Valentine's Sprinkles Cookies

 

Another addition to my Valentine's Day cookie box are these Valentine's Sprinkles Cookies.  The recipe comes by way of Dan Pelosi.  The inner child in all of us will absolutely adore these.  I love how easily adaptable the cookies are to celebrate any holiday by simply changing the sprinkles colors, e.g., pastel for Easter, red/white/blue for the 4th of July, etc.

Year of the Dragon Cookie

 

In 2024, Tết (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year) falls on February 10 and it's the Year of the Dragon, considered the most powerful of all Asian zodiac animals.  It's no coincidence that birth rates in these years are higher than other years because dragon children are supposedly destined for wealth and greatness.  I don't know if there's any data to support that theory but my oldest niece Sophie is a dragon so for her sake I hope it's true.

 

It's become somewhat of a tradition of mine to bake and decorate cookies in the shape of the lunar new year animal.  I love passing the favors out at my family's large Tết gathering.  I didn't have a dragon in my cookie cutter arsenal so I ordered this one from etsy.   To decorate the edible dragons  I went the super simple route and brushed a thin layer of red-tinted royal icing on top.  To add a bit of character to the face I drew on an eyebrow using a food coloring pen.

 

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới 2024!!!!

 

Cal Berkeley Sugar Cookies

The month of May heralds the start of commencement season, graduation from high school and college/university.  Can you hear the notes of Pomp and Circumstance in your head?  My friend Bibsy commissioned these Cal Sugar Cookies for a dual celebration in her family: her youngest child's recent acceptance into Berkeley, as well as her oldest's graduation from the esteemed university.  Talk about a smart family!

 

The cookies aren't too hard to make, as long as you have a good stencil.  I got this "Cal" one from U-Stencil.  They have a wide range of college and universities to choose from.  I started with my tried and true vanilla sugar cookie and applied a base coat of royal icing until it was completely dry.  With the aid of the stencil I applied a thin layer of colored royal icing in the shape of the school's logo.  The consistency of the royal icing for the logo is key; it needs to be thick, like toothpaste.  

 

Be forewarned, though, that stenciling can be a messy affair, especially when working with a darker icing color as I was.  After I finished stenciling one cookie I had to thoroughly wipe and dry the stencil before moving on to the next.  But I think the end result makes it worth it.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023!

Platinum Engagement Ring Cookie

 

Recently my friend Jesse commissioned a cookie order to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of her soon-to-be sister-in-law.  I suggested a Platinum Engagement Ring Cookie as the design, selfishly on my part because I haven't made or decorated that shape before.  I bought this cookie cutter set from Amazon and used my favorite sugar cookie and royal icing recipes.  

Aren't the packaged favors so cute?  They would be beautiful for a bachelorette, bridal shower or wedding reception.

2021 Holiday Cookies

 

Here's a roundup of the holiday cookies I made this year and gifted to friends and family.  Every year I tell myself, "don't go overboard, two to three different cookies will suffice," and every year I ignore that advice.  I can't help it!  When the holidays come around I'm constantly inspired by all the baking I see and inevitably I end up finding something new or different that I want to make.  

Clockwise from top right:

Iced Chocolate Stars

Walnut Snowballs

Ginger Molasses

Sugar Cookies

Ricciarelli

Millionaire's Shortbread

Bravetart Brownies

Raspberry-Filled Viennois

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Rainbow Flag Cookies

As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community I wanted to show my support during Pride Month by making these Rainbow Flag Cookies.  While they may look complicated to make they really aren't.  These cookies are essentially a slice and bake cookie.  I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and divided the dough into six equal portions which were tinted the colors of the rainbow.  Here's an easy acronym to remember what the colors are and the order they're placed in: ROYGBV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet).

 

To shape the I dough into a flag I used a long, rectangular box that was 12" L x 2 3/4" W x 2" D in size. Each portion of color tinted dough was spread into the box and flattened as evenly as possible before adding the next layer.   An hour-long chill in the fridge ensured that I could easily slice the dough before baking.  I just love how the rainbow flag cookies turned out.  The colors are so vibrant and cheerful.  

