How to Pipe Letters with Royal Icing. . . Works for Me Wednesday

Piping letters on cookies.....it still makes me nervous. 

Now, my piping still isn't perfect, but here are a few tips I've learned along the way.

• Use the smallest round tip you feel comfortable with. (I know that ends in a preposition, but "with which you are comfortable" just seemed too fancy.) I like to use a #1 tip.  The larger tip you use, the more likely the letters are to spread.
• Fresh royal icing is important.  Royal icing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but it loses some of its stiffness.  For the most exact lettering, make your royal icing the day you'll be piping.

• Write down the name or word to be piped on paper.  Make sure you've spelled it correctly and look at it every so often.  Words tend to look strange when you've piped them 52 times in a row.
• Start from the middle.  Once you've written the word on paper, find the center letter.  Place that letter in the center of the cookie and work out from there.
• Practice.  Before plunking down icing on that first cookie....practice.  Practice on a paper towel or a plate or a cookie sheet.  It could be that you were thinking all CAPS, but lowercase looks better. Maybe you want to try cursive.  Try it out first.

{Remember....it's ok if the piping isn't perfect. Our cookies are made by actual humans, not robots.  Although, a cookie robot would be kind of cool.}

These piping tips work for me!  What about you? Do you agonize over piping, or something else about cookie decorating?

Valentine *Conversation Heart* Chocolate Bark

Time to get your sprinkles on...

I'm gonna be honest; I love conversation hearts, but I don't like to eat them.  I like to LOOK at them.


So, I figured....combine them with chocolate? Yeah, now we're talking.

I love the way conversation hearts are updated from time to time.  This year along with "Be Mine" and "Kiss Me," I saw "LOL" and "You Rock." :)

This is a quick, easy, fun Valentine treat to take to school parties, to the neighbors....or to eat wearing your jammies while watching Young & the Restless. {Not that I did that.}

Valentine Chocolate Bark

2 bags white chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli)
2 bags bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate chips (I still like Ghiradelli)
2 cups Rice Krispies
conversation hearts
sprinkles

Place 3/4ths of the white chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl.  Place over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the remaining white chocolate chips until melted. (If the chocolate is too thick, stir in some Crisco...about 1 TBSP).

Stir in the Rice Krispies.

Spread onto a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. (An offset spatula works great.)

Melt the bittersweet chocolate using the same method. (You shouldn't need the Crisco here.)

Using an offset spatula, gently spread over the white chocolate.

{I don't use the word "sexy" very often on the blog....or ever....but really, melted dark chocolate?  Sexy.}
 

OK.....sprinkle on the conversation hearts and sprinkles.  Let set up until hardened.


Break into pieces.

 

{I served them in a vintage muffin tin. :)} 

PS....this post is dedicated to my friends, Teresa and Kristan.  I think of them every time I reach for the sprinkles. :)

Blogging Buddies . . . Works For Me Wednesday

If you have a blog, have you ever met another blogger in real life?   I'm lucky enough to live next-door to a real-life blogger (and host of Works for Me Wednesday...Hi, Kristen!).  And sweet Mr. E sent me to visit Cheryl (TidyMom) this summer. And, then there was Ree. :)

If you ever get a chance to meet a blogger you love, DO IT!  Believe me, it's nice to talk to someone about blogging and not have the person look at you, tilt their head to the side and say, "huh?" 

Last week, I attended my first ever blog conference. 
{And I'm still recovering.}

Thanks to my friends at Blog2Print (you know, the company that will print your blog for you as a book), I was in Nashville at Blissdom.


The opening and closing keynotes were amazing (thank you Brene Brown & Scott Stratten...I cannot express how much I loved them BOTH).

The parties were fun...and the music incredible (yes, Michelle Branch, Mat Kearney, Chris Mann & Crystal Bowersox).  {And here's a sign you're old....you have to google all of those people, other than Crystal who you voted for on American Idol.}

 

{Here's Cheryl with Chris Mann.  Aren't they both adorable?!?}

But the best part?  The highlight of the conference?  Meeting all of the lovely ladies that I've admired from afar.  The craft bloggers, the photography bloggers, the home bloggers, the mommy bloggers....

....and yes, some FABULOUS foodie bloggers.  Here are my homegirls:

 
Kristan of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Amy of She Wears Many Hats
Shaina of Food for My Family
Kristen of Dine and Dish (one of the very 1st food blogs I ever read!)
Aimee of Simple Bites
and, my roomie, Cheryl of TidyMom

Meeting other bloggers?  Works for me!!!  Thank you so much, Blog2Print!!!

{Have you ever met another blogger or attended a blog conference?}

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. . . . . yeah, you heard me.

