it on your blog, you can just email the link. (Click the contact button above.)

I'll be posting about the donated cookies next week. So, please shoot me an email by Sunday evening at the latest. Want to get involved? Here's the original post with all the details.

Thank you so much! I know there have been several hundred cookies donated already!!!

Baking no-no's that work . . . Works For Me Wednesday

If you're a baking purist, you may want to skip this post and click on over to yesterday's post on Cranberry Almond Bars.

Today I wanted to share 3 baking no-no's that work for my sugar cookies:

1. I use salted butter! *GASP!* I know, I know, I'm not supposed to...but it's what I use in my cookie recipe. Forgive me, Martha. :)
   
2. I don't chill my cookie dough before rolling because I....
3. ...use cold butter!!! I take it straight from the fridge, slice it up and beat it with the sugar.

Do you forgive me? If not, you can file a report here:
suspiciousactivity@foodpolice.com

Do you break any rules in the kitchen? I won't tell!!!

Please visit We Are THAT Family for additional WFMW tips and more rebellious activity!

Bake at 350's WFMW archives are here.

Cranberry Almond Bars

Cranberries make me happy. Do they make you happy, too? I actually smiled at them in the grocery store last week. {And then realized what I had done and quickly looked around to make sure no one saw me.}


These cranberry bars are cake-y, tart and wonderful. Actually, you could easily pass this off as coffee cake, but on a holiday dessert table, they would be so pretty!

Cranberry Almond Bars

3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure almond extract
1 & 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp coarse salt
2 c. fresh cranberries
1/3 c. slivered almonds

Melt the 3/4 c butter and set aside (or in the fridge) to cool.

Reserve 2 TBSP of the almonds for the top of the batter and chop the remaining. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 8x 8" pan.

Beat the sugar and eggs for 3 minutes.

{Side note...I love when the expiration date on a carton of eggs is a holiday or birthday.}

Add the cooled melted butter and almond extract; beat until combined.

Whisk together the flour & salt. Add to the sugar/butter mixture and mix on low until combined.


Stir in the cranberries and chopped almonds.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan...spread evenly with a offset spatula (if you have one). :) Sprinkle with the reserved almonds.

Bake about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with crumbs, not wet. (Cover with foil the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning, if necessary.)


Cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Makes 12 bars.


Two sweet bakers asked if I would link up a recipe for their Christmas Cookie Carnivals. So, thank you to Shelly of Chic Craft Chick (today's carnival) and Liz of Hoosier Homemade (December 13th carnival) for thinking of me and asking me to play along! :)

This recipe is now linked at the Tasty Kitchen. Click on over for a printable version or to rate the recipe.

Related posts:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
• Key Lime Bars
• Caramel Brownies
  

The Pioneer Woman . . . a book signing (& cookies, too)

Today was the day...the day of The Pioneer Woman's book signing in Houston. Yee-haw!


I have been looking forward to this for such a long time. Ree, the Pioneer Woman, is such an inspiration! Whether its food, photography or homeschooling, her blog is so full of joy and makes me smile (and usually laugh out loud) each and every day.


{Here's my orange ticket...}


{...and friends made while waiting. Lovely ladies!}


{I couldn't resist bringing Ree some cookies...}


{As one of the ladies sitting around me said, "she sounds just like her blog!" She does! Completely adorable and charming...I think all of us felt like we were listening to our lifelong friend.}

Finally, it's my turn to have my books signed. I think I said either...

• "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."
• or, "I love you,"
• or, "Here, have these cookies."
  

I was so nervous. And, the picture of the two of us...here it is...

{Yep...see those curls on the left side? That's me. The rest of the picture was so absolutely HORRID that it now sits in the Recycle Bin on my computer. On the bright side, Ree looks beautiful.}

So, more on these cookies...when Ree showed a picture on Twitter of the boots she was wearing on the Bonnie Hunt show, I had an ah-ha moment...Ree must have cowboy boot cookies!

After decorating, let the cookies sit overnight, then break out the vodka.


{Yes, you read that correctly.}



To make the stars and spurs silver, mix dry luster dust with vodka.


Paint the dry royal icing with the mixture using a child's paintbrush.


The alcohol evaporates, leaving you with, ta-da, silver. (The man at the bakery supply place swears by EverClear, but I just never seem to have that on hand.) :)

Thank you, Ree, for coming to Houston! Hope to see you again on your NEXT book tour! :)

---

My new friend, Joann, from the book signing just emailed this picture....

See...I was really there! :)