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

 

Bunny-Themed Easter Table

 

 

Easter 2021 seems a lot more hopeful than last year as COVID-19 vaccines are more broadly rolled out in the US.  I wanted my Easter decor to reflect an uplifting mood and I hope I've achieved that.  Decorating for the holidays, be it Easter or Christmas (my other favorite holiday), brings me so much joy and who doesn't need some of that right now?

 

Bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies.  These cute furry creatures were the inspiration for my Bunny-Themed Easter Table this year.  It all started with the floral meadow tablecloth and embroidered napkins I bought from Williams-Sonoma and after that the ideas just multiplied, much like their namesake animal! 

 

Since last year I started collecting Easter bunnies and this year's additions to the fluffle are moss covered bunnies I picked up from Mrs. Alice, a UK-based tablescape retailer that's become a new favorite of mine.   Everything they sell is absolutely gorgeous!

 

By way of desserts I made a spreckled egg cake, raspberry and lemon petits fours, jam-filled thumbprint shortbread and iced sugar cookies.  Colors of pastel pink, blue, yellow and green were used throughout the room to complement the Easter theme yet these cool tones were warmed up by using  rattan and wood elements such as the placemats and napkin rings.

 

Easter candy is a requirement and I filled gingham Easter basket party favors with lollipops, chocolates and marshmallows.  Ceramic bunny bowls brimming with jelly beans and malted milk balls were placed on the dining table.  They made an extra sweet addition to the tablescape.

Wishing you a wonderful Easter (or spring or Passover)!

 

Resources (note: some items may be sold out):

Floral Meadow Tablecloth

Floral Meadow Embroidered Napkins

Scalloped Salad & Dinner Plates (no longer available)

Artesia Honey Round Rattan Placemat

Wooden Bunny Napkin Rings

2-Tier Marble & Brass Cake Stand  

Easter Egg Wreath

Gingham Easter Basket Craft Kit 

food packaging (cello bags, clear plastic boxes, ribbon)

Hot Air Balloon Onesie Cookie Favor

 

My dear friend Jesse is having her first baby this autumn and I was thrilled to make the favors for her socially-distanced baby shower.  Three years ago I made Jesse's wedding cake and cookie favors so I feel especially honored to play a part in another important milestone in her life. 

 

The onesie cookies I created were designed to complement the invitation, which featured the cutest hot air balloons for the "Oh, the places she'll go!" travel theme.  Jesse's girlfriends who planned the baby shower did such a fantastic job and everything looked beautiful.  Every detail was thought out, from the suitcase lunch boxes to the wicker hot air balloons filled with stuffed animals. 

I cannot wait to meet the little one in the coming months.  I predict she will be spoiled rotten, as she should be!!

Congratulations Jesse & Tyler!

My Easter Table

Self-isolation and social distancing sucks and I think most people would agree with me on that.  I've been in it for a little over a month at this point, ever since San Francisco issued the shelter in place orders at the beginning of March.  I have my good days and bad days to be sure, but with Easter coming up I was determined to do things that would lift my spirits.  Plus, it gave me a great excuse to do even more baking!

Although I can't host the Easter brunch that I would have liked this year I can still decorate my table, right?  I took advantage of the online promotions at Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn and bought a colony of ceramic bunnies and eggs to use as props.  I also found some really cute paraphernalia and tons of Easter candy at my local Target.
 

I didn't really have any preset idea of what I wanted my table to look like.  My main goal was to create something that was pretty and I think I've accomplished that.  Pastel colors are used throughout the tablescape to evoke spring and renewal.  And who doesn't need that right about now?  

The baked goods I made included iced sugar cookies, mini bundt cakes and gluten-free carrot cupcakes.   At the center of the table was the pièce de résistance, an Easter bunny made of Rice Krispies treats.   Can it get any cuter than that?  It was so simple to make using a Nordicware Easter bunny pan I bought a few years ago (similar pan found here.)

This Easter table is bringing all the good feels for me and I hope it's  sparked a little joy for you.  Happy Easter to anyone who is celebrating and to everyone out there, please stay safe, healthy and STAY HOME!