Kiddo's birthday was last week and he LOOOOOOOOOOVES cookie dough.
{So does his mother...it's hereditary.}

I knew exactly what to make him for his birthday cake, Cheryl's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.


Let me break these bad boys down for you....

First, there is a chocolate chip cookie cupcake. Then, they are filled with chocolate chip cookie dough filling.  And finally, they are topped with a brown sugar cookie dough frosting.

{Yeah, you don't WANT to know the WW points on these puppies.}

For the cupcakes and the filling, I'm going to link you to Cheryl's printable recipe.  The only change I made on those was to add just a *pinch* of salt to the filling.  You could totally skip that if you wanted.

I changed up the frosting just a bit, so here is that recipe...

Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 lb. box powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
3 TBSP milk
2 and &1/2 tsp vanilla
mini chocolate chips

Cream the butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment until fluffy.  Add in the powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated, then increase the speed and beat until smooth and combined.  Add the salt, milk and vanilla; blend until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes. (I used a Bakery Crafts 9CS tip.)  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.



Now, it's time for the candles.

And I have NO IDEA how this happened, but the reflection of the flames made ♥'s in the picture.  Is that cool, or what?!?!?


{Here's what 12 looks like around here.....sweaty hair, flared nostrils, fruit punch mustache and all. ♥}

Print YOUR Blog in Book Form! (Works for Me Wednesday)

Several months ago, I mentioned a great company called Blog2Print.  They actually print your blog in book form.

Whether you are a food blogger, or a craft blogger, or a mommy blogger, or a home blogger....or even if you aren't, but you know a blogger.....this is such a cool idea!

When my book came in the mail, I opened it and saw cookies and baking projects that I had already forgotten about.  And I LOVE that kiddo will be able to look back on it someday...and maybe even try some of the recipes!


 
Blog2Print and I are teaming up for the Blissdom blog conference.  I leave for the conference in Nashville tomorrow (and guess who is my roomie!), but while I'm there.....

Blog2Print is offering one of you a $40 credit to print your own book!

To enter:

• go take a look at Blog2Print's site...and then leave a comment here telling why you would love to print your blog....or maybe you would print someone else's blog as a gift for them.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

• tweet it!Tweet
• follow Blog2Print on twitter

Blog2Print works for me!!!

{If you will be at Blissdom, please come say "hi!"  I'd love to meet you and I'll have my B2P book with me if you'd like to see one up close! And if you're not going, be sure to follow the fun on twitter using the #blissdom hashtag.}


{Drawing will be held Sunday, January 30th at noon, CST. Good luck!} giveaway now closed.

And the Golden Globe (cookie) Goes to . . .

.....Jim Parsons (Sheldon) from The Big Bang Theory.

Here's the story....a sweet girl, Lindsay, who I used to work with actually knows Jim.  Yep, I know people who know people. ;)

Turns out that Jim went to the same high school I did although, I'm sure, MANY moons after I graduated.

I've always said that nothing makes me more nervous than making a logo cookie, since I don't have one of those handy-dandy projectors.  Well, I've amended that....nothing makes me more nervous than making logo cookies for a Golden Globe WINNER.
 
{You know what?  Everything looks better with a little ribbon....even a shaky logo.}


Did you know that the Golden Globe award has a little "filmstrip" wrapped around it?  I didn't, either.  That's what those dots and squares are supposed to be. (I used a luster dust called Golden Charm here....I love the color!)


Bazinga!  That's Sheldon's catchphrase.

Congratulations on your Golden Globe, Jim!  You're doing Spring, Texas proud! :) 

Pecan Snowballs

 
You know those people in your life that you just *trust* when it comes to food? I don't care if they are serving you a piece of toast, or a bowl of soup, or a slice of pie....you know it's going to be good.

Well, this recipe comes from one of *those* people....my Aunt Janice. When she mentioned these Pecan Snowballs around Christmastime, I knew I MUST make them!

Two things....

1. Aunt Janice says that she usually doubles this recipe. I forgot to buy double the pecans.  I will not make that mistake again. DOUBLE IT....they go FAST!
2. The.dough.is.so.good.....do not pinch off a piece to taste before baking.  You may end up eating half the dough before it gets to the oven. {Not that I did that or anything.}

Pecan Snowballs
{from Aunt Janice}

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flour
Powdered sugar to coat the snowballs after baking

Cream sugar, salt, butter.

Add vanilla, then flour and nuts.

Chill 2 hours.

Form small balls...about 1 inch diameter


Place balls on cookie sheet and bake in 250 degree oven (yes, two hundred fifty:)  until light brown on bottoms......40-50 minutes.


Roll them in powdered sugar as soon as they are cool enough to handle.  Then, roll them again after they've cooled more.  Then, roll them again when completely cool.

These cookies were a huge hit at our house!  Make them....just remember to double that batch!