Resources:

Scalloped Green Plates and Raffia Drinking Glasses: Aerin x Williams-Sonoma 

Placemats: H&M Home

Wooden Egg Placecard Holders, Happy Easter Place Cards, Raffia Carrots, Pastel Egg, Gold Cutlery: Target

Football Onesie Cookies

My friend Jesse recently commissioned some decorated sugar cookie favors for her friend's baby shower.  The brief was pretty straightforward: the baby was a boy and the expectant parents were ardent football fans (Green Bay Packers to be exact).   A quick search on Pinterest yielded some really cute design ideas.  In the end I went with a onesie-shaped cookie decorated in baby blue royal icing with a football on the chest.   Aren't they just the sweetest thing?  I'm so happy with how they turned out.  Hope the cheeseheads like them too!

Sugar Cookie  & Royal Icing

Year of the Rat Cookies

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!!   Happy Lunar New Year!!

January 25 marks the start of the Year of the Rat.  To celebrate I made these rat decorated sugar cookies.  No fancy cutter needed; I just used a heart one and royal icing to form the shape of the rat.  

Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune this year.

Gnome Sugar Cookie

The holiday season doesn't start for me until I decorate the Christmas tree and bring out my beloved collection of Scandinavian gnomes.  I first fell in love with these adorable felt figures many, many years ago when they festooned my honorary Norwegian mamma's cabin in the mountains outside of Oslo.  Mamma G (aka "MG") loves to decorate at Christmas, no one can hold a candle to her in this regard, and the gnomes are the star centerpieces.  

How ecstatic was I last Christmas when she gifted me with an entire family of white and grey gnomes of my very own!  Little did she know at the time that her generous gift was the start of my ever growing gnome collection.  You might say I have a slight obsession, but I can't help it, they are just so darn cute! I've found some great ones at Zara Home, Swedish Inspirations, IKEA and Heath Ceramics.

So when I happened upon Sweet Sugarbelle's gnome cookies I knew I had to make them.  They were literally screaming my name.  Callye is such a baking inspiration for me and her creativity has no bounds.  She ingeniously used one of her brand's ghost cookie cutters and transformed it in to the gnome.  Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to buy her Halloween cutter collection when it was in stores but I found this great alternative at Truly Mad Plastics.

I just love how the gnomes turned out.  In fact, I love them so much I'm using "gnomes" as the theme for the holiday treats that I'll be gifting this year.

I Do Cookies

 

Being an avid baker and lover of all things beautiful it was on my London must do list to visit Peggy Porschen's gorgeous cake parlour in Belgravia when I spent some time in the UK capital last summer.  I own several of her books (like this one and this one) and am a huge fan of her impeccable aesthetic.  As soon as I walked through the front door I felt like I'd entered baker's heaven.  I remember thinking to myself that if I ever opened a bakery I would want it to look like Peggy's.   The decor, layout and whimsical displays of cakes and treats were a feast for the eyes. 

 

I spent quite some time at the parlour, enjoying a slice of delicious lemon, raspberry and rose cake, perusing Peggy's many books and just soaking in the lovely environment.   Of course I couldn't leave the shop empty handed and ended up buying these darling bride and groom cookie cutters.   [The wedding cake cutter I bought from Sugar 'n Spice, my local baking supply store.]  A year later and I finally got around to using them.  How cute would these cookies be as favors at a bridal shower or wedding reception to celebrate "I Do"? 

Pineapple Sugar Cookies

Ananas, piñas, trái thơm....it goes by many names but my friends and family know that pineapples are my absolute favorite fruit in the whole world.  I like to make a summer-themed sugar cookie that I gift to family and friends and when I found this fantastic pineapple cutter at Williams-Sonoma I knew what I was doing for this year's theme.  Here's my homage to the "ananas comosus" and I'm loving how they turned out. 

My love of the pineapple probably borders on the obsessive.  If there's a pineapple in or on something you can pretty much guarantee I'll buy it.  We're talking iPhone cases, wallpaper, necklace, shoes - bought them, received them, love them, done!  

Did you know that the pineapple is a symbol of welcome and hospitality?  Maybe that's why I'm so drawn to this fruit.   Colonial sea captains returning from the Caribbean would spear a pineapple on their fence post to let friends know they had arrived home safely and serve as an invitation to come and visit.  How cool is that? 

LONG LIVE THE PINEAPPLE!